September 27, 2006
A Conversation with Chris Jordan
"Talking to Americans about consumerism is like talking to someone with an alcohol problem. Our culture is in deep denial about what we are doing to our planet, to the people of other nations and the people of the future. And maybe the biggest tragedy of all is that we are in denial about how our consumer lifestyle is sapping our own spirits. It is incredibly sad to see it on such a huge scale, and growing ever broader under our current leadership. Today we are working more hours than any other society in the world. On average, Americans work three months longer per year than Europeans, who themselves work more than the people in most other countries. We are slowly killing ourselves, and we all feel it."
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JC: Another aspect of investigating consumerism by means of fine-art photography is that, in a sense, you are transforming scenes of waste into photos that possess a strange beauty. When looking at your work, at times I thought "This looks very cool", but then the caption informed me that I was looking at, say, piles of discarded cell phones, and there's really nothing cool about that. In a sense, as a fine-art photographer, your job is a bit schizophrenic since on the one hand, you're trying to document what our consumerist culture is leading to, on the other hand, you want compelling photos. How do you deal with this?
CJ: This issue comes up a lot in connection with my work. I think there are several levels to it. First, beauty is a powerfully effective tool for drawing viewers into uncomfortable territory. If I took ugly photographs, no one would want to look at them. My hope is to seduce the viewer with the intricate details and colors, and maybe the beauty of that will hold their attention while the deeper message seeps in. Many photographers have used beauty in this way, and it can be tremendously effective. It is a way past the defenses, like slipping a note under the castle door.
The strange combination of beauty and horror for me also serves as a potent metaphor for our consumerism.
complete conversation, more photos:
http://www.jmcolberg.com/weblog/archives/002303.html