Running the Numbers

Artist Chris Jordan has developed an amazing body of work in his collection, Running the Numbers: an American Self Portrait.

In it, he looks at American culture - specifically, the magnitude of our consumption - through the lens of statistics, portraying a specific number of products we consume in a given time frame. He assembles thousands of small portraits into larger, more intricate works, in hopes that the images representing these quantities will be more impactful than the numbers alone.

And they are:

Plastic Cups, 2008
60x90"
Depicts one million plastic cups, the number used on airline flights in the US every six hours.

And the close up:

Cans Seurat, 2007
60x92"
Depicts 106,000 aluminum cans, the number used in the US every thirty seconds.

And the close up:

The works are amazing and really do make you think, just as the artist intended.

See Jordan's full collection or find out how to purchase his prints by visiting his website.

[via @johngonnella]