One of the Six Thousand, 2011 by Moya McAllister
Plenty of films and books have covered the questionable, if not downright deplorable, practices of the mass production of food. High on that totem pole are the pieces written about the livestock industry in America. In Contender Moya McAllister's series, reverse famine, the photographer documents the process in rural Ireland.
Abbatoir #1, 2011 by Moya McAllister
In her artist statement, McAllister explains:
This body of work, reverse famine, was created during an assignment for a farm-to-table cookbook, The Irish Butcher. During my four-week stay in the rural West Counties of Ireland, I lived on a dairy farm with a converted photo studio while visiting different kinds of farms around the area... My admiration for the Farm Security Administration's documentary photographers, especially the work of Dorothea Lange, influenced me greatly during the creation of these images, though my focus was more animal than human.
Queen for a Day, 2011 by Moya McAllister
Abbatoir #2, 2011 by Moya McAllister
She adds:
A city girl at heart, through this project I grew sensitive to the issues of abuse or mistreatment that surround farm animals in the United States; I believe all animals, especially those we are going to consume, deserve our respect and care. In Ireland, I saw firsthand a long held tradition of love intertwined with commerce. While images of meat can evoke death to many, to me they have become a primitive symbol of sustenance and the essence of life... My attention during shooting was naturally turned toward animals as living creatures of warmth and beauty; human beings often attribute human characteristics to animals in order to create an emotional tie. We don't like to be reminded that we eat animals but the reality is they are food, and there can be beauty in that alone.
Richard's Pig, 2011 by Moya McAllister
Moya McAllister's career has spanned multiple media outlets, most notably Time Inc., Harry N. Abrams, Roger Black Studios, Newsweek, Scholastic and Hemispheres. Her involvement in the photography industry includes serving as a panelist, judge and photo reviewer for a variety of reviews and events, most recently at PhotoPlus Expo/PSPF 2010. Moya is also co-founder and administrator of PictureEditors.Org with Rob Haggart of APhotoFolio and APhotoEditor. After more than 15 years as a photo editor, director and producer, McAllister is once again concentrating on full-time photography, shooting food, portrait and travel commissions.