Our old friend Chris Jordan

[Tim Hyde]

Here is a very interesting film clip featuring Chris Jordan, who apparently is no longer a LF photographer but has been a valuable contributor to this forum over the years:

http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/09212007/watch3.html

I am not very fond of his new work but I expect it will do very well. God it is expensive, that's for sure.

[Michael Kadillak]

Here is a very interesting film clip featuring Chris Jordan, who apparently is no longer a LF photographer but has been a valuable contributor to this forum over the years:

http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/09212007/watch3.html

I am not very fond of his new work but I expect it will do very well. God it is expensive, that's for sure.

Wow. For some reason that I cannot comprehend Chris simply wigged out. Leaving politics and personal choices on the sidelines for a change, if the transition from a highly talented photographic artist to an agent for change is what turns his key, then who are we to stand in his way. I only wish him the best in his efforts and hope that he finds whatever it is that he is looking for.

[tim atherton]

Wow. For some reason that I cannot comprehend Chris simply wigged out. Leaving politics and personal choices on the sidelines for a change, if the transition from a highly talented photographic artist to an agent for change is what turns his key, then who are we to stand in his way. I only wish him the best in his efforts and hope that he finds whatever it is that he is looking for.

hmm - not that different from Ansel or Robert Adams etc etc

[Michael Kadillak]

hmm - not that different from Ansel or Robert Adams etc etc

Huge difference from my perspective. Ansel remained a landscape photographer while he lobbied for the environment. He utilized the beauty in his photographs and his place in modern culture at the end of his career as a highly positive experience to champion his causes and was quite successful at it. Just think of all of the people that joined the Sierra Club, began to appreciate and respect the delicate outdoors and wilderness areas, became photographers or embraced the general tenets of our place in the world environment because of Ansel and his photographs. I am not that familiar with Robert Adams but looking at his work it appears that he also used this approach.

My point is that using in your face negativity as a catalyst for change is a delicate and sensitive subject. It can work, but it can also quickly backfire and alienate individuals. People in general have to be convinced to own the problem before they are willing to assist in solving it and a positive approach is the generally more accepted strategy.

Cheers!

[Frank Petronio]

i still don't understand what the problem with consumerism is? That we are able to produce and market all of these items is a tremendous tribute to our civilization's intelligence and capabilities. Thanks to capitalism and free markets we now have the highest rate of home ownership, the longest lifespans, the highest literacy, the longest period between major wars, etc. ever in the history of the human race.

Heck there is even good money to made in the process of cleaning it up.

Not to mention making art about it...

I say let's have some more....

(Personally I like Chris but find his new work to be very calculated to sell to a particular upscale demographic. It makes nice decoration in NY and LA apartments and appeals to those who have a Prius even though they made $3 million last year....)

[John Kasaian]

Which Chris Jordan is this one? Theres two of them.

I think it is a very interesting & important piece of work Chris is doing, though I have to wonder about his going digital and all those batteries he'll eventually go through!

[paulr]

(Personally I like Chris but find his new work to be very calculated to sell to a particular upscale demographic. It makes nice decoration in NY and LA apartments and appeals to those who have a Prius even though they made $3 million last year....)

extreme cynicism is always a possibility, but i personally don't think that's where chris is coming from. you might disagree, but i wouldn't levy such an accusation against someone without knowing them pretty well.

as far as consumerism goes, perhaps the real issue is sustainability. there's no trouble from making, buying, and enjoying things if you can do it without depleting all the resources and trashing the place.

[Tim Hyde]

I don't mind his politics and don't mind art infused with the artist's point of view, I just don't like to be hit over the head with it. Here is Chris' website:

http://www.chrisjordan.com/

I like the first two bodies of work very much, and while they definately had a point of view--were even adversarial--I thought the message was nuanced, complex, and open-minded. The latest series is much more overt--too much so for my taste. It's also not photography, some would argue, but I think I could come to terms with that if it weren't for the megaphone drowning out all quiet contemplation.

[Brian Sims]

Frank states, "...we now have the highest rate of home ownership, the longest lifespans, the highest literacy, the longest period between major wars, etc. ever in the history of the human race."

I bet the Greenland Norse, the Anasazi, the Maya, the Romans, the society on Easter Island all said essentially the same thing.....right up to their collapse.

I'm all for optimism. But optimism about the status quo inevitably leads to disaster. Optimism about our ability to change course and the wisdom to take on the status quo provides the only chance for long term survival.

I don't think Chris's work is negative at all. I think it is a very positive and hopeful message.

[clay harmon]

Sounds like you read "Collapse" by Jared Diamond. Interesting and thought provoking book.

Frank states, "...we now have the highest rate of home ownership, the longest lifespans, the highest literacy, the longest period between major wars, etc. ever in the history of the human race."

I bet the Greenland Norse, the Anasazi, the Maya, the Romans, the society on Easter Island all said essentially the same thing.....right up to their collapse.

I'm all for optimism. But optimism about the status quo inevitably leads to disaster. Optimism about our ability to change course and the wisdom to take on the status quo provides the only chance for long term survival.

I don't think Chris's work is negative at all. I think it is a very positive and hopeful message.