Chris Jordan

In writing the recent entry on Edward Burtynsky, I was inspired to look at Chris Jordan's work again. It's definitely worth a look, and especially his newest work Midway, from a recent journey to the North Pacific island that is located at the apex of the Pacific garbage gyre. This is more bad news about how we are poisoning ourselves, and everything around us. In this case it's thousands of young albatross birds that have died of starvation because they are being fed a diet of plastic garbage by their unknowing parents. Jordan has photographed hundreds of decayed corpses to show the contents of their body cavities. This is amazing and powerfully disturbing stuff. But obviously only through awareness can we hope to do anything to change the problem.

Which leads one to wonder, if you care enough to look at the photographs and be affected by them, what are you going to do to change your lifestyle so that you don't contribute to the problem? Our lives are full of conveniences that have unintended but powerfully negative consequences. How do we become aware of them?

Look at the photos and change your life.