The photographer was commissioned to find subjects as part of the Big Mealtime Audit – a study by frozen food maker Birds Eye.
As we reported earlier this year, Parr’s brief was to create a ‘unique snapshot’ of typical modern eating habits in Britain.
The assignment came 20 years after Parr’s project British Food, which studied different eating habits and attitudes to food.
In a behind-the-scenes film documenting his latest nationwide tour, Parr says: ‘One of the most interesting things on this Birds Eye View campaign is to see how sophisticated foods have become, and much more foreign-orientated.’
Subjects included a group enjoying an Indian curry, a breakfast fry-up on a camping holiday, and a family tucking into a TV dinner.
A one-day exhibition called A Birds Eye View, which opens in London on Wednesday 1 October, will feature 30 images from the project.
Before setting out, Parr said he wanted to ‘bring to life’ and understand how Britons eat, to encourage others to appreciate different ways of living.
The Big Mealtime Audit revealed that one in five Britons eat as much as 11 times a day, yet they spend an average of just 25 minutes around the dinner table.
A Birds Eye View takes place at Pics Gallery, 18 Newman Street, London W1T 1PE. Entry is free. The behind-the-scenes film will be screened during the exhibition and is also available to view on the project’s website.
All pictures copyright Martin Parr
