Novogen (2017–2018) is a project focusing on the eponymous breed of chickens, a special type of commercial layer, which was developed to use its eggs in the production of pharmaceutical products such as medicines and vaccines. Through the investigation of the industrialized farming of the Novogen White chicken, the work poses questions about biotechnology and man’s relation to nature. At the same time, by taking the chicken as a metaphor, it reflects on the capitalist concept of workforce.
The core of the project is formed by an installation of 168 portraits of individual chickens. This installation is supplemented by a series of photographs documenting the production facilities and the process of the vaccine production. Its last part is a selection of extracts from the management guide of the Novogen White and the marketing material of the company which produces them.
