Chris Jordan is a photography artist based in Seattle, USA. Jordan turns powerful statistics into art showing the unconscious behavior of humans and the impact on the environment. The images in his work draw the viewer intimately into the horrors of global mass-consumerism, reminding us that the consequences of our unchecked growth extend globally. His latest project “Midway: Message from the Gyre,” Jordan explores a remote cluster of islands more than 2000 miles from the nearest continent. His photographs reveal nesting chicks that were fed lethal quantities of plastic by their parents, who mistake the floating trash for food as they forage over the vast polluted Pacific Ocean.
Robert Adam’s black and white photographs document scenes of
the American West, revealing the impact of human activity on the wilderness and open space. Adam’s photographs capture the physical traces of human life: a garbage along a roadside, a clear-cut forest, or half-built house. Adam’s complex photographs expose the idea that the West represents an unlimited natural resource for human consumption. His work also conveys hope that change can be effected. His work in the American West specifically focuses on what needs correction. He photographs track houses and highway scenes as well as seascapes. He specifically focuses on trees in the book “Turning Back” which illustrates deforestation in the West a practice that Adams describes as “not just a matter of exhaustion of resources, I do think there is involved an exhaustion of spirit.” He feels that if humans have not experienced the mystery of the tree they have missed something in their life.
Nancy Judd strives to change the way people live on the earth through innovative exhibitions that showcase sustainable fashion designs made from trash. Judd installs traveling exhibitions of the Recycle Runway Collection in locations such as museums, shopping malls, and airports. For example, apparel, called Jellyfish Dress is made from plastic bags. The message is to put plastic in the recycling bin, not the ocean. Three of the top five types of marine litter are recyclable: plastic bottles, plastic bags, and cans. Another example is the work titled, “Tireless Coutore.” Inner tube tires from bicycles and cars create the fabric on the skirt and the base of the skirt is sewn from torn hotel sheets. The design showcased the commitment to sustainability by encouraging citizens to leave their cars at home and use the beautiful pedestrian and bicycle paths.
El Anatsui, one of Africa’s most influential contemporary artists, creates colorful and densely patterned work that is assembled from discarded liquor bottle caps. In contrast to using discarded materials to promote environmental change, Anatsui is representing a broader story of colonial and postcolonial economic and cultural exchange in Africa between three countries. In addition, the sculptures in wood and ceramics he creates introduces ideas about the function of objects in everyday life. For example, broken pots are repurposed in artworks, representing new life and hope. Anatsui describes destruction as a prerequisite for new growth. He gives a new life to objects that serve as an art piece to contemplate.
Lynne Hull, a contemporary artist recognizing the landscape not as scenery, but as the spaces and systems we inhabit. Hull uses her art to involve people in the environmental issues they might not otherwise be concerned about, potentially setting the stage for future interaction between humans and nature.
Xavier Cortada, an artist in Miami, Florida, promotes community participatory art projects. He is promoting the connection to one another and to our natural world. His current work focuses on creating an evolving body of work that uses genetic data to explore how nature influenced human migration and history.
