New York designer Scott Ballum is embarking on an ambitious year long project to meet, face-to-face, the people who produce the goods he buys, and also learn more about the production processes involved in their manufacture.
There’s probably not too many of us who give much thought to the mechanics that results in a can of baked beans, or a box of chocolates, landing on a shelf at the supermarket, so his experiences could be eye-opening to say the least.
My intention is not neccessarily to change what I purchase, but to change my level of awareness and participation in the acts. I’m as interested in knowing where a large, mass-produced object comes from as I am in meeting local entrepreneurs and artists. It’s about understanding the labor and encountering the people that make my life, my consumer life anyway, possible.
Scott will be documenting what he learns on his blog.
That seems like a very interesting adventure that Mr. Ballum seems to be undertaking. It is experiences like that or taking a year off of work to pursue other endeavors that make life interesting. My best to Scott. The blog should be an interesting follow.
I did once work in the office for a food manufacturer so I saw some of the production process and got to know one or two of the factory floor workers. Didn’t however meet any of the the people who supplied the ingredients they worked with though.