In September 2015 I was invited by Professor and photographer Alessandra Capodacqua to give a talk at NYU in Florence, Italy on my work documenting the issue of food waste.

It’s a real privilege to be asked to give a talk to a group of people, but to have been invited to NYU in Florence was a real honour, and a great experience.

Because of the mixed crowd – photography students, university professors of various disciplines, and local activists – I tried to balance my talk between the visual storytelling aspect of my work, and the issue of food waste itself. I also made a point of meeting up with people from a local organisation, Senza Spreco, prior to giving the talk, in order to ensure I presented attendees with a accessible means of getting involved with the fight against food waste. The portrait above is of Giulia from Senza Spreco.

Senza Spreco has developed a market place for retailers, manufacturers and farmers to connect with individuals, companies and charities in order to sell, at a discounted price, food that would otherwise go to waste, for reasons such as being close to the expiration date. They also provide a consultancy service to help businesses and organisations reduce the amount of food they waste, as well as organise actions, events and workshops – within schools and for the wider public.

Below is a recording of the talk in full – I hope you enjoy it!