Courtesy 0.00156 Acres/Lorena Turner

Lorena Turner: Made in China
0.00156 Acres
114 Smith Street
Brooklyn, NY
Through July 31

Product packaging started primarily for hygienic reasons. General stores used to stock sugar, crackers, and pickles in huge barrels, and for every order the grocer would dip in his scoop. Not only was it unsanitary, but customers also might leave wondering if they got what they paid for (“Was his finger on the scale…?”). Food packaging guaranteed sterile products and standardized portions—in a word, purity.

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