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The Boiler Hall, indicates how much of the 14 billion kilograms of dairy milk produced in 2019 in the Netherlands is processed into. 55% into cheese, 16% processed food, 14% milk powder, 7% milk, 6% condensed milk and 2% as butter
'The Factory - The Boiler Hall' was exhibited at the KlimateExpo (Museum de Fundatie NL) in 2022 and at the 17th Arte Laguna Prize (Venice IT) in 2023. The complete series was also published on Al-tiba 9 ORIGINAL (Barcelona ES) in 2022 and nominated for the annual DUPHO (Dutch Photographers) SO Awards.
The Factory 2022
The Factory is a series that critiques the effects of industrial dairy farming through a collection of contemporary still life.
Dairy milk is nutritious and essential to our diet but it is now also a commodity that brought about many setbacks to us consumers and our environment. Gone were the days when consumers preferred to reject dairy milk due to animal cruelty. We are presently faced not just with this concern but also the bigger impact and destruction it is causing to our unique habitat and climate. The compositions of The Factory series showcase information and data related to the production of dairy milk in the years 2019 and 2020. It investigates the dairy milk industry by translating various specifications and statistics illustrated by coloured rings. The information includes what is and how much this material is produced, processed, consumed and wasted. Shot on location at the UNESCO heritage site - The Van Nelle Factory in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, this locality is chosen for its modernistic spatial interiors and most importantly its visual connection to a mass-production venue.
Many thanks to Selma Hamstra, KUKKA Laura Luchtman and Iwan Pol for their products and support.
Art direction & concept: Phyllis Wong
Photography: Pim Top
The Switchroom, indicates the global consumption of cheese from the top 5 countries in 2020 with EU leading at 9k metric tons followed by USA 5k, Russia 1.3k, Brazil 0.7k, Mexico & Canada 0.5k
The Bridge, indicates the production of dairy milk from the top 5 EU countries in 2019 with Germany leading at 35% (33.5 million tons), France 27%, the Netherlands 16%, Italy 13% and Spain/Ireland 8%
The Tearoom, indicates the top 5 types of food waste in the Netherlands that total amount to 589 million kg in 2019 with bread being most wasted at 33%, dairy goods 23%, vegetables 17%, fruits 14% and potatoes at 13%
The Cafe, indicates the global consumption of dairy milk from the top 5 countries in 2020 with India leading at 81k metric tons followed by EU 33k, USA 21k, China 12k and Brazil 11k