Wow! Wow! Wow! That's all I can say about our discovery today! We viewed an eye opening display of contempory American culture through the artists use of mathmatical statistics and the digital camera. Let me explain!
It's spring break and when grandparents are looking for things to do to entertain an 8 year old granddaughter, you look for "Things To Do Close to Home!" So today our adventure led us into our own 'backyard' of Oberlin to the world famous Allen Memorial Art Museum (AMAM for short) part of Obelin College. It had been quite a while since our last visit so we knew exhibits had come and gone and come and gone again!
What we found here was a phenominal exhibit that I am just thankful for having had the opportunity to view. When you come to visit Oberlin, and you know you want to!, you need to make the time, no you must make the time, to see the photography exhibit entitled "Running the Numbers." This is a collection of 14 thought-provoking works from photographer Chris Jordan in which he marries statistics and photography into a display of our society's mass consumption, waste, public health, and social justice through haunting, large scale images that really blew us away! And you know that if an 8 year old is impressed, everyone will be!
Each photograph portrays a quantity of a particluar item: 2 million tiny 
photo's of plastic bottles (represent 5 minutes of consumption ending in the landfills: 426,000 tiny cell phone photos represent the # of handsets retired daily: 29,569 tiny gun photos representing gun-related deaths in 2004; 1.14 million paper bag photos represent an hours use. Looking very closely at the plastic bottle photo, you can clearly distinguish all the brands of water and pop. They're all represented!
photo's of plastic bottles (represent 5 minutes of consumption ending in the landfills: 426,000 tiny cell phone photos represent the # of handsets retired daily: 29,569 tiny gun photos representing gun-related deaths in 2004; 1.14 million paper bag photos represent an hours use. Looking very closely at the plastic bottle photo, you can clearly distinguish all the brands of water and pop. They're all represented!
"Skull with Cigarette" is made up of cigarette packs and represents deaths related to smoking.
Jordan's work show us that statistics on the use of these products and many 
others can be abstract and meaningless, but images stir our emotions and call us to action. He creates his photographs with view cameras and digital cameras and in some cases, computer downloads. These images are then manipulated using Photoshop software and then are digitally printed. All of these tiny photos are assembled into one large, thought-provoking display of human consumption and waste. It made us feel regret that we are a part of this waste but it also made us feel pro-active to do our part to reuse and recycle.
others can be abstract and meaningless, but images stir our emotions and call us to action. He creates his photographs with view cameras and digital cameras and in some cases, computer downloads. These images are then manipulated using Photoshop software and then are digitally printed. All of these tiny photos are assembled into one large, thought-provoking display of human consumption and waste. It made us feel regret that we are a part of this waste but it also made us feel pro-active to do our part to reuse and recycle.
The "Running the Numbers" exhibit will remain at the AMAM until June 8, 2008 so you have plenty of time to plan a trip to Oberlin. Why not come for a few days and check out the other fine museums that we have (Come back to read an upcoming post). Dine in one of our fine restaurants, explore a quaint college town, see a movie in a 1940 theatre, listen to some fantastic music at the Conservatory, pedal on the bike path, and stay at Hallauer House B & B! And best of all, the AMAM IS FREE! The Museum is closed on Monday but open Tues. - Sat. from 10:00 - 5:00 and Sunday from 1:00 - 5:00.
No comments:
Post a Comment