»… and God created the land and the seas. And the land brought forth grass.« West of Rotterdam, where man created the land, you can clearly see a new plant world evolving. Northern Europe’s largest tomato-growing area stretches towards the horizon in a seemingly endless greenhouse. Here the plants thrive not in earth but under glass, in rock wool. And it is not water, but a liquid chemical nutrient that provides those plants with everything that agricultural engineers have calculated. When the sun sets, the whole landscape is a radiant artificial orange. The crop plants thrive non-stop.
We have become accustomed to being able to buy every kind of fruit and vegetable at the supermarket fresh and at any time of year. Cucumbers, tomatoes, aubergines, kiwis and pineapples are always available just like any other standardized industrial goods. Yet the blissful conditions at the vegetable stalls and the growing need for good are changing our plant permanently. There are less and less fruitful regions on earth that are in a natural state – increasingly we find ourselves surrounded by a completely domesticated landscape.
Following on from the tradition of topographic photography, this project entitled The Third Day spotlights man’s cultivation of nature. It features gigantic outdoor monocultures in the United States, or under glass and plastic in the Netherlands and Spain. Interior views of research institutes provide insights into those places where new varieties are constantly being grown and tested. Places where man assumes the role of Creator when he uses genetic engineering to give plants features that are even more profitable.