32 Tons of Carrots Dumped Outside School as Protest Art

Is it art? A political statement? Or is it vandalism? Actually, it might be all of the above. Via BoingBoing, we’ve learned how Rafael Pérez Evans, an MFA candidate at Goldsmiths University in London, recently hired a truck to dump a whopping 32 tons of carrots outside the school’s grounds. Many folks thought it was some kind of over-the-top college prank. The artists sees it as politically motivated art however. It is also paying homage to European farmers, dumping produce at the gates of government buildings as a sign of protest.

But not everyone on campus is all that happy about the mountain of produce in their way. And a whole lot of them think it’s not art at all, but a colossal waste of food. In fact, not too long after this art installation hit their school, a group of Goldsmith students made a new Instagram account. One specifically criticizing Pérez Evans for wasting such a huge abundance of produce. But the artist had his own response to the critiques, and released a statement on his intentions.

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“Dumping is a form of protest, regularly used by European farmers that react against a central government which devalues their labour, agency and produce to points of ridiculousness. This devaluation often produces an enforced invisibility, which is often reciprocated by farmers who create hyper-visible gestures by dumping their devalued produce.” You can read his full statement by clicking here.

Pérez Evans added that “The produce in the piece are unwanted carrots, carrots that the food industry in the UK deems not worthy of shelves, the full 29 tonnes of vegetables will be collected after the exhibition and sent to feed animals.” Since lots of cute little bunny rabbits are benefitting from this probably, this is all a good thing, right?

Featured Image: Sony Pictures Animation