PORTFOLIO - DAY 3, Artists Challenge

Day 3 of 5 day challenge to show three images of work a day brings three images taken from my Farm World project, this installation is a work in progress and its first incarnation was shown at Crescent Arts in Scarborough as part of my studio residency. Farm World concerns itself with the state of current farming practices. 
The first of today's 3 images is  'A Poultry Life', this is a mixed media Ceramic and metal work looking at the mass production of chickens, it subverts the historical ceramic Hen egg holder, de-beaking and then malforming the ceramic casts made from traditional moulds, the Hens are then re-presenting on metal shelves referencing a cross between supermarket shelves and battery cages.

Karen Thompson - A Poultry Life (Farm World).

Image 2 is 'The GM Reaper', this is my take on a contemporary grim reaper inspired by a set of children's toy farmers made from plastic. This piece is commenting on Genetically Modified crops and the potential hazardous outcome they may have. The reference to plastic suggesting how we are becoming more and more influenced by the artificial.

Karen Thompson - The GM Reaper (Farm World), Ceramic. Photo: David Chalmers.

The final image today is a preliminary drawing for a piece I have yet still to make in ceramic. It's called 'The Human Milk Cow' and is a response to the news that Chinese scientists have genetically modified cows to produce human milk to feed to infants. I've taken my inspiration for this piece from Staffordshire pottery as I see this era of pottery as very much a form of documenting social history. 

Karen Thompson - The Human Milk Cow (Farm World).

More images can be found for Farm World at my website http://www.karent.co.uk/farmworld.html