'Ultra Processed People' Experimental Video and Short Film Curated Showreel VCAS - Vienna Contemporary Art Space (a small artist run organisation based in Vienna) is pleased to announce our Open Call to submit work for inclusion in 'Ultra Processed People' an experimental video and short film showreel dedicated to exploring the nature of ultra processed food and its impact on society, culture, and the human experience.

This curation aims to bring together the work of visual artists working in video as well as filmmakers and encourages experimental formats, exploring innovative approaches to visual expression and/or storytelling.

Concept & Theme:

Background: Chris van Tulleken’s  Ultra-Processed People, serves as a wake-up call, urging readers to reconsider their dietary habits and to support policies that prioritise human health and environmental sustainability.

He argues that the proliferation of ultra-processed foods (UPFs) – those heavily processed, packaged products filling supermarket shelves – is a primary culprit in the global obesity epidemic and a significant contributor to environmental degradation.

Because ultra-processed food’s defining characteristic is a rapacious profit motive, the book’s warnings about the bodily harm it causes often veer into attacks on corporate greed and late industrial capitalism.

Van Tulleken posits that UPFs are not merely food but addictive substances engineered for profit.

Their production relies on cheap ingredients and aggressive marketing tactics, while the manufacturing process itself harms the planet.

The author is particularly critical of the role of government in allowing this situation to develop, arguing for increased regulation of the food industry.

While acknowledging the complexities of the issue, van Tulleken primarily blames the additives, chemicals, and stabilisers found in UPFs for their addictive nature and detrimental health effects.

He contrasts the cost and nutritional value of ultra-processed foods with their unprocessed counterparts, highlighting the economic factors driving consumer choices.

Ultimately, Ultra-Processed People offers a damning critique of the modern food system. 

Van Tulleken calls for a fundamental shift in our relationship with food, emphasising the importance of understanding what we eat and demanding better options from both the food industry and the government.

Objective:

This showreel seeks to explore what Ultra Processed Food is,  as well as subjects like:

UPF causes us to overeat, as well as the negative health effects.

Government regulation of foods and UPF.

Corporate greed and late industrial capitalism influence on our food system.

The environmental effects of UPF.

The social divisions created by UPF.

How we can counteract the negative effects of UPF.

The NOVA food scale.

Advertising and design of foods

We encourage submissions that push the boundaries of conventional filmmaking, embracing experimentation and innovation as tools for exploring the many meanings of borders.

Selected videos and short films will be included in the showreel to be shown to the public in the group art exhibition, titled 90 Seconds to Midnight(in reference to the Doomsday Clock) curated by VCAS - Vienna Contemporary Art Space, opening on November 9th and open to the public through November 15th, 2024.

The show will be a part of the Vienna Art Week 2024 program.

*Unfortunately, there is no artist fee for work being shown in this screening.