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Humans evolved to dream of flying
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We are all Icarus
Stefan Hartmaier / Gustav Mesmer
The human desire to fly is a universal trait that has shaped us more than we know
The Art of Flying, an exhibition curated by Thomas Hauschild and Britta N. Heinrich, at the House of World Cultures, Berlin, Germany until 8 May Reviewed by Nora Schultz
WHAT do boomerangs, aeroplanes, Siberian shamans and techno music enthusiasts have in common? To a greater or lesser degree, they all have some connection with the human desire to fly. In The Art of Flying, ethnologists Thomas Hauschild and Britta N. Heinrich have traced the origins of this desire back to our upright stance and sense of balance. In so doing, they show how our fascination with flight has decisively influenced some of our greatest scientific, cultural and political achievements. Modern humans, so the hypothesis goes, are distinguished by two key features that predispose us to crave flight: the vestibular system of the inner ear, which
in humans evolved alongside the ability to walk; and the ability of our consciousness to draw on its sensory input to construct a bird’s-eye perspective of the body and the surrounding landscape. We start to experience sensations of flight when we are carried and playfully tossed around in the air as babies. These early experiences carry over into a universal human fascination with flight that extends across cultures and eras, as demonstrated by exhibits ranging from religious art depicting flying gods to ancient projectile tools and weapons. The exhibition also delves into how individuals as diverse as Siberian shamans, techno dancers and people who have had near-death experiences have all reported sensations of hovering or flying. Mastery of the skies is, of course, also linked to political and military power, and the exhibition shows how in many civilisations, both modern and
ancient, diverse flight-associated impulses have influenced fusions of art, politics and science that spurred technological advances. This is borne out through exhibits of Chinese fireworks and kites, displays about witchcraft, and a stage set alluding to illusions of flight created in baroque-era theatres. Historical landmarks in the development of aeroplanes, zeppelins and gliders are featured alongside an exploration of the idea that these can only be fully understood in the context of wider flight-related cultural developments of the past. The exhibition makes cautious predictions about the future of flying. Fuel shortages may be about to force changes to the technology of flight and therefore the way we are accustomed to travelling. Even so, the most comfortable plane ride of today is a far cry from the free flight that humans have dreamed of for millennia. So the long line of would-be Icaruses featured in The Art of Flying – those who have sought ways to realise their individual ideas of flight – will continue to grow, whether through novel technologies or through people inducing internal experiences with the help of bodily movement, sound or drugs.
Dirty secrets Dirt: The filthy reality of everyday life, edited by Kate Forde, Profile, £20 Reviewed by Christine Ottery
THIS splendidly edited book activated both my inner child, fascinated with all that’s revolting, and my social conscience. In it, six essayists dwell on the themes of skin parasites, shitting on slum streets, dumpsite scavenging, menstrual blood, sex, bacteria and landfill. The vicarious thrills are amplified by startling images of
female cholera victims who have turned blue from dehydration, racist soap adverts of a bygone era, and 9/11 wreckage in landfill. S-bends, sewers and refuse collection have made it easy to forget where our waste goes. Meanwhile, a child dies every 15 seconds from diarrhoea caused by drinking water contaminated with excrement. This book, which accompanies an exhibition at the Wellcome Collection, London (bit.ly/ g65sQM), is unique in having led me to tweet about sanitation and to debate the links between sexual violence and the lack of private toilets in much of the world.
Morality for all The Moral Lives of Animals by Dale Peterson, Bloomsbury, $26 Reviewed by Jonathon Keats
CATCHING a herring or mackerel, a dolphin will gleefully toss it in the air, allowing others to share in the excitement. Many will enthusiastically swim up to the catch, yet none will steal it. The fish belongs to the finder. Can the dolphins’ behaviour be considered moral? Dale Peterson believes so, and argues that moral behaviour in domains ranging from sex to violence can be found in creatures from chimpanzees to mice. Peterson’s claim that morality is “a gift of biological evolution” – rather than an act of God or a creation of Homo sapiens – is persuasive, if not especially original. His book is at its most interesting when he uses the morals of dolphins and chimps to reflect on our own ethical notions. Recognising the evolutionary roots and animal equivalents of good and evil encourages us to reassess our morals without the taint of religious and political dogma. 26 March 2011 | NewScientist | 59
We are all Icarus
Stefan Hartmaier / Gustav Mesmer
The human desire to fly is a universal trait that has shaped us more than we know
The Art of Flying, an exhibition curated by Thomas Hauschild and Britta N. Heinrich, at the House of World Cultures, Berlin, Germany until 8 May Reviewed by Nora Schultz
WHAT do boomerangs, aeroplanes, Siberian shamans and techno music enthusiasts have in common? To a greater or lesser degree, they all have some connection with the human desire to fly. In The Art of Flying, ethnologists Thomas Hauschild and Britta N. Heinrich have traced the origins of this desire back to our upright stance and sense of balance. In so doing, they show how our fascination with flight has decisively influenced some of our greatest scientific, cultural and political achievements. Modern humans, so the hypothesis goes, are distinguished by two key features that predispose us to crave flight: the vestibular system of the inner ear, which
in humans evolved alongside the ability to walk; and the ability of our consciousness to draw on its sensory input to construct a bird’s-eye perspective of the body and the surrounding landscape. We start to experience sensations of flight when we are carried and playfully tossed around in the air as babies. These early experiences carry over into a universal human fascination with flight that extends across cultures and eras, as demonstrated by exhibits ranging from religious art depicting flying gods to ancient projectile tools and weapons. The exhibition also delves into how individuals as diverse as Siberian shamans, techno dancers and people who have had near-death experiences have all reported sensations of hovering or flying. Mastery of the skies is, of course, also linked to political and military power, and the exhibition shows how in many civilisations, both modern and
ancient, diverse flight-associated impulses have influenced fusions of art, politics and science that spurred technological advances. This is borne out through exhibits of Chinese fireworks and kites, displays about witchcraft, and a stage set alluding to illusions of flight created in baroque-era theatres. Historical landmarks in the development of aeroplanes, zeppelins and gliders are featured alongside an exploration of the idea that these can only be fully understood in the context of wider flight-related cultural developments of the past. The exhibition makes cautious predictions about the future of flying. Fuel shortages may be about to force changes to the technology of flight and therefore the way we are accustomed to travelling. Even so, the most comfortable plane ride of today is a far cry from the free flight that humans have dreamed of for millennia. So the long line of would-be Icaruses featured in The Art of Flying – those who have sought ways to realise their individual ideas of flight – will continue to grow, whether through novel technologies or through people inducing internal experiences with the help of bodily movement, sound or drugs.
Dirty secrets Dirt: The filthy reality of everyday life, edited by Kate Forde, Profile, £20 Reviewed by Christine Ottery
THIS splendidly edited book activated both my inner child, fascinated with all that’s revolting, and my social conscience. In it, six essayists dwell on the themes of skin parasites, shitting on slum streets, dumpsite scavenging, menstrual blood, sex, bacteria and landfill. The vicarious thrills are amplified by startling images of
female cholera victims who have turned blue from dehydration, racist soap adverts of a bygone era, and 9/11 wreckage in landfill. S-bends, sewers and refuse collection have made it easy to forget where our waste goes. Meanwhile, a child dies every 15 seconds from diarrhoea caused by drinking water contaminated with excrement. This book, which accompanies an exhibition at the Wellcome Collection, London (bit.ly/ g65sQM), is unique in having led me to tweet about sanitation and to debate the links between sexual violence and the lack of private toilets in much of the world.
Morality for all The Moral Lives of Animals by Dale Peterson, Bloomsbury, $26 Reviewed by Jonathon Keats
CATCHING a herring or mackerel, a dolphin will gleefully toss it in the air, allowing others to share in the excitement. Many will enthusiastically swim up to the catch, yet none will steal it. The fish belongs to the finder. Can the dolphins’ behaviour be considered moral? Dale Peterson believes so, and argues that moral behaviour in domains ranging from sex to violence can be found in creatures from chimpanzees to mice. Peterson’s claim that morality is “a gift of biological evolution” – rather than an act of God or a creation of Homo sapiens – is persuasive, if not especially original. His book is at its most interesting when he uses the morals of dolphins and chimps to reflect on our own ethical notions. Recognising the evolutionary roots and animal equivalents of good and evil encourages us to reassess our morals without the taint of religious and political dogma. 26 March 2011 | NewScientist | 59