Illustration: Hargreaves. Printed textile design, 1849.
Biophilia is the concept that humans have an innate biological need for a consistent connection with nature for their physical, mental and social well-being. It is this connection, or lack of, that gives us either a harmonious balance within ourselves, or a build-up of frustrations, alienation, illness and aggressive and unbalanced behaviour. Although the connection between the human species and its natural surroundings is by no means a new discovery, tagging the phenomena with the term biophilia does allow it to become both a contemporary talking point and focus for debate and exploration.
Although biophilia and biophilic design is mostly concerned with architecture and the human environment, allowing a mixture of man-made and natural phenomena within mostly urban environments, there is a case for expanding at least the general understanding of biophilia, to include the human decorative experience, with its innate need for stimulus and expression from the natural world. The potential of nature based decoration producing a similar harmonic balance within humans, certainly when compared to the minimal aesthetics expanded from the Modernist era, is perhaps self-evident. Considering the thousands of years of near constant nature-based human decoration compared to the few decades where lack of decoration was seen more as an intellectual gesture rather than an emotional one, it is perhaps hard not to see the connection.
Illustration: Photo taken in the local environment by the author, June 2012.
Biophilia sees decoration and ornamentation as natural analogues, that is secondary stimulation, in other words a connection with nature that is removed from direct contact, a representation of the real. However, despite the fact that decoration can only represent elements of the natural world through different mediums such as textiles, ceramics, glass, wood and metal for example, the connection is much more fundamental than just one that is visually motivated. Humans have spent most of their life as a species connected to nothing but the natural world. Our urban societies are a near-contemporary phenomenon and are therefore not really connected with the many memories and deep-rooted attachments to nature that were formed over countless generations. It is this attachment that has made nature-based decoration such a fundamental core value in human decorative arts.
The urban experience is often blamed for the uncoupling of humanity from its attachment to the natural environment, eventually resulting in indifference, neglect, even alienation of the environment outside of the city landscape, and certainly affecting our responsibilities towards a harmonious natural environment. City life in many respects can appear artificial and divorced from the world around it and certainly in a number of cases from the planet itself. Biophilia means to reconnect urban humanity with its long-time partner, nature. However, I wonder whether the link has ever been truly broken in all human concepts. Physically and practically, many of our urban environments contain much more concrete than plant life and creating an environmental harmony between the two may take some time or never really be achieved satisfactorily.
Illustration: Example of crewel embroidery work, 19th century.
Although many may not have the luxury or opportunity to experience nature as an enveloping partner in life, many still have emotional and spiritual connections with the natural world. That these are often manifested through decoration found on personal possessions such as jewellery, clothing and skin, personal or communal spaces, online personas and many other forms of personal and public contemporary life, shows how important the connection with nature still is for many. The old and faithful relationship between human and their natural environment is still jealously guarded by many and is manifested in a number of small ways whether that be physically through a flowering plant or compact herb garden, or imaginatively through the idealism of a perfect retreat which is very often set into or surrounded by a natural landscape.
By reinforcing our love of nature through the use of decoration and pattern within all of the mediums at the disposal of the artist, designer or maker, whether through industry or craft, allows us to constantly reaffirm our connection with the natural world. Many may find themselves living in a largely man-made environment, but flora and fauna decoration, whether through big flowers on a pair of curtains, leaves on a wallpaper, birds on a bed cover, unconsciously and consciously connect us with the life of our ancestors and the natural and real environment of the planet.
Illustration: Ceramic mural from the Mosque of Ibrahim Agha.
Artists, designers and makers will never tire of reinterpreting nature through fine art, pattern and craft. It is this continual and constant use of nature as first hand inspirational source material that keeps many in the creative community permanently in a state of wonder at the many manifestations of the natural world.
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