SUSANNAH MIRA

Great Divide, 2010 | cotton, wire | 13 x 3 x 3 feet

This work utilizes 100 pounds of raw cotton — grown, sourced, and discarded close to my former studio near the U.S.-Mexico border. Since the passage of NAFTA more than a million Mexican farmers have lost their land due to the market saturation of U.S. cotton and other crops, driving prices for these goods below the cost of production. In addition, cotton uses an enormous amount of pesticides in the production process, with by-products entering the human food supply through use in cattle feed and as a filler in processed foods.

3/2011 –> Cotton Displaces Food Crops on U.S. Farmland