Do you know what that’s a picture of? It depicts the 426,000 cell phones that are retired in the US every day. Here is the detail:
And here is the project:
Statistics can feel abstract and anesthetizing, making it difficult to connect with and make meaning of 3.6 million SUV sales in one year, for example, or 2.3 million Americans in prison, or 410,000 paper cups used every fifteen minutes. This project visually examines these vast and bizarre measures of our society, in large intricately detailed prints assembled from thousands of smaller photographs. The underlying desire is to emphasize the role of the individual in a society that is increasingly enormous, incomprehensible, and overwhelming.
Amazing set of photos and amazing creativity from chris jordan. Take a few minutes to take in the rest…
Technorati Tags: environment, chrisjordan
The pictures didn’t come through to me!
Though not all of the pictures came through, the statement is strong nonetheless. Excellent post, excellent pictures!
Interesting Will. I like the concept. I wish he would have a representation of the 1.37 million legal (“safe and rare”) abortions performed each year in the United States alone?
Wow, an interesting juxtaposition of images, considering the currently running exhibit at my school’s Tibbot Art Gallery, David Chatt’s amazing collection of bead art. Read about that here, and note that in addition to his amazingly detailed creative artifacts, he has installed for this exhibit over 4,000 toy soldiers in a piece that “celebrates” the American military dead in Iraq. The whole notion of taking a moment to appreciate “the quality of many” is an enriching exercise…
Nashville Tennessean article about the exhibit
Chris Jordon clip from the Colbert Report
Interesting post Will. Bill Maher posed an interesting question to one of his panelists last night. Why does the United States have more prisoners per capita than any other country? We are currently at 10% of our population incarcerated. His answer… Our EDUCATION system!
Thanks for posting – great resource! Pictures speak louder than the statistics alone.
I was wondering why anyone would expect people to dispose of cell phones any differently than they dispose of trash? Basically, it’s just another enormous pile of trash where some will decompose and some will not.
I actually saw some of Chris Jordan’s work a few weeks ago. It’s so powerful in person, from both a digital arts standpoint and an “oh my gosh, we waste THAT much!?” one.
If you’re in the Baltimore-Washington area, Cans Seurat and Plastic Bottles are on display at the Montpelier Cultural Arts Center.