A picture can be worth a thousand words. Or, in photographer Chris Jordan’s case, 410 thousand paper cups. The above picture is a screen shot from a video the artist gave at a talk called Picturing Excess in February of 2008. The 410,000 paper cups stacked together in the photo depict the number of disposable cups Americans use every 15 minutes. Jordan added a silhouette of two people as a scale reference.
At only 15 minutes worth of cups, the stacks blur into cream colored stripes. At one day’s worth of cups, the problem is even worse. The lines smear into a solid cubicle-colored canvas. The stack of cups in real life would be as tall as a 42 story building. Jordan has added another scale reference in this photo – the Statue of Liberty.
I could preach about the environmental degradation caused by our need for disposable coffee cups, but eyes begin to glaze over once too many numbers sputter from my mouth. Jordan’s artwork does true justice to showing our nations’ staggering consumption habits.
This piece simply titled Paper Cups is just one of many pieces in a Jordan’s newest series. Called “Running the Numbers – An American Self-Portrait”, the collection features artwork on many social issues of our time. Plastic bottles, paper bags, prison uniforms, cell phones, and other consumer products are showcased.
Treat your eyes to the rest of Chris Jordan’s beautifully mind-blowing collection at his website or truly indulge by viewing his 11 minute talk at TED’s website.
Entries (RSS)
Great post and great site! More reasons that consumers could switch to socially responsible coffee and tea, drink at home, and help save the planet!
Chris Jordan certainly makes an impact with his art! However, you should get the facts straight about his presentation:
The drink cups pictured here are plastic, not paper
They are used every 15 minutes in the airline industry, not in the general public at large
It is because of this presentation on TED that my husband and I religiously bring our own cups to the coffeehouse. Thanks for spreading da werd.
Hi Chris,
It’s thrilling and uplifting to hear that Chris Jordan’s artwork had such an impact on the habits practiced by you and your husband. I wouldn’t want to speak for the artist, but I can’t imagine a more fulfilling conclusion than having one’s work truly inspire someone’s life habits.
I had to go back and double-check my facts. There is a piece titled ‘Plastic Cups’, which depicts the amount of plastic cups used by the airline industry every 6 hours (it’s the second image on his website). The piece featured in my blog is another part of the collection, and does demonstrate the paper cup use in the US. The link to the TED show in this post points to his demonstration where paper cups were a talking point. That being said, I’ll definitely be thinking of your comment then next time I travel through our friendly skies.
Thanks for stopping by!
Nicko | Sustainability Is Sexy