Flight trails

There is noticeably more insect life here since letting the lawn grow. It might be that they’re all suddenly closer in, or that I’m out walking amongst it more often, or maybe it’s a case of ‘build it and they will come’—after all, without habitat there can be no wildlife. 

Whatever the reason, I’ve enjoyed a few sweet hours sitting still and watching the comings and goings. I’ve watched the bees and birds especially, those whose flight patterns are often straighter, and wondered what it would look like if they left trails. I imagine layer after layer of running stitch, holding things together. 

I found this beautiful video created by Dennis Hlynsky, a film and animation professor who found a way to show the flight patterns of birds and insects. And I love what he says about the process—these are things any one of us can notice.

“There is a process that is very scientific, but I don’t feel like I’m doing science. I’m making artworks. I’m living my life as an observational human being. These are mostly things that anybody can see in their daily existence.”