Wednesday, March 26, 2008

Tasteful Waste


Visit the link below to view the artwork of American artist Chris Jordan. Feel free to leave a comment and let me know what you think of it.



Video Clip

48 comments:

k-rods said...

His work really shows off the amount of waste that goes on in the U.S. It almost makes a person feel guilty of how much we waste. The way Chris Jordan adds in stats with his art work helps make the art work really hit home to the viewer.

Sara. said...

Its pretty amazing how much waste is accumulated throughout each day. I found it completely disgusting that such a large number of plastic bags/cups/whatever is used in such short amount of time. I hope it helps people realize how much we really need to fight for the survival of our planet.

C. Easingwood said...

I have never heard of Chris Jordan before. I am now a huge fan. I loved the way he created his artwork and the whole idea of it. Even though it may not have taken too much work to create, they are all still really unique and creative pieces. I recommend everyone to at least give a look at his artwork. I can almost promise you everyone will love at least one piece of his artwork. Overall, I think his work is great, and I look forward to any new creations he may have to offer.

Nicole W. said...

I think this art is unbelievable. It's amazing to see that something as simple as something we use in everyday life can become a work of art that signifies a message. Hopefully this can encourage Americans to protect our environment by showing how much we are wasting every day.

Anonymous said...

Mr.Kefor,
THe video clip, "Tasteful Waste", was quite interesting. It appears to be relatively easy to do, but taking a step back, maybe its not. Though virtually anyone is capable of using photoshop or Paintshop Pro, its the concept that that is how much trash is heaped up on a daily basis. I think that this clip is both a thoughtful incite and a gentle reminder about how much human waste is produced so quickly.

-Nicholas Hanlon

Tess R. said...

I really like the message behind Chris Jordan's artwork. However, his method of going about it kinda ruins the art for me. I would appreciate it more if he had gathered how many cell phones Americans throw out a day, spred them out, then gotten a picture of it, or if he had gotten all the bags that Americans throw out every day and assembled them, then taken the photo. I still appreciate his message though, and find it really interesting to try and guess what the pictures are made out of.

kayla said...

I like the way he uses materials that people throw away everyday and that are ruining our environment. It’s cool that by creating art he is also making a statement of how we live our lives. I really liked the cigarette one, he is really, really creative. I do have to say how he puts things together are kind of disappointing though. When you see how he manipulates things it changes the aaww behind it when you first see his work.

Taylor M. said...

I really like the message he portrays; we as Americans waste too much and take too much for granted. It is implausible that people think of exactly how much they are wasting so to see all of the waste together in artwork is astonishing. Once I watched the video about his work it was really ruined for me because it makes his art less special. Honestly, anyone could photo-shop images together and make something out of it. His message is innovative but his method is lame. =)

Anonymous said...

I think that what Mr. Jordan does is absolutely amazing. The fact that he joins statistics with his art is extremely clever.

Matt P said...

i actually thought that the art was pretty cool. It shows how much of a product is really used. It is awsome how he makes them huge!!

Jess L. said...

I loved Chris Jordan's art. It was really good artwork, while putting out a good message in the world at the same time. It really points out the many problems in America we should focus on and don't in a cool, unique way.

-Jess L.

Sands,Kevin said...

The approach is both simple and incredibly imaginative. Not only is the art inventive but it conveys a serious message. The message is obvious, people use far too much and far more than they need. Hopefully this art will have a positive effect on the world by showing the wastefulness of our lives in a new and attractive way

Anonymous said...

The art alone is impressive but what strikes me is that for every work of art,the number of items used is signifigant to something, like 2.3 million folded rison uniforms, which is the number of people sent to jail in 2005.
John Pucci

Heather M. said...

Thank you for finding that because i really love this kind of art. I will also be using some in my conceptfolio. His work is VERY uniqe and creative. This makes me want to try it myself!

Anonymous said...

I think that the art of Chris Jordan is really interesting. Really anyone could do what he does though. It’s fascinating how he uses digital photography and manipulates certain things and then connects them with issues America is dealing with today. His art work states that hard hitting facts of life that America really doesn’t want to come realize. My favorite was the one with the cigarettes, which turned out to be a skull smoking. Love his art work sends a good message.

Dom S said...

Chris Jordan's work is a really neat idea. I can definitely incorporate this into my portfolio as I am doing consumerism. The amount that Americans consume on such a regular basis is scary.

Anonymous said...

The work of Chris Jordan is amazing. The waste that is showing makes people feel bad for what they have done. Maybe some people will look at the art work as an encouragement to save our planet.
His work is overall amazing.
-Suzanne

Anonymous said...

I love this artwork! I love how he uses everyday items and sends a message to the world via art. It really gets out a good message to the world. :)

Anonymous said...

I myself have never seen Chris Jordan’s work besides today. It;s cool to see that his art work is based upon our everyday lives. Looking at his work many people may feel ashamed of what they have wasted. My favorite work of art was the cans of soda, it was very interesting.

-Suzanne

Anonymous said...

I really think it's amazing how Chris Jordon can take a pile of trash and make it into a piece of art work. For him to have left a well paying job to pursue his dream job is something that must people are unable to do.

Lindsay White

Anonymous said...

I think that Chris Jordan's artwork is really unique. I am personally not a very creative person, and it honestly fascinates me that artists like this can take such random things, like garbage, and turn them into something beautiful. I would not think twice about an empty bottle in a dumpster, but this man would see it as an opportunity to make a work of art, and that’s what makes this type of piece awesome.

Anonymous said...

Chris Jordan’s artwork is amazing. It is amazing to see all of the waste in the U.S. in such a small amount of time. The plastic bottle picture is my favorite, because that many bottles are used in only five minutes.
-Val Hall

Anonymous said...

Wow. This really puts the amount of trash accumulated by Americans alone into perspective. The artist, who used to be a lawyer, is trying to tell people not only how much trash is disposed, but how much recyclable trash there is out polluting the world. Seeing the video really spoils the art only because anyone can do that. Even though this takes a little talent and a lot of time, I thought it would be better to just keep the process secret.

Sarah Tenglin

Anonymous said...

I think that his artwork is not only creative to see but it has a meaning behind it. A lot of artwork that we see it may look pretty but there is nothing behind it. Other pieces of artwork are confusing and hard to understand, but with his it makes you want to zoom in and learn more about the subject. I think that his video is interesting. I don’t think that he should have quitted being a lawyer to take pictures. Maybe he should have made it more of a hobby than an actual job. Overall his artwork is motivating and makes the viewer more interested in the subject.

~cassie eagerman~

Anonymous said...

Its really bad how much waste we Americans throw away everyday. He shows with his art that Americans waste everything and take everything for granted. We should all start cutting back on are waste and he shows that.
-Mike Twitchell

Anonymous said...

I found it amazing how much this planet wastes. His art is beautiful yet sad, because it shows what goes to waste every day.
But it also shows what someone can do with trash, and how creative he is. Before today I had never herd of Chris Jordan before, but I really like his work. I hope he continues to do more work, and I hope it arises more awareness.

Anonymous said...

Wow, this guy is a genious. His work does not only wake you up it also is nice to look at. My favorite peice was the plastic cup peice. It is kind of weird, and i wonder how he does it.

Lexi

Anonymous said...

Chris Jordan's work is incredible. It somewhat makes people realize that they have done something wrong in a sense. He could, and seems like he is, use his work to better help save the Earth. His work is inspiring to me and probably many others are the world.

-Kristin Murray

Anonymous said...

What he does must take forever to do. However, its amazing how much trash is being produced in a matter of seconds. At one point in the video he says 100,000+ cans used every 30 seconds. Also, thousands of plastic bags, and other trash.
-Mike Costa

Anonymous said...

As a person that finds an interest in art, especially abstract art such as this, I think that Chris Jordan is brilliant. His canvas and materials is what many Americans take for granted everyday. Through his art he is able to not only recycle some of this waste, but also teach people that there is an alternative to throwing everything away, and that alternative can be a great piece of art.

Ryan Kok

Anonymous said...

I think that his art is great. You would never think that things we use everyday can be turned into beautiful artwork so easily. But, Chris Jordan didn't only make beautiful art, he connected it to real life and sent out a message to America. I think that his art really makes Americans realize how much waste we create.

~Jill Wry

ihatemike! said...

that's enough to make me want to start recycling.

that's a great way of showing the depth of how much americans waste.

in japan, there are actually NO public trash barrels (based on the belief that everyone is reponsible for their own trash), but there are public recycling bins.

Anonymous said...

Chris jordan's artwork was really original and even the little things in his work if you look closely at them they are much bigger than they appear. Its cool to see this kind of stuff it opens your eyes.
Derek S.

Brianna said...

Chris Jordan's artwork is very interesting. I like that he not only creates unique art but also conveys an important message. Even though it does not really take much talent to do this, it certainly takes creativity and originality.

Anonymous said...

Its cool that Chris Jordan can take pictures of a few cell phones over and over and then put them together digitally to make 426,000.
That must take a long time.

-Eric Sylvestre

Anonymous said...

Chris Jordan's artwork is simply amazing. He must spend so much time on each picture. I can't believe American's waste so much, but I guess with so many people living here it's not as much as it seems.

John Cunniff

Anonymous said...

I think the artwork by Chris Jordan is really interesting. From looking at the different zooms, you see how the whole picture comes together. By showing actual harmful objects in this way, it is a lot more effective and creates a better perception of the waste produced rather than just looking at a bunch of figures.

Lauren Southworth

Anonymous said...

I like the Art. I liked how her used the cans to make a scene of a pretty mountain and clear water, because its ironic. The numbers he was throwing out were atonishing, I really didnt think we could use the amount of everything he said.

Brian Bettencourt

Anonymous said...

After learning about Chris Jordan's art, you can see that he has a very unique talent. He takes something as simple as photography, and turns it into amazing art that educates the world about recycling. It really opens up my eyes, and makes me want to be apart of saving our planet. It was unbelievable to me, that the amount of cell phones we throw out every day is just being wasted, when we could be recycling. I think that what Chris Jordan is doing with his art work, is a brilliant idea, and I hope it encourages more people in the world to recycle.
-Katie Adler

Anonymous said...

I loved his work. And I especially loved the way that he went about depicting it. I ended up looking at both his art and video, and thought that what he did was probably one of the most effective and breathtaking ways that I’ve ever seen an artist obtain people’s attention to send a message and help them realize what their “tasteful waste” was actually doing to the world. It really helped to put things into perspective. Chris Jordan equals my new favorite artist.

Anonymous said...

I find it very interesting how he could take an everyday object or even an out of the ordinary object and turn it into a work of art. Some pictures I didnt really understand but other were pretty easy to see the point. It makes me think that I can get more use out of things and even turn them into a piece of art.

Alyssa Ruta

Anonymous said...

He greatly reminds me of Jim Powers, who is a famous junk artist who makes artwork out of cans and other recyclables, but sculpts with them. I find it really interesting that he gave up his life as a lawyer to become a photographer of the material world. However, I do find it some what funny that he said he "left" the material world and then the reporter said he became famous and rich. In my opinion, he's still just like any other person that deals with materialism.

-John Cummings

Anonymous said...

I was really interested in Chris Jordan's work. Issues with the environment and society interest me, but when it's put into art work it's interesting to many people. Some people undrestimate the impact of our waste or our lifestyles, but when you can actually see the impact everyone makes as a whole it is hard to ignore. I would love too see more artwork from Chris Jordan.

Anonymous said...

I love Chris Jordan's artwork. He took simple objects such as cans and cellphones and made unique pieces of art. Along with being aesthetically pleasing, Chris Jordan's art sends out an important message to people concerning the amount of waste found in the United State. I also admire him for leaving his secure job of being a lawyer to partake in his passion of photography. In the end, that move seemed to pay off.

Anonymous said...

It was really interesting to see how Chris Jordan uses art to make a statement about the environment. It's amazing to see how he can take everyday objects and compile the images into beautiful pieces of art, pieces of art you would not recognize at first glance that they were pictures of ordinary objects. Chris says that every picture he takes spotlights everyday objects that affect the Earth. I love how he can do this and depict the actual quantities our culture uses each day. I learned that 2 million bottles are used every five minutes and that 426,000 cell phones are discarded everyday. I also agreed with his message to do what you want to do in life instead of something that just pays the bills and sacrifices your dream. Overall, I think Chris Jordan's work is excellent and look forward to seeing more of his art and learning more about how much we consume each day.

-Brielle Bowman

Anonymous said...

I think that this is definitely art. It's really cool how people can be so creative with recycled items, like plastic/aluminum bottles. Also, how some people will make jewlery out of old paper clips or those belts that have the old bottle caps on them. I definitely think that waste can be tasteful and artsy also.

Anonymous said...

After watching this video it made me realive how much waste is really used each day. I saw the amount of cell phones thrown away which was around a half of million could never belive that. I think its great to show this message to everyone while showing his art.

Josh Spilewski

Glassman said...

It is a very strong argument brought up by Chris Jordan. It makes you think on how much you contribute to the millions of paper used every day or the amount of plastic bags used every 5 seconds. Most of all, it made me think; What is it going to be like in the next 5 years? 10 years? 50 years?