Chris Jordan creates photographic digital images of jarring statistics related to American consumption. Each large scale image gives visual life to incomprehensible statistics like 320,000 light bulbs, equal to the number of kilowatt hours of electricity wasted in the United States every minute from inefficient residential electricity usage; and 28,000 42-gallon barrels, the amount of oil consumed in the United States every two minutes. Jordan graduated from the University of Texas School of Law and while interested in art, made his living as a corporate attorney in Seattle. The exhibition, which runs from October 22 to December 10, is sponsored by SC Green and is dedicated to the memory of Charleston community member Edwin Gardner, a lifelong proponent and practitioner of living an artful, healthy, and sustainable life on our planet. Running the Numbers: An American Self-Portrait—Digital Images by Chris Jordan has been organized and distributed by the Museum of Art/Washington State University, Pullman, WA.

Running the Numbers is a component of bluesphere: Earth Art Expo which seeks to bring sustainability education to the residents of Charleston, SC through a mixture of visual art exhibitions, lectures, a film and activities offered by area organizations focusing on the environment, conservation, and how views of our world are presented and expressed through art. bluesphere was initiated by the Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art and made possible by collaborations between many of Charleston’s art and education institutions. There are seven visual art exhibitions, a film screening, workshops, and a lecture series. Most events are free and open to the public. bluesphere is sponsored in part by the City of Charleston’s Office of Cultural Affairs, SC Green, Pratt Industries, Coastal Conservation League, Dolphin Architects & Builders and TBonz Foundation Inc.