I was concerned by the observation that the consumption of regionally produced food is becoming increasingly popular among the population, despite or perhaps because of the globalization of food markets. Increasingly, we consumers were in a position to help shape developments on the global food market through conscious purchasing behavior. At the same time, I asked myself to what extent the trend towards the consumption of regionally and organically produced food can counteract the global exploitation of resources. Were these efforts towards more ethical consumer behavior to be understood as resistance to Europe's profit-oriented agricultural policy worldwide or did they rather lead to a concealment of the same?
On a cold winter's day, a VEGETABLE CONSTRUCTION, consisting of a greenhouse tent with a lush vegetable patch inside, was erected on Helvetiaplatz in Zurich. The tent was connected to a large "heating center" installed in the immediate vicinity, which transported warm air through a hose into the interior of the tent with a noise that could not be ignored. The size of the installation showed a striking disproportion between the greenhouse and the excessively voluminous heating device.
Inside the greenhouse, the ecological significance of regional vegetable production was communicated to visitors. The vocabulary used in this presentation, which ran for several hours in a loop, was based on the advertising jargon of the local food scene. However, the continuous noise of the heating machine was so noticeable inside the tent that the lecture and any conversations among the visitors could only be managed by shouting.
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