In Week 1 of class we covered various types of data visualization. One of the artists that stood out to me was Chris Jordan. He has various pieces which visually represents the harsh reality of shocking statistics. The piece I found most interesting was MIDWAY.
One of the pressing issues Chris talks about is the number of Albatross chicks found on a stretch of sand 2000 miles away from any continents. The images represent the the amount of garbage that is fed to Albaross chicks by their mothers at birth thinking it’s food. Over time the plastics are broken down within the body and the toxins are absorbed and eventually kill them. An important note he mentions is that unlike his other work, none of the corps were modified and that the data is well represented within the dried up bodies. On the website he shows different decaying bodies which were scattered across the island.
I found this the most interesting because it was so real and the harsh reality is more evident because the images were not manipulated. Being so far away from civilization the garbage still found it’s way across the Northern Pacific into the mouths of.
