The hidden impacts we consume: imported and home-grown fruit in the UK. by London College of Communication

This installation explores the complexity of the UK food system by highlighting the horticultural decline in home-grown fruit and the reliance on imports. The project is inspired by the purchase and commercialisation of fruit and it seeks to humanise the UK’s Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs' total supply data. The physicalisation of information illustrates the consumption patterns of plums and bananas in 2019 and it embodies the history, concerns, practices and consequences of banana production in Colombia. Fruit nets, commercial labels and knots are mediums and tools to bring to life arguments and they attempt to support readers to stop seeing fruits as just commodities.
The installation sees the reader as not a passive spectator but an active participant, experiencing data and engaging in conversation. Ideally presented at symposiums and events, this design outcome is directed at the UK’s food & horticulture leaders that mould the direction of policy proposals and the food future.
By questioning our consumption habits, revaluing the fruit that can be produced in the UK and making visible the impacts of banana harvest in Colombia, the project invites the reader to imagine a different food future. Solutions for a reevaluation of our horticulture and a more responsible approach to imports should be shaped by diverse perspectives and placements.