We are a species that firmly believes in supremacy. We stride the earth with our noses in the air, trampling on all creatures big or small, proclaiming our relevance loud and clear. We are the monarchs of the universe and the ones who add colours to it. We have invented definitions that are tucked away in bulky dictionaries, and we try to abide by them. And how have we categorised art? Wikipedia describes art as a human activity that requires imagination and creativity.
Beyond these descriptions, the general perception of art is that it is meant for intellectually evolved minds. In plain words, for the privileged — those whose basic needs for food and shelter have been catered to long ago and who now yearn to use their excess money to cultivate finer tastes. As for the ones who create art, it certainly blossoms from the lot whose worries have never included the numerous bills to be paid.
The fight for survival can hardly provide the luxury to ponder over existential issues, world politics, or the environment. While this is so far from the truth, the fact that the need to express is as old as the history of mankind does not come into consideration. Prehistoric humans drawing on dark cave walls was no act of extravagance! Man may strut around pompously, but nature goes about its business, silently disproving all man-made definitions. There are millions of species in this world that simply live by the laws of nature. And they create their own art. Not the art that is backed by the heaviness of philosophy. But the one that rests on functionality.
The male white-spotted pufferfish creates the most breathtaking patterns under the sea. At first, it displaces the sand with its fins and creates circular structures that look like a maze, sometimes even embellishing the edges with shells and other materials. The female then comes along, takes a look at the pattern, and if it interests her enough, she mates with the male and lays her eggs within that structure. Installation art is, in a sense, since a male never reuses the pattern again. Some of the patterns are huge, even measuring up to 6 feet in diameter.
If pufferfish are sand artists, bowerbirds are exquisite sculptors. Their mating ritual involves constructing elaborate bowers and decorating them to court the female. With luck, if she finds his decoration worthy enough, he’s won her over. The featherfin cichlids, a fish species, make bowls in the sand for the same purpose. Weaver birds construct intricate nests with around 1000 strands of grass to attract potential mates.
Whales trap schools of fish by diving below them, and while one blows bubbles, the others corner their prey by following them in spiral patterns. No pattern made by human hands has ever been compared to these incredible designs!
Look around and observe the natural world. There is art everywhere. Refusing to fit into manmade portrayals, they brighten up our world and make us realise that life can be uncomplicated. With no gallery lighting or applause, they quietly colour our lives.
“Nature is the greatest artist of all time.”— Dante Alighieri.