German artist Uli Westphal has been collecting and photographing strange fruits and vegetables for the past 5 years. The Mutato-Project showcases a broad spectrum of produce that would rarely make it into standard supermarket shelves.
Today we have a very clear idea of how an apple or a tomato should look. If something deviates from this norm, the artist says “we often regard it with mistrust, sometimes even disgust”. Malus domestica - common apple.
Westphal says the absence of botanical anomalies in our supermarkets has caused us to regard the consistency of produce as natural. Produce has become a highly designed, monotonous product. Solanum melongena - common eggplant.
The Mutato-Project showcases alternate forms, textures and colors that remain hidden from the public due to marketing standards and optical trade norms. Capsicum annuum - common bell pepper.
Even in our tightly controlled industrial agriculture, deformations and aberrations are a very common occurrence. Citrus limon - common lemon.
The artist discovered that massive amounts of fruits, roots and vegetables are being discarded every year because their uneven shapes make them unfit for automated processing and their unusual looks make them unfeasible for sale. Daucus carota - common carrot.
Only a tiny fraction of high yielding, good looking varieties are being grown and distributed today even though there are literally thousands of varieties of any domesticated fruit or vegetable. Cucumis sativus - common cucumber.
The way produce looks does not necessarily reflect its flavor, quality or nutritional value. “A round, flawless orange can be bland and tasteless, while a bumpy and crinkled one can be juicy and delicious.” says Westphal. Citrus sinensis - common orange.
A vast majority of plant varieties that humans have bred over the past 10,000 years have vanished within the last 50 years. See more at www.uliwestphal.com/mutatoes.html. Solanum tuberosum - common potato.
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