can't eat for that, you can't eat for that

John Steinbeck's 'The Grapes of Wrath’, first published in 1937 is a polemic on the exploitation of migrant workers. The story follows the ‘Jode Family’ as they go in search of work and a new life California. This distilled version of the text reveals only Steinbeck's repetitious and often visceral descriptions of the preparation and consumption of food, food which becomes scarcer and less nutritious as the story unfolds. By striping out all other themes from the book, an abundance of white space has been created, an emptiness which might be read in a number of ways.

My re-working of existing novels explores some of the powerful themes that stay with readers and I have devised systems to isolate some of those themes. My process of distillation whilst deleting much of the original, draws attention to the devises and repetition used by authors and simultaneously allows new poetic forms to emerge.

This book has been collected by: The Chelsea Art Library, The Saison Poetry Library at the South Bank Centre London; and in the US, The Clark Institute; Joan Flasch Collection (SAIC); Yale; Lafayette; Swarthmore and MoMA

Stockists:  
Ti Pi Tin
http://www.tipitin.com/shop/cant-eat-for-that-you-cant-eat-for-that-by-jackie-chettur
47 Stoke Newington High St
London N16 8EL