TED Talk - Chris Jordan: Turning powerful stats into art

In this 2008 talk, digital artist Chris Jordan illustrates what he sees as a problem in the United States - a "kind of anesthesia" where people are ignoring significant social issues and have seemingly lost their "sense of outrage...anger and...grief" about concerning cultural patterns. Using graphics, Jordan presents a series of supersized images that illustrate the "reality" of the enormous statistics and data surrounding these problematic patterns (numbers that we simply cannot imagine or comprehend). Through his art, he attempts to present the data in "a more universal language, that can be felt" in order to evoke emotion and emphasize the dire need for social change.

Turning powerful stats into art

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