Laura Arten

Shortlisted

"Coffee Undine"
3 Photographs
57 x 25 cm
 
I was inspired by my love for coffee and by gratitude and respect towards people who grow it for others all over the world to enjoy.
It struck me that so many people probably do not have access even to quality water I bath in, Let alone for it to come out of a tap- and hot.
In our(European) part of the world, clean water is considered a widely available equity, a norm. Most of the time we don’t even think about the fact that human body is 60% water and how dependant on it we are as beings biologically, but also culturally. Something like a hot bath is readily available at the end of the long day. It occurred to me that to make a cup of coffee you need fresh water. So obvious, I never really thought about it before.
We are connected on this planet. Even more so nowadays due to global trade. I can drink Tasmanian coffee in London with my friends from all over the world. Through this, we are bound together. From the person who planted the seed, grew the plant, harvested the coffee beans and so forth. It is communication chain that comes down coffee.
On another level, living in Shoreditch, going out for a coffee with friends, or even on my own, is one of the greatest pleasures. I love coffee. I love to sit down and really savour a freshly made, hot cup. It is something to look forward to every day. A little uplifting ritual, like having a bath.
This project is a love letter to coffee and a tribute to all people who produce it.