The art work entitled “Our Daily Dread,” suspends animal ears from the ceiling within a display.

Prototypes of a pig's ear used in art work with a social message

For a recent Ohio State University Art and Technology Department project, Laser Reproductions was asked to cast pig ears in urethane. Now the pig ears can be seen in an Eindhove, Holland art exhibition with an underlying social message about the increased mechanization of food production to maintain the population's needs by giving its art audience an eye- and ear- opening glimpse into the robotic and machine technology used in food production.

“Laser Reproductions realistically reproduced the pig ears upon the request of OSU Associate Art & Technology Professor Ken Rinaldo,” says Laser Reproductions Vice President Bret Border. “The process involves taking two actual pig ears and casting them in urethane. The end-result was a rubber product with spectacular color and translucency, yet durable enough to withstand the exhibition.”

The art work entitled “Our Daily Dread,” suspends animal ears from the ceiling within a display. As viewers approach the ears, sensors and motors move the work forward as the sounds of pigs and cows are heard along with noises of robots, a slaughterhouse and other machines. The audience also views a video screen showing an image of a dog chewing a cow’s ear. (Read the Food Manufacturing blog on which Editor-in-Chief Karen Langhauser responds, “I do not feel one single ounce of guilt about this. In fact, I think the advancements in automation are impressive and a testament to the amazing progress in the food processing industry.")

Laser Reproductions cast pig ears in urethane.

With its different components, including the pig ear prototypes, "Our Daily Dread" (a riff on the documentary “Our Daily Bread”) strives to demonstrate how robotics and machinery are replacing the human hand in food production.

Laser Reproductions specializes in rapid prototyping, manufacturing and product development. For more information, visit: www.laserrepro.com