Monday, April 30, 2012

Nature?

I'm intrigued by this and slightly discombobulated. On the one hand I find it calming, just as when I am under stress I am innately driven to sit by/on/in water to let the gentle lapping of waves and the reflection of light ease my burden. Or I seek out a spot under old trees, scan for patches of blue sky between the branches, and listen to the soughing of the wind and bird songs and lazing buzzing of the bees. So here is a machine which mimics nature, the sounds and patterns, and while I'm fascinated, I'm also uncomfortable. I'm guessing that if I worked in a big office tower nearby, I'd probably seek out this installation during my lunch hour, and I bet if someone measured my blood pressure it would be significantly lower as I hovered over this ribbon of electronic nature and just let the experience wash over me. But it also makes me conscious of the fact that we are moving ever closer to replacing the natural world with machines and bricks and concrete. See my dilemma? I picture a future where we are living in space and we have these installations to remind us what we gave up. It kind of chills me. What do you think? Love it or loathe it? Am I nuts to fret so much?

Patterned by Nature from Sosolimited on Vimeo.

8 comments:

Debby said...

Kind of loud. I have a sound machine that I used to block out noise when I was a day sleeper. This sort of technology has its place, I suppose, but knowing humankind, we will use it to replace nature, just as we have used television to replace life.

A Novel Woman said...

Oh, I use my white noise machine every night to help me sleep. Otherwise, I'd leap out of bed every time a car door slammed or the house moaned in the wind. But you're right about TV. I think it's responsible for the death of society, but that's a whole other blog post.

Linda G. said...

I'm with you. The geek in me finds it kind of fascinating, but somehow it ... bothers me.

Scarlett said...

The Starlings I could do without. LOL!

But what a wonderful piece of art! I would be intrigued, and I think inspired if nature were brought indoors. Just like those little Zen water fountains that were all the rage a while back. Or are they still?

I see how the fear of losing or replacing *real* nature with *fake* nature could be unsettling. I mean, why go to the trouble of taking care of the rainforests and the whales and the spotted baby owls, when all we have to do is plug it in and turn it off when we're done with it? Yeah. I totally get the concern.

But, it's more likely I think, that bringing nature indoors will calm the masses, and depending on how it's done, may even be the next evolutionary step to encouraging the forward-thinking process of healing our planet.

I have to say, Pretty cool. But then, I live in rural Missouri where nature is free and spotted baby owl dinner parties are unheard of.

"Are you kidding," they would say. "If I'd wanted some nature, I'd take a leak off my own back porch."

*eyes rolling* Can you hear it?

A Novel Woman said...

Scarlett wins for best comment of the year! Snort.

Scarlett said...

*Yay!*

Julie said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Julie said...

I understand its place in an urban setting, but I agree that it's dangerous to equate nature with a machine. I don't want to live in a world that only has virtual nature. I want the real thing, as a matter of fact if we don't start doing a better job of protecting nature, nature is going to stop protecting us. I just read a great book by Jim Robbins entitled The Man Who Planted Trees. I wish everyone would read it. I think it's very important, and that's not just because I'm a tree lover.