The photo of 60 cows tells the story of a large herd that was an integral part of the landscape of a Polish village where I spent a lot of time over the years. I often went to the fields early in the morning to admire the sunrise, and when I returned home, I was always happy to see the cows running in the meadow. They ran with joy and their jumps reminded me of the energy of young dogs at play. Unfortunately, one summer the cows no longer appeared in the meadow, which prompted me to enquire about their fate from the neighbours. It turned out that the entire herd, including the older cows and the young calves, had been sold to a slaughterhouse for meat.
I couldn't get this story out of my head, especially when I returned from an excursion at sunrise and looked at the empty meadow. I finally decided to save this story on a photograph
Over the next year, I travelled all over Poland in search of this one unique picture. In the meantime, I discovered other stories related to cow husbandry. I particularly remember a newspaper article describing a new, innovative milking technique: 60 cows were standing in circular barns and were fed and milked without human intervention.
I couldn't get this story out of my head, especially when I returned from an excursion at sunrise and looked at the empty meadow. I finally decided to save this story on a photograph
Over the next year, I travelled all over Poland in search of this one unique picture. In the meantime, I discovered other stories related to cow husbandry. I particularly remember a newspaper article describing a new, innovative milking technique: 60 cows were standing in circular barns and were fed and milked without human intervention.
Without contact to other animals, to the sky, to grass and to fresh air, their whole life took place in confinement. Although this technology increased the productivity of the dairy cows by 30%, after two years their performance dropped significantly and the tired animals were sent to the slaughterhouse to make room for 60 more.
In my photo you can see the neck of a cow with two flies hovering below her. The composition of the picture is highly symbolic and suggests danger and imminent death. It can also be interpreted as an aerial shot showing a piece of land and water, referring to the general context of industrialised animal husbandry.
The story of the 60 cows was the impetus for the photo project "The Line", which tells the fates of animals in our human world. When the project is completed, all the photos will be hung next to each other on a wall, forming a lifeline that represents my personal hope for change.
2017 Photography. Limited edition 10 pcs + 2AP, pigment print on the cotton Fine Art paper, 640×900 mm (500×750 mm without borders)