14 September 2009

Chris Jordan follows the plastic to Midway Atoll

Chris Jordan (watch his TEDTalk) is on Midway Atoll with a team of artists to document a shocking result of our love of plastic: thousands of albatrosses who mistake floating plastic trash for food — and are starving to death. Midway is near the apex of the Pacific Garbage Patch (watch Capt. Charles Moore’s TEDTalk for more on that), and it’s where plastic from all over the world washes up by the ton. From the site:

Five media artists, led by photographer Chris Jordan, are traveling to Midway to witness the catastrophic effect of our disposable culture on some of the world’s most beautiful and symbolic creatures. But even more, they are embarking on an introspective journey to confront a vitally relevant question: In this time of unprecedented global crisis, how can we move through grief, denial, despair and immobility into new territories of acceptance, possibility, and wise action?

Watch for daily updates with photos and video. You can follow the project on Twitter, Flickr and Facebook.

Photo from Midway Journey’s Flickr set

Posted by Emily McManus | Permalink | 1 Comment | Trackback