Crop Circles

Here, via Metafilter, are some of this year's, um, crop of crop circles. The full-sized images are pretty amazing.

There's something quite wonderful about crop circles. I love that the makers remain largely anonymous, and that people still refuse to believe that they're man-made. I love the idea of blokes in pubs heading out and doing this stuff. I love it that the art world would never ever deign to comment on them. I love it that no one's in it for the money. I can only hope that we don't start getting books by the practioners revealing the secrets of their trade (yes I know we've had the odd TV program and article in a Sunday supplement, but as far as I'm aware nothing much beyond that).

I posted a while back on surrealism, and how to the English that sort of thing comes naturally: we don't need to philosophise about it, and write manifestoes. Just so with crop circles. They're quintessentially English. They embody what much art nowadays can only dream of: they're creative, inspiring, mysterious, ephemeral, and exist totally beyond commercial interests. It's possible - and I hesitate here, but it must nevertheless be said - that the makers never even went to Art School.

Update: looking at this site (with its amusing new age verbiage - "Karen has a background in psychology and counselling and has for many years brought a gentle, empathetic and introspective touch to researching the crop circles.... Her work seamlessly fuses sacred art, spirituality, psychology and philosophy") I wouldn't guarantee that all the crop circles linked to above are in fact from this year.

Comments

[P. Froward]

The "Temporary Temples" people may be new age dingbats, but their HTML image viewer kicks ass: Each new page puts the thumbnail for the next one under your mouse pointer. I hate those things when you have to keep hunting for the "next" link. Theirs not only does the Right Thing on that, but it combines it with a scrolling thing with all the thumbnails. Good design. I approve. I approve so much, I won't even say anything about "gentle, empathetic and introspective" new agers.