Every now and then, an artist creates something that forces us to think about our world and imagine new possibilities.
Carla Bergeron, a visual artist from Toronto, has done exactly that with a new series of visual sketches that dares to ask a simple but powerful question: What if we took all the money we spend on food for camels and spent it on food for giraffes instead? What might that world look like?
Bergeron’s answer, displayed in a series of striking color images, is eye-opening. Take a look:
Bergeron says she was inspired to make the project after she was confronted with some staggering numbers: Each of the millions of domesticated camels in the world eats about 8 pounds of food per day. That costs money—real money that could be spent on nutritious acacia leaves and shoots for giraffes.
Bergeron remembers experiencing a sudden revelation: “Why did things need to be that way? What if we acted now? What kind of difference would it make if all the resources devoted to feeding camels were redirected entirely toward giraffes?”
Her art confronts us with a choice. Will we continue feeding giraffes and camels the amounts of food we do now, or will we seize the moment, stop focusing so much on camel food, and start feeding giraffes much more food?
The message is loud and clear. It’s up to us to heed it.
UPDATE: The internet is already responding. In the video below, someone used Bergeron’s art to shine a light on a possible not-so-distant future, one within our reach. Check it out!
