“I wonder if there may be some value in simply honoring this in-between place, acknowledging the space of open possibility where we stand. This is the moment of dissolution before the new form emerges, the imaginal space of potential from which all else will flow. As the marine scientist Sylvia Earle says: the next ten years are the most important in the next ten thousand.“ – Chris Jordan
We appreciate the support and contributions of many individuals who are helping the Midway film get off the ground. You can help as well!
For tax-deductible donations, click on this link to contribute through our 501c3, Community Ventures: http://www.razoo.com/story/Midwayjourney.
Important: Please specify “Trash Island/Midway Journey” in your inquiry and/or in the memo line of your check.
If you have additional questions about how you can contribute, please contact us at studio@chrisjordan.com
Many thanks, and we look forward to sharing the results of our work with you soon.
With much gratitude,
Chris
Supporters
- Compton Foundation
- Victoria and Ian Watson, The Watson Family Foundation
- Richard Russell, The Russell Family Foundation
- Claudia Wells, NextNow Collaboratory
- John Shipee and Margaret Blevins
- Charlie Kouns
- Travis Warren, Whipple Hill Communications
- Holly Thomas, Mindzaye Studio
- Plastic Pollution Coalition
Special Thanks to
- Midway Atoll National Wildlife Sanctuary
- Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument
- Raylene Haalelea Kawaiaea
- Justin Carlson, Carlson Media
- Matrix Professional Video Systems, Vancouver, Canada
- Koerner Camera, Seattle, Washington
- Lighthaus Camera, Honolulu
- Giro Sunglasses
- Global Reef
- Louie Psihoyos, director of “The Cove“
- Oceanic Preservation Society
3 Comments
Chris,
My family lived on Midway from 1976 – 1977 when it was still a Naval Refueling depot for planes and ships crossing the Pacific. I was a small boy at the time, but remember the “gooney birds” and how afraid I was of their stature. Beautiful in flight, but not the most graceful when landing.
Your work has special meaning as I’ve lived there and remember Midway at a more pristine time. Words cannot describe the horror that your pictures and video so vividly present. As guests on this planet, we should be ashamed of ourselves.
Keep up the phenomenal work and I hope it causes change!
Matt
You write “We are at a mid-way place. On a remote and isolated island in the middle of the Pacific, twelve-hundred miles northwest of Hawaii.” Unless you mean Hawaii Island, which I doubt, you seem to be referring to the island chain – and Midway is part of the Hawaiian archipelago, not separate from it.
Dear Chris and friends,
I have been made aware of the Midway Island plastic pollution a couple of months ago through photo’s which were published in the Sunday Times magazine. At first I though the plastic inside the albatross chicks were ‘made’ by an artist until I read the accompanied text… I am deeply moved by this awful and disturbing situation.
As a German artist living in Ireland I want to try and raise awareness to the plight of the creatures who die because of our waste and the way we live our lives.
The best way to do this seems to be by way of centering a body of art work around this topic, exhibiting it and bringing public attention to it.
We have a litter problem in Ireland as well and the beach were I live with my family north of Dublin is also littered with plastic washed unto the shores or dumped there. I have recently collaborated with a taxidermist on a new project relating to the plastic pollution. I have collected small pieces of plastic from the beach locally and made casts out of it, which the taxidermist incerted into the dead body of a seagull which he found on the same beach where the plastic was found. Fortunately unlike the albatrosses the seagulls don’t seem to mistake the plastic for food and there seems no evidence of plastic in their stomachs. But the seagull looks to be the closest bird we have here to an albatross and hence my decision to use a seagull as an example of the albatross tragedy in the Pacific.
This new project is in its genesis stage. I imagine it will take me up to two years to create the work to properly highlight this dilemma.
In time if you were interested I could show some of the moving footage recored by you in Midway accompanied with the art work.
I hope to hear back from you in your own time and best of luck with the work you do.
Kind regards, Thomas Brezing