fig.
It's kind of a strange word, and an even stranger existence. Nature is quirky and complex. This article by Julie Blume Benedict does a great job breaking down the freak of nature that are figs but I'll summarize:
Figs aren't a fruit at all, they're inverted flowers, meaning they bloom on the inside. Tiny fig wasps pollinate each fig and in the process of climbing inside they lose their wings and their antennae break off, stranding the female wasp inside to lay her eggs (and eventually die). Once the babies are hatched, the male wasps reproduce with the females and dig exit tunnels for them. The females exit (with pollen attached), and the cycle starts all over. Also, the figs produce an enzyme to breakdown the wasp exoskeleton. What the what? Go check out that article, the process is crazy.
Back to the project.
This project explores figs three ways: breakfast, lunch and dinner preparations when figs are fresh on your grandparents farm (who also happen to be beekeepers, such rad grandparents). Raw, drizzled with honey for breakfast, sliced on top of an arugula salad for lunch and topped off with a roasted Cornish hen with fig glaze for dinner. The goal was for all 3 photos use the same surface to convey a consistent sense of place, while the lighting helps define the time of day.
Thanks for looking!
