May 28, 2026 · 31 min · 10 segments
A 2010 statistic reports that, on average, there are 29,000 personal bankruptcy filings per week in the US, while another states that, on average, 50,000 pieces of floating plastic per square mile are…
Chris JordanGuest
John BailerHost
Rosemary PenningtonHost
[gentle music] A 2010 statistic reports that there are on average 29,000 personal bankruptcy filings every week in the US, while another statistic from this year reports that on average 50,000 pieces of floating plastic per square mile are observed in the Pacific Ocean.
How might art be used to convey the magnitude of these statistics? Suppose 29,000 credit cards, images of them, were arranged to compose a larger image of a full moon, or 50,000 plastic bag images were used as elements to produce an image of a whale.
Would you find yourself drawn to the art and then deeper into the story that inspired the art? Our episode today considers how art might be used to convey and engage people to consider human impact on the world or human experience in the world.
Stats and Stories is a production of the American Statistical Association, as well as Miami University's departments of statistics and media journalism and film.
I'm joined in the studio by my colleague, Rosemary Pennington, chair of the department of media journalism and film.
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[gentle music] A 2010 statistic reports that there are on average 29,000 personal bankruptcy filings every week in the US, while another statistic from this year reports that on average 50,000 pieces of floating plastic per square mile are observed in the Pacific Ocean.
How might art be used to convey the magnitude of these statistics? Suppose 29,000 credit cards, images of them, were arranged to compose a larger image of a full moon, or 50,000 plastic bag images were used as elements to produce an image of a whale.
Would you find yourself drawn to the art and then deeper into the story that inspired the art? Our episode today considers how art might be used to convey and engage people to consider human impact on the world or human experience in the world.
Stats and Stories is a production of the American Statistical Association, as well as Miami University's departments of statistics and media journalism and film.
I'm joined in the studio by my colleague, Rosemary Pennington, chair of the department of media journalism and film.
