Hello, my name is Daniel Szalai. I'm a Budapest-based artist, and I am launching this campaign to raise funds for the publication of my photobook, Novogen. In the design and publication of the book, I am delighted to collaborate with the Dutch publisher The Eriskay Connection. Our goal is to publish 750 copies of Novogen in early summer 2021.

My project turns a spotlight on the invisible workers of big pharma and pays tribute to their life-saving labour: it focuses on Novogen White, a special breed of chickens, genetically engineered to lay eggs for pharmaceutical use. Through the investigation of the industrialized farming of Novogen chickens, the work poses questions and dilemmas about man’s relation to nature. At the same time, by taking the chicken as a metaphor, it reflects on the concepts of workforce and our commodified existence.

Hen 4304 (left) and Hen 4310 (right)

Hen 5101

THE LIFE OF NOVOGEN CHICKENS

When raised and kept under rigid hygiene and biosecurity controls - in completely isolated sheds with filtered air, under positive pressure, and maintained on a special diet - Novogen White hens lay so-called SPF (Specific Pathogen Free) eggs that are suitable substrates for human and veterinary vaccine production, as well as for pharmaceutical research and development.

The Shed

Novogen hens spend their entire life cycle within a fully closed system, without ever being exposed to the external environment. Their life lasts 90 weeks and is divided into an 18-weeks rearing period followed by a production period of 72 weeks. During this time, they lay between 410–414 eggs, worth up to 7 EUR per piece. At the age of 90 weeks, when the quality of their eggs no longer meet the required standards, the production period ends and the hens are euthanized. Since the bodyweight of Novogen White layers is only a fraction of those chickens that are bred and raised specifically for meat - 1250–1320 g compared to over 4 kg of a broiler’s at 56 days of age - processing them is not profitable. Thus, their carcasses are incinerated.

CVV Injection

Allantoic Fluid Harvesting

Vaccine Labeling Machine

THE PHOTO PROJECT

The core of my work is formed by a workers’ tableau of 168 individual portraits of Novogen White hens, picturing these animals as the protagonists of their industry. Besides, the project also contains a series of photographs documenting the egg’s way through the process of vaccine production. Its last part is a selection of extracts from the management guide of the Novogen White and the marketing material of the company which produces them.

Since its first presentation at BredaPhoto in 2018, Novogen was exhibited in over 10 countries and was honoured with the Carte Blanche Award 2018 at Paris Photo, the Grand Prize of the Budapest Portfolio Review 2018 and the LensCulture Emerging Talent Awards 2019, among other prizes.

I feel that the current global pandemic paints my work with new perspectives and makes it even more important to let people know about the life-saving work of the Novogen hens. Thus, I am keen to publish it as a book to give the project a comprehensive, lasting form and to make it accessible without limitation in space and time.

THE BOOK

Together with designer Rob van Hoesel, we are working on a photobook that conveys the unique story of the Novogen chickens through high-quality editing, design and production. Of course, the chicken will play the main role, arranged in a combination of 4-Up and full-page layouts, printed on a rough novel-print paper which feels warm and tactile. The playful block of the portraits will be bisected by quires of the photographs of the production facilities and the excerpts of corporate materials, printed on glossy paper, emphasizing the sterility of the laboratory environment and making a counterpoint to the portraits. Besides, the book will feature a reflective essay by Viennese philosopher and cultural scientist, Fahim Amir, the award-winning author of Being and Swine.
Novogen Dániel Szalai The Novogen White has been designed to perform in various environments. Easy to manage without specific techniques of management, with the White you will get satisfaction thanks to its performance potential, its excellent internal and external egg quality traits. TING EXTRACT NOVOGEN

210x290 mm | 96p | EN | softcover
Essay: Fahim Amir
Design: Rob van Hoesel
ISBN: 978-94-92051-71-4

THE CAMPAIGN

By participating in this campaign you will help me to produce the book. All donations contribute to the printing costs and are therefore essential. Of course, for every donation, there is a nice reward! You can also contribute to the success of the campaign and the realization of the project by sharing this page with friends, family, acquaintances, and colleagues.

I am truly grateful for your support of Novogen and look forward to bringing it into the world and your hands!

Thank you!