The HUNGER Project

HUNGER, PHILADELPHIA is a site-specific, three-phase project.The piece draws from the use of kaolin (a kind of clay), which is used within various cultures for nutrition in the absence of other food sources and examines hunger from a global perspective while responding and contributing to the local community hosting its art-exhibition phase. McCracken draws attention to the need for nutritious food sources for indigent populations within our own community and educates youth about proper nutrition. Calling attention to need as an under-discussed issue in society, The HUNGER Project juxtaposes plenty with quality, immediate gratification with sustainability. The piece used geophagy (earth-eating) as a launching point for an experiential poem about need. During the exhibition, clay-covered models moved through an arid, monochromatic landscape eating clay casts of fruits and vegetables. The excessive consumption of a visually bountiful but non-nutritive food substitute was central to the main idea of the project.