Chris Jordan is an American artist has taken statistics, like the amount of money spent each hour by the US on war - $12.5 million - using the actual money, in this case 125,000 one hundred dollar bills and depicting it in prints of incredible beauty. His collection is called Running the Numbers, An American Self Portrait.
His words:
“Exploring around our country’s shipping ports and industrial yards, where the accumulated detritus of our consumption is exposed to view like eroded layers in the Grand Canyon, I find evidence of a slow-motion apocalypse in progress. I am appalled by these scenes, and yet also drawn into them with awe and fascination. The immense scale of our consumption can appear desolate, macabre, oddly comical and ironic, and even darkly beautiful; for me its consistent feature is a staggering complexity.
The pervasiveness of our consumerism holds a seductive kind of mob mentality. Collectively we are committing a vast and unsustainable act of taking, but we each are anonymous and no one is in charge or accountable for the consequences. I fear that in this process we are doing irreparable harm to our planet and to our individual spirits.
As an American consumer myself, I am in no position to finger wag; but I do know that when we reflect on a difficult question in the absence of an answer, our attention can turn inward, and in that space may exist the possibility of some evolution of thought or action. So my hope is that these photographs can serve as portals to a kind of cultural self-inquiry. It may not be the most comfortable terrain, but I have heard it said that in risking self-awareness, at least we know that we are awake.
About the Author...
Joanne Hay, Editor of Nourished Magazine, Chief Nourisher and Mother of three is very grateful to live in Byron Bay and be able to share all she has learned about Nourishment. She has trained as an Acupuncturist (unfinished), Kinesiologist (finished) and parent (never finished). She serves the Weston A Price Foundation as a chapter leader. She loves sauerkraut, kangaroo tail stew, home made ice cream, her husband Wes and her kids Isaiah, Brynn and Ronin (in no particular order…well maybe ice cream first).
May 21st, 2007 at 3:00 pm
Wow, Joanne, this becomes crystal clear with this image of 125,000 100 dollar bills…I can almost fathom it. It makes my heart ache for those having to bear the debt.
I cooked dinner tonight for my TA [teaching asst], Shristi, and we talked about the war. She’s 21 and has 2 friends headed off to basic training soon and she’s very concerned for both of them. I stayed calm and wondered to myself what possessed them. She went on to say “they needed to make a difference and for some reason chose the Marines.” I find that tragic. So does she. Good propaganda? Good Advertising? Maybe I need to figure out how to talk to this age group and find them some way to make a difference here….that can’t be very difficult.
Thanks for this visual image…it helps get a clear picture of the huge devastation of this war. It just saddens me beyond belief that it is actually ‘for real.’
Hugs…and welcome home…
May 22nd, 2007 at 1:14 am
While there is definitely a time for peace, there is also a time for war. While that may be distasteful for some, some war is necessary. When the consequences of unwaged war are worse than the war itself, it must be undertaken.
The French have finally come to understand this in their recent vote for a more conservative pro-American leader for their country. Their country is being overrun by Islamic extremists.
Would you rather have the unpleasantness of the war in Iraq? Or would you rather be overrun by Islamic fascists who will subject you to Sharia? Perhaps you would like to wear one of those attractive head scarves all the time?