Alison Sydenham
Dear Dairy
I am deeply concerned with the dairy industry. As a key part of New Zealand’s national identity, and the backbone of our economy, it seems to be sacrosanct in spite of the pressing environmental and ethical issues associated with it. Although this personal research interest was previously external to my art practice, the premise for my Masters project was to both develop my painting practice and use it as a platform to investigate dairy in visual culture.
During this project I have developed a fascination with stock imagery, as it enables me to access and use the same material as the very corporations my work seeks to challenge. Purchasing the rights to a stock image used by Tip Top, and using it as a reference for a painting, is a process that challenges the divide between industry and individual.
