“It is usually taken for granted- within modern industrial societies at least-that we start where our bodies begin and stop where our bodies end.” (Entangled Life Merlin Sheldrake) Our bodies are not the only thing that define us; we have souls and personalities; we are more than our physical bodies. The same principle can be applied to anything yet we forget about this. We live in a society where everything is flattened into a category, an ideal parameter and our approach has become shallow and cosmetic. The Third Plate states it better than I do by raising the question ‘How do we get to the point that we willingly, even happily, eat the equivalent of a rotten tomato?’ When did we stop seeing food as nutrition and how did the beloved tomato become a victim of idealizations is my question. 

This has to with several things. Of course, this includes history and ideas around stereotypes but also with our way of thinking and how things are presented to us. This collection of infographics draws inspiration from circular thinking models that aim to move away from the linear model of extraction>production>use>disposal together with the scans of tomatoes that are considered 'abnormal' for the shapes. The data used in the graphs are taken from a paper that compares the effect of genetic modification on flavor which is done in favor of producing tomatoes that match the visual expectations of consumers.

By combining the graphs with imagery and text, I intend to change the experience of reading scientific data for viewers and shift their perspective on what a tomato fruit should be/enable them to go beyond their idea of a round and red vegetable and start favoring aspects such as taste and nutrition over looks.