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Where plastic ends up

Photography

Posted by Mark Sinclair, 5 November 2009, 13:23    Permalink    Comments (12)

In a shocking series of photographs, Seattle-based Chris Jordan has documented the impact that an abundance of plastic waste in the Pacific ocean has had on the albatross population...

Jordan's latest project, Midway: Message from the Gyre, simply shows a series of dead albatross chicks. But as each one decomposes, it offers up a vivid indication of what actually lead to its death: a diet of discarded plastic waste.

As Jordan explains on his site, chrisjordan.com, "These photographs of albatross chicks were made just a few weeks ago on Midway Atoll, a tiny stretch of sand and coral near the middle of the North Pacific. The nesting babies are fed bellies-full of plastic by their parents, who soar out over the vast polluted ocean collecting what looks to them like food to bring back to their young. On this diet of human trash, every year tens of thousands of albatross chicks die on Midway from starvation, toxicity, and choking. To document this phenomenon as faithfully as possible, not a single piece of plastic in any of these photographs was moved, placed, manipulated, arranged, or altered in any way. These images depict the actual stomach contents of baby birds in one of the world's most remote marine sanctuaries, more than 2000 miles from the nearest continent."

The result is some very sad, powerful work. 

Via The Guardian's Environment page. The rest of the series is on Jordan's site.

12 Comments

Was on http://coilhouse.net/ two weeks ago nice blog/mag for rivet-heads
Greg
2009-11-05 14:10:44

I've been thinking about these photos for days now. They're remarkable, both for their æsthetic power and, of course, for their condemnation of the modern cult of disposability that turns the world into a dump. They make me think of Edward Burtynsky's work.
Katy McDevitt
2009-11-05 15:37:22

At one point last year, my fiancee and were traveling in a plane over the Pacific and
outside our window we could not discern if the small bits of white on the ocean were crests of waves or trash. I said the former. She said the latter. She's right.
Nirav Patel
2009-11-05 18:24:54

I thought perhaps these images were set ups, but after reading the blurb, I'm even more horrified! Such disturbing images.
Carol Whiteford
2009-11-06 12:09:55

There is movie started in the middle of europe 1 month ago, about the plastic planet. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-fwltw4U-CI
Philipp
2009-11-06 12:18:43

Blimmin' eck! Poor things :(
Andy Allen
2009-11-07 02:46:17

Horrific
barry macey
2009-11-07 16:42:10

The movie is incredible. It gradually progresses from rotting corpses to nothing but the plastic pieces that caused the deaths in the first place. I assume that the plastic will kill again! Great work calling our attention to an awful problem.
Jeff Jacobs
2009-11-10 20:03:10

:(
softestbullet
2009-11-10 21:23:43

Some really powerful and emotional photography - and like another comment I initially thought they were set up. Very sad, our waste travels the world's oceans and ends up killing these beautiful birds.
David J Colbran
2009-11-17 11:21:03

It's an abomination! Until the oceans are no longer populated by fishing vessels and cruize liners - never mind what the landlubbers throw into water courses which flow down to the sea the wildlife will suffer and as individuals we are so ineffective, but each time one of us tries the recycle route perhaps we will save just one animal.
Glenda Payne
2010-02-04 12:08:54

Here in Holland after a day of going to the beach I find it remarkable how easy people leave their garbage behind in the sand. Tin cans plastic wrappings and packing's, paper, fag ends and so on.
Dan Bekkering
2010-02-04 13:00:14

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