back to basics
April 22, - Earth Day
Engaging with local farmers during a global pandemic.
As France went into lockdown, I moved back where I grew up, facing uncertainty in my childhood house, going through phases of anxiety but also joy, feeling the freedom to explore new activities. I decided not to give in to pressure from social media and start creating online exhibitions or projects but waited to find something that could have a stronger meaning to me. I have always been curious about the modes of production and distribution of food and kept myself informed about initiatives to reduce the impact of agriculture and farming on the planet. As most of foreign workers were not allowed to enter the country, French government called out for people whose current work had stopped, to get involved in farming across the country. After a few administrative calls, I found myself spending eight hours a day, outdoor, thinning apricots, peaches and nectarines, learning about and from trees. I have quickly realised how this experience would open my eyes on reconsidering my values in work and as a person. At first, I was feeling very grateful to have a job, in which I could spend time outside, surrounded by trees, watching the sun rising behind the mountains. But I rapidly felt lucky to know that it was a transition period for me, and that I would be able to go back to my regular work eventually. I have never been in such work loop where I had to sleep and eat enough to be able to stand outdoor in the sun for eight hours in a row. I felt my body pushed at its limits and understood what labour actually meant. I understood the privilege I had to choose my path, study at university, move cities and countries several times and having the freedom to make choices. It is now a privilege to have been able to work in agriculture and meet people and workers that I would never have met otherwise. Being able to move away from the art world and the cultural industry and taking part in a completely different field allowed me to think my work differently. Such experience has brought me a new lens on my ‘curator’s eye’, motivating me to explore subjects I am interested in by physically doing and making changes.
