The Art of Crop Circles

by Tim Herby

"The [crop] circles have become signs and portents of our time, fueling Millennial fever. They function as huge Rorschach tests writ large in the fields of southern England, deciphered according to the belief system of those who view the phenomenon" (Lundberg).

Crop circle? What are crop circles? They are circles of bent down plants that appear mysteriously in fields at night mostly in England. Ironically, crop circles do not always take circular shapes, but make up conglomerations of circles, hemispheres, lines, and many other shapes. Currently, not everyone agrees as to their origins; the explanations range from hoaxes to aliens to other supernatural forces such as radiation or even ghosts. The problem, however, lies not in determining their origin, but in assessing these circles as a form of art. Since most people define art as a human activity, we will assume that humans create these circles. According to John Lundberg, a circle-maker, the art of circle making lies in "being able to construct something that many people believe to be beyond human endeavor." Like many other forms of art, the ability of crop circles to affect people deeply gives them their beauty. People report a variety of effects of visiting these circles ranging from religious experiences to being fear-struck. Also, these circles often convey, or appear to convey deep meaning such as pleas against nuclear power, or supernatural connotations. Because of their significance to many people and the deep meaning that they convey, crop circles qualify as an art form.

Not only do crop circles show the same effects on viewers as do most art forms, but they often have even greater effects on these people. After visiting crop circles, many people report physical effects such as extreme giddiness, to even nausea, or even "getting literally knocked off their feet" ("Peculiarities of Crop Circles"). In addition to these rather unusual physical effects, many people enjoy the religious, and mystical aspect to these circles such as such as legends similar to those that surround the nearby site of Stonehenge. Yet these paranormal phenomena do not constitute the whole of the significance of crop circles. Circle watchers, as experts often call them, usually visit crop circles for their simple beauty, and their paradoxically simple complexity. Crop circles consist solely of trodden down wheat, corn, or barley, yet the patterns that they form often baffle even the experts in their originality and intricacy.

As with most art, crop circles frequently convey deep profound meaning through their complex design and location. These messages may be real, fantasy, or, as is most often the case, mysterious in nature. Some people believe that crop circles carry "warnings of ecological disaster" ("Field of Dreams, 128). Most art, however, does not attempt to paint a serious, literal picture of the world, rather it gives room for the viewer’s imagination to take over. Art seldom states a clear and unambiguous message. Likewise, crop circles often send implicit messages left to the viewer to interpret. The mystery that surrounds crop circles is probably one of the most important factors for both viewers and artists since it draws so many people towards these circles. Not all crop circles, however, conform to wearing this veil over their message. One crop circle actually "spelt out the message WEARENOTALONE" with letters 37 meters high (Zuckerman, 45). Different crop circle artists have different styles. As with any other art form, this variety of styles makes up the art of crop circles.

Because of its virgin beauty, and inherent life, the natural setting of crop circles provides an ideal canvas for crop circle artists to work on. Many people enjoy admiring nature in its virgin form. Crop circle artists take a virgin field and elevate it to a new level, sculpting it as a potter models clay into a vase. Only the material with which circle makers create their works is not inanimate, but living. "Inside each perfectly drawn circumference, the corn lies bent but not broken, with its still-growing stalks swept into a matted pinwheel pattern" ("Field of Dreams", 62). The crop lives on after the circle makers create the pattern, and often fades away their creation as waves wash away a sand castle. But unlike sand castles, crop circles do not lie on a flat beach, rather, they flow over hills, and dips giving them more life. "Seeing a formation put down in just the right place in relation to its surroundings adds an extra dimension to a formation" (Lundberg). As paintings lie centered in their frames, virtually all crop circles lie perfectly within the perimeter of their fields. Although some circles stretch hundreds of feet in diameter, they never haphazardly lap over the edge of a field. Instead, they array themselves to within a fraction of an inch of roadways or hillsides ("Field of Dreams", 121). Crop circle artists use a complex and beautiful canvas which only increases the value of their work as an art.

As they lay their carefully planned patterns in the grass of living fields, crop circle artists convey symbolic and artistic meaning through their work. Do these circle makers have to convey a message? Do they have to do so symbolically? Do they even have to be human? The answer to all of these questions is a definite no. Yet the majority of circle makers perform their work as an artist does. And those who do not follow the "rules" simply add to the mystery surrounding this form of art.

"They are like dreams, to interrogate them is to force them to lie., to interpret them is to diminish their richness, to explain them is to misunderstand them�?Crop circles are like mouths that speak to us of the strangeness and depth of things -- speak to the heart more than the head, and to the soul more than the heart."
--Patrick Harpur ("Field of Dreams?", 128)