Our old friend Chris Jordan

[Brian K]

i think you're missing the point of what he's doing. he's creating images to show you can't be seen. it's not possible to take a journalistic photograph of 8 hours of contrails, because the the subject is too spread out in time and space to be photographable. his piece says "this is what it would look like if you could see it all at once."

they're all like thought experiments, but in visual form. like when someone says, "a billion dollars in one dollar bills, in stack, would be 150 miles high," to give you a more visceral sense of the immensity of the number. except that chris is showing you the stack. the point isn't whether or not there was actually a stack of bills soaring into space.

Paul, I'm not talking about the actual point he's making but if by doing it through a contrived image he's not getting across the bigger picture. Obviously you can't show that 800 million trees were cut down for catalogs, but then again he's showing a manufactured image of 800 million toothpicks not trees. I think his older work better illustrated the mass consumerism because even though it didn't show the vast numbers, one could still get a sense of the vastness, but also see the reality of a non manipulated image.

[Jorge Gasteazoro]

Jorge, something more along those lines. I think for the viewer knowing that what they are seeing is actual, real life, is more powerful than knowing that someone constructed something to illustrate a point.

I posted a contrail photo below, it's unmanipulated, and I'm not claiming it's a better or worse photo of contrails than Chris Jordan's. I happen to really like Chris Jordan's Contrail photo. But the one I posted is real and I wonder if reality illustrates the point better in this case.

Well there you go, in addition, it is very easy to point the finger. I don't need Jordan or any other pseudo environmentalist like him to tell me there are things wrong in the world. What I want to know is now that they have pointed it out, what are THEY doing about it.

The US is the richest country in the world yet poverty has not been stamped out, the US has the most efficient, knowledgeable, medical system in the world, yet few can afford it.

There is no such thing as social conscience without follow through. I bet Jordan still enjoys a consumer oriented life style, I bet he loves his cell phone, computer, dslr, etc. Having him illustrate "look how bad we are" as it has been the interpretation given here is un adulterated BS.

[Don Miller]

I would say it largely depends on the baggage each viewer brings to the experience. If you value the process more than the result, that is certainly true.

But for those among us for whom the result is the ultimate goal, how he came there is much less important than the fact that his artwork provokes thought. It does not accuse, it does not imply, it simply makes us uncomfortable enough with our own actions that we should actually stop and think about it all.

May not be as pretty, but IMO it beats the umpteenth rendition of an all-traditional print of dry fruit or fresh vegetables on an old, worn-out plate or some other such tired cliché any day.

Why do you presume to know why I interpret his work as I do.

[paulr]

I bet Jordan still enjoys a consumer oriented life style, I bet he loves his cell phone, computer, dslr, etc. Having him illustrate "look how bad we are" as it has been the interpretation given here is un adulterated BS.

like you said, it's very easy to point the finger. it's very easy to say someone's full of b.s.

if he was positioning himself as some kind of savior, then yeah, i'd agree he's full of it. but he's emphatic about not trying to do that.

he's taking ideas that people may already understand intellectually or statistically, but showing them in a way that lends a human sense of scale. some people find it very powerful. usually it's people who have seen the work in person. have you?

[Marko]

Why do you presume to know why I interpret his work as I do.

Why do you think I presume anything? Your qualification of his work sounded very definitive:

...how it is made detracts from it's beauty. Or perhaps detracts from the emotional impact. His 8x10 work has more impact.

My point was essentially that whether it detracts or not depends on each individual viewer's background. Where is the presumption in that?

[Don Miller]

have you seen his new work in person?

I saw his 8x10 work in a gallery. Made an effort to see it.

Considering how his new work was created, yes I have seen it "in person". Right here on my computer monitor.

I like his new stuff. I especially like its messages. But my feelings are similar to those expressed by Brian K above.

[Jorge Gasteazoro]

Considering how his new work was created, yes I have seen it "in person". Right here on my computer monitor.

LOL...there is that...

[Nathan Potter]

I think Chris is simply documenting an interesting condition in our society. He is presenting it to us for our own interpretation and I find the images fascinating in colors and patterns - almost abstract. I'm not interested in his politics but like to read his images based on my own sensibilities. Nice work Chris!

Even angels from their aspect splendid
Which none may fathom draw their power,
These earthly images uncomprehended
Are bright as in creations hour.

Nathan Potter

[Saulius]

What I will say about Chris's current work is that it's getting people to talk. Talk about his work talk about the subject matter. No, he's not giving solutions to problems but without conversation we'll never get there. To me that's one sign of good art, getting people involved and talking. I find most of his new work interesting and captivating. It's also nice to see someone from this forum/ former participant/ getting some success, I wish him well.

[Jim Chinn]

Genetic engineering will soon allow a few of us to kill most of us. So be happy.

We need to take better care of our planet, but the population problem is temporary.

Science will solve the problem - just not in a way most people alive at that time will find desirable.

Huxley's Brave New World wil be coming to your hometown soon!