Chris Jordan

What attracted you to Midway?

I was shown some images of Midway by Anna Cummins, a friend and founder of the 5 Gyres Institute. I had the same feeling that I had after Hurricane Katrina – that this was a profound tragedy that wasn’t being treated with reverence. I was drawn to the story like a magnet.

Why do you take such a poetic approach to the film?

I’ve never been convinced by the information approach to documentary features. The pictures can be almost secondary. I wanted imagery to be at the fore, as I think something is transmitted when you look into the lives of magnificent beings. I also think beauty is as important as facts – I’m a big fan of the transformational power of art.

There are 1.5 million birds on Midway. Was filming easy?

Far from it! Imagine being surrounded by thousands of birds – every possible behaviour is going on all around you, and trying to focus on one particular thing is hilariously vexing. To film a chick opening its wings, for instance, we’d have to zero in on one youngster, which might then decide to keep us waiting for six hours.

Are Laysan albatrosses in decline due to plastic?

No. Numbers are actually increasing. That doesn’t make the individual suffering of these birds any less tragic, but it does allow us to view Midway in a more symbolic way. We need to see it as a mirror reflecting back our broken relationship with the living world.

CHRIS JORDAN wrote, narrated and edited Albatross.