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Chris Jordan

12 November 2009
By Sean

Photos by Chris Jordan, Seattle, Washington.

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I was first introduced to Chris Jordan’s work about midway through my undergraduate studies.  The series was “Intolerable Beauty.”  My photography professor at the time showed a few of the images via digital projector.  I still remember that particular session of class.  Since my first exposure to his work, I have become aware of his series “In Katrina’s Wake,” “E. Pluribus Unum,” and both “Running the Numbers” series.  And now he has released “Midway,” the series in which the photos above belong.

I believe that Jordan is one of the most culturally significant and relevant artists working today.  His images directly address many of the issues that arise from mass consumer culture in America and could arguably be ideologically applied to other developed nations and even developing nations.  Unlike current environmental platforms and platitudes, however, Jordan’s work is not overtly aggressive.  In fact, I would say that the initial reaction upon viewing these pieces is that they present as passive, but due to their sheer enormity the greater issue informs the viewer of its importance and has the potential to overwhelm.  Jordan’s work leaves the viewer with the decision to act.  He is not compelling you to move; he is informing you of how we live.

In 2008 Jordan was invited to speak at the TED conference in Monterrey, California.  The video, itself, is short, but very well informed and awe inspiring.  Do yourself and favor and give him 12 minutes of your day by watching the video here.  You should also head over to his website – look at the pictures and read the statements.  Plan on spending at least an hour there.  If you can’t afford that much time in one sitting, bookmark it and go back to it.  You’ll be hard pressed to find an artist so adept at exposing the deep set cultural illness that we’ve all been exposed to in this, our consumer culture and disposable society.

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One Response to Chris Jordan

  1. joe on 22 February 2010 at 8:16 pm

    amazing

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