Chris Jordan: Turning powerful stats into art

Unconscious Behaviors on a Collective Level

The speaker discusses the unconscious behaviors that individuals engage in on a collective level, which operate below our daily awareness and often go unnoticed.

Behaviors We Engage in Unconsciously

• Individuals engage in unconscious behaviors all the time.

• Examples include being mean to someone due to anger towards another person, drinking excessively out of anxiety, or overeating due to emotional distress.

Consequences of Unconscious Behaviors

• When millions of people engage in unconscious behaviors, it can lead to unintended catastrophic consequences.

• The speaker explores these behaviors through their photographic work.

Visual Representation of Plastic Cup Consumption

The speaker presents an image they recently completed that represents the excessive use of plastic cups on airline flights in the United States.

Image Description

• From a distance, the image resembles a neo-Gothic factory spewing pollution.

• As you get closer, it appears as pipes resembling a chemical plant or freeway interchange.

• Upon closer inspection, it is revealed that the image is made up of one million plastic cups.

Prison Population in America

The speaker highlights the troubling phenomenon of America having the highest percentage of its population incarcerated compared to any other country.

Statistics on Incarceration

• One out of four people imprisoned worldwide are Americans.

• In 2005, 2.3 million Americans were incarcerated.

Confronting Addiction and Cigarette Smoking

The speaker addresses addiction and focuses specifically on cigarette smoking and its detrimental effects.

Depicting Cigarette Addiction

• A piece is created using boxes of cigarettes to represent the number of Americans who die from smoking each year (over 400,000).

• The speaker compares the number of deaths from smoking to other significant events, emphasizing the need for awareness and action.

Dismissing the Destructive Power of Cigarettes

• Despite knowing the destructive power of cigarettes, society dismisses it due to the influence of tobacco lobbyists.

• Children are still exposed to influences that lead them to start smoking.

Visualizing Teenage Smoking

• Another piece is shown, consisting of 65,000 cigarettes representing the number of teenagers who smoke.

The Abuse and Misuse of Prescription Drugs

This section discusses the abuse and misuse of prescription drugs, specifically focusing on painkillers and anti-anxiety medications. It highlights the alarming number of emergency room visits in the United States due to this issue.

The Phenomenon of Prescription Drug Abuse

• The speaker presents an image made out of Vicodin pills to represent the 213,000 emergency room visits in the US each year related to prescription drug abuse.

• One-third of all drug overdoses in the US are caused by prescription medications, including painkillers and anti-anxiety drugs.

The Growing Obsession with Breast Augmentation Surgery

This section explores society's increasing obsession with breast augmentation surgery. It highlights the number of women undergoing elective breast augmentation surgery and its popularity as a high school graduation gift.

The Statistics on Breast Augmentation Surgery

• A piece made out of Barbie dolls represents the 32,000 breast augmentation surgeries performed monthly in the US, primarily on women under 21 years old.

• Breast augmentation surgery is becoming a popular high school graduation gift for young girls going off to college.

Lack of Emotional Connection in Society

This section addresses the speaker's concern about society's lack of emotional connection and feeling. It emphasizes how we have lost our sense of outrage, anger, and grief towards societal issues.

Anesthesia in America

• There is a prevailing anesthesia or numbness in American culture, where feelings such as outrage and grief have gone missing.

• Our cultural joy and national joy seem to be absent as well.

The Challenge of Understanding the Interconnectedness of Things

This section discusses the challenge of comprehending the interconnectedness of various aspects of our culture and the world. It highlights the difficulty in making meaning out of large numbers and statistics.

Building a Holoptical Worldview

• As we try to build a holistic worldview, it becomes challenging to grasp the enormity of our culture due to the vast numbers involved.

• Our brains struggle to comprehend numbers in the millions, billions, and trillions, such as those found in budgets or environmental footprints.

Translating Data into a Universal Visual Language

This section focuses on using art to translate raw data into a visual language that can be felt and understood. It emphasizes the importance of feeling deeply about societal issues.

Making Issues Matter Through Art

• By translating data into visual art, we can deepen our emotional connection with important issues.

• Feeling these issues more deeply will lead to greater significance and motivate us for change.

The Big Question: How Do We Change?

This section addresses the central question of how we can bring about change as individuals and as a society. It emphasizes taking responsibility for our own behavior and making choices aligned with positive change.

Taking Responsibility for Change

• The speaker believes that each individual has a role in finding solutions and taking responsibility for their own behavior.

• Looking at societal issues does not require self-blame but rather an acknowledgment of who we are as a society.

• The degree of integrity and depth of character we bring to addressing this question defines us as individuals and as a nation.

The Impact of Our Decisions on Future Generations

This section highlights the profound impact our decisions have on future generations. It emphasizes the importance of considering the well-being and quality of life for those who will inherit the consequences of our choices.

Our Responsibility to Future Generations

• The speaker emphasizes that the audience in the room represents who we are at this moment, with a responsibility towards future generations.

• Our decisions today will shape the well-being and quality of life for billions of people in the future.

Conclusion

The speaker concludes by expressing gratitude and acknowledging that change begins with each individual's willingness to face the question of how we can bring about change.