One Pound of Almonds, Bombay Beach Biennale

Drone shot of the One Pound of Almonds Installation by Frauke Huber and Uwe H. Martin. One Pound of Almonds makes our foods' water footprint tangible and invites visitors to reflect on humankind's responsibility in the Anthropocene. It was shown during the Bombay Beach Biennale 2023.

Over 80% of the world’s almonds grow in California’s arid Central Valley, which regularly suffers from drought and further aridification due to climate change. One pound of these almonds uses about 1,230 gallons of water to grow – almost 12 liters for a single kernel. 

The site-specific installation One Pound of Almonds consists of 17 concentric circles of gallon jugs (3.78 liters each) hand-filled in a three-day performance with water from the heavily polluted Salton Sea. A one-pound glass jar of almonds stands in the center of these circles on top of a small pillar. To get to the almonds, visitors pass along a narrow pathway through the field of water in 1,230 plastic gallons. 

One Pound of Almonds makes our foods’ water footprint tangible, invites the audience to consider Buckminster Fuller’s “energy slaves” and to reflect on humankind’s responsibility in the Anthropocene. 

Venue: Bombay Beach Biennale, USA
Date: March 30 – May 7, 2023
Website: http://onepoundofalmonds.com/