My passion for slave free chocolate
When I was 14 years old, my Modern Studies class watched a documentary about child labour and modern slavery, when I found out the origin of chocolate and the Child Labour industry behind the production, I was appalled. So I made the decision then and there to only eat fair trade chocolate. But when I found out that fair trade chocolate didn't necessarily mean that there were no children working on their farms and that their chocolate was still mixed with uncertified chocolate I could not stand the idea of funding companies that exploit children that should be in school, so I made the decision not to eat chocolate ever again. I was overjoyed when one of my friends mentioned a chocolate brand called Tony's Chocolonely that is passionate about making all chocolate 100% slave free.
Changing Prescriptions
I made this piece for an exhibition with the theme of Refractions. I implemented a large amount of imagery into the piece and left a lot of space for the viewer to interpret the piece as they wanted. It is about expectations versus reality when it comes to serious matters such as where our chocolate products are sourced. Through what lenses do you see this issue? Is it time for you to change your prescriptions?
Symbolism
The wire is meant to make the canvasses look like glasses and shows the difference in prescriptions. I made the image of the children in school black and white, which gives it the effect of an old fashioned newspaper but also shows that the reality is different to the way it is portrayed in chocolate company articles. The picture of the child working in the plantation is in colour to show that child labour is the hidden reality. The canvasses are hung at different heights to represent the imbalance that goes on in the lives of the children working in the plantations that should really be in school, with the sculptural component which is an unbalanced scale made up of chains. These are just a few examples of the symbolism in the piece, but I am sure that you can spot some more and fill in your own interpretation.
The Open Chain
In my art piece I felt it was important to give a shout out to Tony's Chocolonely and all the efforts they are making to make all chocolate slave free. If it wasn't for Tony's Chocolonely I still wouldn't be eating any chocolate whatsoever. They are a company that is passionate about chocolate but also cares for the people involved in the process of making it. I added the open chain symbol in my painting as a symbol of hope and to show that change is starting to stir. This piece was about an issue close to my heart and I felt so honoured to share about my passion for slave free chocolate with the people at the exhibition through the medium of art. If you want to learn more about Tony's Chocolonely's vision please click on the read more button.