Food Pyramid

by Didier Hess
(Jenna Didier, Oliver Hess)

Food Pyramid rethinks the disproven diet suggestions of Big Food and the resultant mode of food production dominant in the late twentieth century. The work creates a recirculating aquaponic garden that grows all of the ingredients for fish tacos with zero waste, no soil, and no fertilizer. It produces cleaner air and water, and an endless source of food for humans, local insects, and birds.

Some more photos of the Food Pyramid

: Solar arrays power the submersible pump and lights in the base tank.

: Water is pumped up to the top of the pyramid and flows down the three cascading totes.

: There are two types of fish in the lowest basin: tilapia and mosquito fish. Right now, there are only mosquito fish, but once the water is conditioned (July 8th or so), the tilapia will be introduced into the system. Their waste will cycle through the different totes, flowing easily through the gravel to get caught by the root systems of the plants growing therein.

: In each tote grow vegetables (ingredients for fish tacos), fertilized by the fish waste in the water. Because the plants are supplied all the nutrients they need for growing through the fertilizer that the fish produce, there is no need to use costly planting soil or fertilizer. In an effort to reduce the carbon footprint of the installation, gravel from a local source replaces soil.

: In the fish pond are native water plants.

Completion of the Food Pyramid

: Courtesy of didier hess

: courtesy of M&A/didier hess

Food Pyramid

Food Pyramid by didier hess.