Michael SchmidtLebensmittel

Photographer Michael Schmidt’s latest obsession is the mechanized, industrialized food system of contemporary Western culture. Using his trademark style combining social documentary and urban topographics, he explores the fascinating topic of how we feed ourselves, from the farm to the table (or the fast-food restaurant). This impeccably produced book, clothbound, embossed and slipcased, is a series of images only – no text – that looks at the processes and residue of the food system in Europe. The images are arresting, and the subject matter urgent, whether it’s a huge pile of discarded food or the details of turning nutrition into big business.