What does “Biophilia” mean?

Biophilia for us means the tendency and desire to connect with nature. There are a mixture of credits often given to who coined this term, with some citing Erich Fromm who described biophilia as “the passionate love of life and of all this is alive” and others crediting biologist E. O Wilson. Most likely, these ideas have existed both within and outside of western psychology for quite some time.

What is this project?

Biophilia Chicago is an ongoing project that builds on this love of nature by creating work and hosting events that aims to revitalize human connections with the outdoors in light of the growing threats of climate change and other anthropogenic stressors. The project started as a collaboration between Alan Perry, an artist, and Rossy Natale, a biologist. It originally manifested in a video project and art exhibition.

Image courtesy of Arts, Science and Culture Initiative.

Both the original project and the continuing work are inspired by synthesizing the practices of both the artist, Alan, and the biologist, Rossy. Three dimensional models of shorebird skulls, some of which can be seen below in the graphic created by Rui Sha, are essential to Rossy’s research and were used as a source of inspiration for this project. These skulls, as well as other parts of the skeleton, can be informative of the ecology of any given bird and were viewed through the new media lens of Alan’s work to help convey the importance of birds and their precarious position in the world.

Hover over illustration below to view 3D model.

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Marbled Godwit

Large shorebird that will wade along the beach and into the water, using its long beak to probe down into sand or mud in search of food underneath.

Ring-billed Gull

Common type of ‘seagull’ seen often in urban settings. Will eat almost anything from picking human trash from beachfront to diving for fish in lakes.

Lesser Yellowlegs

Medium sized shorebird with yellow legs. Similar to marbled godwits, these will wade into the water or roam mudflats in search of buried prey which they unearth with their long beaks.

American Avocet

Graceful, long-legged shorebirds. This is done via a ‘scything’ motion where the elongated bill is moved back and forth in water to eat small insets or plant material in water.

Killdeer

Closely related to the American golden plover, but much more common, especially in urban settings. Seen in parks or any other types of fields or gravely areas, tending to avoid very wet places like beaches.

Caspian Tern

Similar size and appearance to seagulls. Also live near water where they eat fish which they catch by diving into the water with their streamlined beaks.

Sanderling

Closely related to lesser yellowlegs and marbled godwit. Can be seen along beaches or near other wet environments where they poke their beaks down into wet mud or sand to pull out buried prey.

American Golden Plover

Medium sized bird that moves around on mudflats or pastures, pecking at the ground to grab small insects.