Preface: My name is Stanislava Melnyk and this portfolio is titled “Slow-motion apocalypse” , I will be using CC BY 4.0 license in this portfolio.
Introduction: This portfolio titled “Slow-motion apocalypse” is about the disastrous effect human behavior has on Earth. Mass consumption is one of the main causes of environmental problems in the world. Global warming, climate change, deforestation, water and air pollution, species extinction- all of the major global threats are happening due to an irresponsible usage of our planet’s resources. As human’s actions are not benefiting environment, several destructive issues have already occurred such as changing in seasons, polar ice melting as well as pandemics. Chris Jordan is an environmental photographer, who draws attention to human-caused pollution (mass consumption in particular), which has an effect of slow-motion apocalypse on the environment.
Theme: There are two major themes my work about photography of Chris Jordan covers. First of all, the obvious disastrous effect human beings have on the environment. Unfortunately, during recent years, excessive waste production caused various catastrophes, which lead to our planer slowly destroying because of human irresponsible behavior. Soil pollution due to agriculture and littering, water pollution form plastic excess and factory waste, air pollution from engine vehicle fumes- all of the environmental issues appeared due to people. The second theme that my portfolio is addressing is the mass consumption as a global problem. Not using resources of our planet for need-based reasons leads to an excess of products such as cell phones in recycling stations. As the number of people in the world reaches maximum, excess acts of consumption turn into the degradation of the planet.
“Chris Jordan | Consumo humano” by ceslava.com is licensed with CC BY-SA 2.0.
“Chris Jordan – Pop!Tech 2009 – Camden, ME” by poptech is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0
Analysis: Chris Jordan himself used to be a lawyer before his photography became famous for the illustration of mass consumption as an environmental catastrophe. His art represents how the excess product shopping impacts the world and animal population. As the problem of overpopulation is rapidly increasing, so is the amount of garbage in the world. Chris visited recycling centers to capture the amount of waste such as cell phones, crushed cars, chargers, etc. However, not only the planet suffers from human behavior, but also innocent animals such as Albatross in Midway. The shocking photo of a baby bird in 2009 which died because of the ingestion of plastic was the beginning of his documentary “Midway”. Using photography, Chris Jordan hopes to raise the environmental responsibility of each individual to the planet. He believes that artists are the ones who illustrate the issue and can use emotions on the way of finding a solution.
“Raise your Voice (2010): Midway – Message from the Gyre (2009) / Chris Jordan” by Ars Electronica is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
Application: Chris Jordan’s photography represents the size of our consumerism and its significant impact on our planet. His art sends a message about our unconscious actions which have dramatic effect on environment and animal inhabitants. Some of the photos can be shocking because of the amount of waste people produce. Every person should start from himself before it is too late. People must face the consequences of their daily choices and realize that something needs to be changed immediately. Small changes like buying only necessary things, using the products for their full usage, choose walking instead of driving sometimes or to use reusable bottles and straws mean a lot for our environment.
