hi chris
good to hear from you.
i pinched the idea from an exhibition i saw at (i think) singapore art gallery in 2000. the process of googling so i could send you a link turned up several other similar people - talk about there being nothing new under the sun! all the same, i was a bit taken aback when i saw your pictures in the times last week, having been at this myself now for 18 months. i thought it was quite interesting how familiar the palette of your pictures was; i'm assuming you're using a "proper" camera, as opposed to the (very very convenient!) mobile phone camera i'm using.
i started taking the pictures more or less simultaneously with figuring out how to get the webpage to update itself fairly automatically; one idea fed the other. unfortunately, these things do tend to take on a life of their own, and even more unfortunately the way i contrived to set up the programming means that the site will plod on in perpetuity; i haven't given myself much of an exit strategy (i hope i don't end up challenging this chap)
but then i quickly realised the artistic/conceptual element to what i was doing. it's called "thelastweekofmylife" in a minor play on words: for all the viewer knows, i could be dead; it's only once they see i've eaten something else that they are updated on my condition. this also connects with the idea that we largely define ourselves through what we consume.
the pedometer reading at the end of the day is an indication of what i've turned the food into. in case you were wondering, the baby has replaced the newspaper, both in the website and in my life! the daily shot of something from the newspaper was intended to put my day into the broader context; since i've lost the paper-reading slot, the baby is really just a marker of the passage of time (which links in with the notion of mortality which i think is central to the whole thing)
i think people's reaction to the food-photography is one of the most entertaining aspects of doing this. my particular favourite is when somebody points and laughs, saying, "haha, you forget to take a picture!" - of course, i had remembered, but had managed to be subtle about it. i love the fact that people would sooner believe they had caught me out, than that they were wrong. or, my mum frantically nudging her friend or sister, while sniggering and gesticulating in my direction when she sees what i'm up to. hilarious!
and i love the journal-like nature of the practice - i noticed that the ale & porter competition was on the theme of journals. most of the time, there's only the food to look at, but little things in the background can be a great reminder of what i was doing at the time (for example, getting married and our subsequent honeymoon in argentina (here)).
some people have described my site (wrongly, i think) as a blog. blogs are rubbish, but for those who must keep one i agree that it can be "more interesting to see something than say something" (see here)
i've not really used this as a weight-loss tool myself (i've got none to spare), though several of my friends have alleged that i've declined food just because i couldn't be bothered taking a photo. this has almost-never been the case. but i could see it as an effective dieting tool for the photographically-minded if it was stuck to religiously - i'm in the process of setting this up for a couple of people (let me know if you're interested in web-ifying your pictures).
anyway, sorry if this has been a bit of a rant - it's the first time i've written it all down! if you feel inclined to reciprocate with an even-longer exposition, i'll be interested to read it.
has the public choice prize been announced yet? if not, good luck with that.
best wishes
mark.
----- Original Message ----
From: Christopher Gillett
To: Mark Jones
Sent: Friday, 25 August, 2006 6:16:58 PM
Subject: Food project
Dear Mark,
Fiona at Ale & Porter forwarded your e-mail. I didn't think I could be the only one to have thought of this (though I see you're including drinks and a baby!).
The media interest has been unbelievable and now seems to be picking up across the Atlantic!
My principal motivation was aesthetic but I realised too that there would be other benefits. The media, because of recent reports about obesity, have been much more interested in the use as a weight-loss tool. No surprises there. I don't get much time to discuss all the subtelties of the project.
Anyway, drop me a line. I'd be interested to hear your perspective and of people's reactions when you snap your food. It's quite an endurance test isn't it? Stick at it!
All best,
Chris Gillett