Consumer Art Photos - or what's left over

I often get tired of facts and figures, sorting through commentary for value; pictures have a way of making concepts and conditions real in a way the written word cannot.

Consumerism has been a driving motor of economy for a hundred years. We now see the natural result of placing this engine at the center of our civilisation. Chris Jordan has taken a magnificent set of photos using items of daily consumption to tell a story of great beauty with a message not easily understood in language.

I reprint one series here; Chris's website has many more worth viewing if this one suits you. Hope you will enjoy them.

Chris Jordan's page of consumer photograhs

Depicts 28,000 42-gallon barrels, the amount of oil consumed in the United States every two minutes (equal to the flow of a medium-sized river).