Protest Poster

Artist's Statement

        I addressed the controversial patents on genetically modified seeds. These patents state that if a farmer buys seeds from the company and the company gets money from the farmer. Then after the harvest if the farmer uses seeds from the last harvest he is required to pay for the seeds again. Also, if the seeds blow into someone else’s field and begin to grow. The owner of the field must pay the company for the seeds as well, even if they didn’t plant the seeds. With this aspect, genetically modified seeds could blow into fields and grow under “mother earth’s” care and not anyone specific. Under the patents the earth would have to pay for these seeds. I decided to take this approach of how it would seem odd to require “mother earth” to pay a company for seeds growing in her fields naturally. Also, I wanted to address the controversial of patents of living organisms. Seeds and nature seem to be under mother earth’s care while human’s human’s are manipulating the earth and expecting the earth to do what they want. I sided against the patents and tried to show that companies can’t control nature and shouldn’t profit from the cycle of natural life of plants letting seeds go each season so that new plants grow. 

So, to address this visually I created a poster which demonstrates a member of the Monsanto Company (the company holding the most patents for genetically modified seeds) holding up a bill to Mother Earth. I should Mother Nature favorable but subdued in color because she is melancholy, her posture also suggests a melancholy attitude. I represented the Monsanto man visually repelling by being stout and unpleasant to look at. Also, the background was darker to demonstrate the sadness and wrongness of the situation. 

I received reactions from three people from my social network posting; Facebook. Two of the people “liked” the poster and only one committed. This person’s comment was: “Monsanto's business practices are totally unethical. They take advantage of law's loopholes to make a profit. The poster is well done.” The third person liked this commit. Therefore, the response which I received was aligned with the same view on the issue which I was stating. I feel like this issue is not commonly known, and I wonder if I would have received a greater reaction if people knew more about the issue.

An outside source which has influenced me would be the documentary film Food Inc. It was this film which first made me aware of this issue. I have done further research since viewing this film and have learned that patents exist on genetically modified genes to create incentive for scientist to do the research for these seeds and to help provide the funding for the research. I however, think the patents extend beyond just this. I can understand and agree with Companies receiving money when first selling the seeds but to have people fined if seeds are re-used (as in the seeds from the harvest from the first batch of seeds). I don’t think this should happen. I also don’t think people should be fined if genetically modified seeds blow onto their land and naturally begin to grow. This just seems flat out wrong to me. Nature is nature and man can’t expect to control if and shouldn’t try to control it to get material gain. 

The viewing for this weeks made me contemplate how their are several aspects to this issue but considering the facts which I have researched on both sides I think there needs to be modification to the patents. I can understand patents for genetically modified seeds and to promote research and help fund research (both federally stated reasons states for the purpose and use of of patents), but I think that companies such as Monsanto have gone beyond these to reasons and are overstepping into the realm of nature. My take on the issue is not aligned specifically with any particular party but if would probable lean toward the left political field since the right is a larger supporter of business.