Basse Stittgen
Photo: courtesy of the artist
Basse Stittgen
Germany born 1990
Level 3
NGV International
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PROJECT
The industrialisation of meat production saw the slaughter of animals move from agrarian, domestic or butcher-shop settings into large-scale slaughterhouses away from the public gaze. The separating of meat from its corporeal source has contributed to a culture of consumption removed from the environmental and ethical implications of mass-produced meat. Blood record reconnects us to the realities of industrial abattoir production where animals are dismembered and transformed into a consumable commodity. Materialised as a record pressed from discarded cow blood, a by-product of the meat industry, this artwork amplifies the sound of a cow’s heart beating to reconnect us to the visceral reality of the food we eat.
ABOUT
Basse Stittgen’s work is positioned at the intersection of design, art and material research, stemming from a fascination with matter and how it can be created, cared for and questioned to uncover hidden narratives. Stittgen’s work explores ways objects can mediate contemporary complexities through making invisible processes tangible. Stittgen graduated from the Design Academy Eindhoven in 2017 and his work has been exhibited at the Victoria and Albert Museum, London; the Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam; and the 13th Shanghai Biennale of Architecture. His work is held in the MAK, Vienna; the Museum de Fundatie, Zwolle; and the Wellcome Collection, London.
Courtesy of the artist