Chris Jordan//Running
The Numbers
On
September 11, 2014 the Whitworth community gathered to view environmental
activist and photographer Chris Jordan’s works: Running The Numbers as part of
the schools 125th anniversary celebration. A
reception for the exhibit took place that evening in the Bryan Oliver Gallery
and was followed by a lecture in the Robinson Teaching Theatre in Weyerhaeuser
Hall. Chris Jordan, a Seattle based environmental activist and photographer,
focuses on creating large scale works that depict mass consumption and waste in
America. After 10 years of work as a lawyer, Jordan left his job in order to
purse his long time hobby of photography in hopes of creating photographs that
bring insight to current environmental issues and bring awareness to present
day societies consciousness. Jordan’s current project- Running The Numbers- focuses on contemporary American culture and
our blindness to consumption. As stated by Chris Jordan: “Each image portrays a
specific quantity of something: two million plastic bottles (five minutes of
bottle use); 106,000 aluminum cans (thirty seconds of can consumption) and so
on. Finding meaning in this mass phenomenon can be difficult because the
phenomena themselves are invisible, spread across the earth in millions of
separate places. There is no Mount Everest of waste we can pilgrimage to and
behold the sobering aggregate of our discarded stuff, seeing and feeling it
viscerally with our senses… This project visually examines these vast and
bizarre measures of our society; in large intricately detailed prints assembled
from thousands of smaller photographs.”
As stated by Jordan, each image is made up of an
incredible amount of smaller images that together, create a larger whole. Since
the human mind cannot comprehend such a large number, Jordan uses this
technique in order to help the viewer comprehend what they are viewing. Jordan
wants to enhance the relationship between the individual and the collective in
hopes of bringing awareness to societies collective consumption. A highlight of
the current Running The Numbers exhibition in the Bryan Oliver gallery is
Jordan’s portrayal of The Great Wave Off
Kanagawa by Japanese artist Hokusai. In his own interpretation, Chris
Jordan photographed hundreds of various plastics that currently resides in the
Pacific Ocean and compiled them in way that resembles the iconic painting. It
is through this image that Jordan hopes to bring awareness to the current
plastic consumption that is found not only in America, but also around the
world.
When asked
whom inspires his art practice, Chris Jordan quickly responded with Picasso.
Specifically listing the painting Guernica
as the most powerful activism work of art he has ever seen. Jordan says the
painting goes deeper in to our cultural consciousness than any activist lecture.
Stating: “It is the duty of an artist to help people feel, for it is when
people truly feel something deep down that their consciousness will change”. In
his own practice, it is Jordan’s hope to help the viewer connect more deeply to
what they feel, and to honor his subject matter as deeply and as passionately
as he can. Creating images that capture his own love, sadness, and passion for
the issue presented that is then passed on to the viewer.
In his
lecture, Chris Jordan recognizes the significance of the community’s gathering
and the date in which the lecture was held, September 11th. Jordan
brings awareness to the fact that though the messages he is trying to convey in
his art, the environmental issues, do not require as severe a response as a
terrorist attack; however, the issues still require immediate action and
priority. Specifically asking the community the question: “How do we get to
hope from here?” Chris Jordan believes hope to be connected to the future, and
is not something we have now. He believes the opposite of hope is not
hopelessness, but action, and in order to change our consciousness we need to
feel hope.
In reflection of both the exhibition
and lecture I found Chris Jordan’s concept on hope to be promising. As an
artist I identified with the passion Jordan wants to convey in his work, and
the almost urgency he uses in his photographs to grasp the heart of the viewer.
As a community member, I felt Jordan’s message touch my spirit and my awareness
to plastic usage is prominently on my mind.
The exhibition brought consciousness and a new perspective on American
culture that I have not experienced at any other exhibition; where as, the
lecture allowed me to comprehend the large numbers Jordan’s images were
portraying. I left both events with a new understanding of hope, and a question
of my own for society: How do we get to love from here? If hope alone does not
bring a shift in our societal consciousness, will love? Can we shift our idea
of environmental action to an expression of environmental love?
http://chrisjordan.com/gallery/rtn/#silent-spring
http://www.whitworth.edu/Academic/Department/Art/OliverGallery/
Post by Sarah Sprouse
I agree that this work was very unique and created a complex mix of emotions with each piece. First you stand from a distance and see a beautiful or captivating image. Then you step closer and you realize it is made of thousands of tiny objects. Then you step even closer and your feelings of admiration and enthusiasm turn into feelings of horror as you realize the environmental issues that Jordan's work brings to the viewer's attention. Just like with his work, Chris Jordan's words left me feeling a complex blend of emotions. Sarah stated above how Jordan hoped to "grasp the heart of the viewer" and I agree that he did just that. Somehow, his raw honestly left me feeling hopeful but also hopeless at the same time.
ReplyDeleteI could not agree with you more! Jordan is truly a master at provoking an overwhelming amount raw emotions, which cause contradicting feelings, forcing the viewer to feel compelled to take charge of conquering the issues he illustrates. Jordan uses real facts and real photos to create genuine emotions about very real environmental issues that are often overlooked. Jordan uses a unique perspective to illustrate the magnitude of common issues which a large majority contributes to each and every day without even knowing. The true beauty comes from Jordan’s motives behind creating each of his images. Jordan’s main motive is to inform the viewer of how their actions impact the world around them, however, his style causes such an emotional rise that it actually teaches the viewer to be conscientious about the consequences of their actions.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you both. I saw Jordan's exhibit almost two months ago and I'm still thinking about it! His art is not only memorable because of the creativity of its composition, but because of how the heart of the artist shows through. I love that the pieces, and Jordan's lecture, don't focus on telling you what to think or how you need to change your life or else you are a horrible person. They simply reflect the state of the environment. Emotion is definitely present, shown as a reflection of Jordan's beliefs and perspective, but not forced upon the viewer. The approach of sharing what is important to you as an artist with the viewer, as opposed to lecturing the viewer to change, makes the art more persuasive and more memorable.
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