Disorder and Order
Everyone has heard of ‘Chaos Theory’. There was even a film based on the idea - ‘The Butterfly Effect’. However, the use of the word ‘chaos’ is a bit misleading. The world we live in is, in a sense, already chaotic due to the number of variables at play. The combinations are almost infinite. But fundamentally, our world is constructed at a microscopic level, of elements that combine in certain ways due to their chemistry. It is true that occasionally in nature something happens to alter this and ‘evolution’ occurs. But basically, at the heart of the idea of ‘chaos’, is a profound sense of ‘order’. This is clearly seen in fractal art where the geometrical patterns can be seen replicating at random, effectively creating disorder. We also see it when we look in the mirror – 9 billion faces on our small planet that are all the same, yet are all different. We can see it in the wings of a dragonfly.
Complicated computer programmes generating fractals are not needed to experience the results of chaos in the natural word. They are everywhere – clouds are a familiar example – and snowflakes too. But you don’t need to look up! Just walk along any hedgerow in late spring or summer. The riot of grasses, herbs, wildflowers, umbellifers, shrubs and bushes represent a kaleidoscope of chaotic interactions – all controlled by the way the plants themselves grow at a molecular level.
As a plant photographer I’m drawn to locations where these interactions create moments of sublime beauty. And they are just that – ‘moments’. Photography is about ‘being there’ and this truism applies to photographing plants. There are many other variables at play too, not just the plants inherent structural design which we recognise. Wind blows; sun shines; rain falls; flowers can come and go in a day; biodiversity lives there (plants are not there just for us after all!); animals and birds move things; people come and pick the plants.
Eryngiums towards the end of their lives with crocosmia pushing through - autumnal colours
Over the years I have tried to capture plant chaos with my camera and I thought I would share some images. The idea behind these photos is that they do not look ‘at’ the plants, but rather they look ‘into’ the world of plants. It is only by looking into the picture that we really see the true beauty of nature itself and we see that underpinning all that chaos is ‘order’!
Chaotic gaura with stiffly structured Echinacea creates perfect confusion in the border
The photos in this blog were taken at various locations around the UK – well-known gardens, as well as flower-shows. The benefit of these locations is that garden designers have a chance to really let their ideas flow. Great drifts of plants and therefore colours, often combine in a slightly surreal way. And here and there they come together in collisions of height, colour and structure – the greater the confusion, the happier I am.
In the photo above, achilleas are the star with their slightly alien architectural structure that I particularly like. There are 3 in SeeHow! Grasses, lilies, multiple colours, different shapes of foliage – even the twigs placed to give the plants support – all contribute to the rich intensity of the scene.
I’m a big fan of Californian poppies. They respond to the sun, opening and closing during the day like a camera shutter and they are tough as old boots, growing in the driest and least-likely locations. The above photo was taken in a dry garden to the east side of the UK. Verbena forms the taller upper storey of planting with poppies and Lychnis forming lower clumps.
I was charmed by the anthropomorphic shapes of the Lysimachia in the above photo … like young hungry birds eagerly awaiting the return of their parents with food. Blue corn flowers provide pops of colour that catch the eye
A sea of tall Anemones – some flowers open, some already past and many new buds still to come. White Veronica provides a contrast of colour and structure. The photo reveals the essence of the plants – the characteristics we recognise - such as the way the stems branch or the shapes of the leaf edges. Chaos means that although these elements may be different, they will always be recognisably similar. This means that animals, birds and insects can recognise the plants too.
Sweet Peas – a favourite for many people. Their variation in form and colour, twisting twining stems, combinations of tendrils and flowers and pods, all create a bit of a visual riot, but is it not beautiful?
The above Text and all Photographs are copyright of Wincenty (Wicek) Sosna. Please contact SeeHow for permission to reproduce in any way, in part or as the complete text.