What do bullets, custard, matches, shampoo, cigarettes, salami and beer have in common? They all contain parts of a pig. Yes, a pig. This is revealed in the book PIG 05049 by Dutch designer Christien Meindertsma in collaboration with Julie Joliat. It depicts all the products that are made from a single pig – pig #05049, which Meindertsma followed for three years. With its pig-hide colour cover complete with earmark, the book is a detailed exploration into the origin of raw materials.

“I chose a pig over a cow or chicken, because a pig produces the most varied collection of ingredients,” Meindertsma explains. “The book arose from my interest in the invisible lines that link raw
materials, producers and consumers worldwide. In a globalised world, it is becoming increasingly difficult to trace these lines, and the increasing complexity of the meat industry leaves the consumer little idea of the route an animal takes to many finished products.”

Like the animal itself, the book is deconstructed into Skin, Bones, Meat, Internal Organs, Blood, Fat and Miscellaneous, the pig’s parts meticulously documented with photos of 185 different products – including wallpaper, X-ray film, ice cream, crayons, paintbrush bristles… and so on. Meindertsma’s goal is simple: “What I wanted readers to take away was that the products we use all come from somewhere: they were grown somewhere and made by someone.”