The Biophilia Hypothesis

Biologist and writer E.O Wilson introduced the Biophilia hypothesis in his book Biophilia, published in 1984. Biophilia literary means "love of living systems." Wilson says that Biophilia can be described as "the connections that human beings subconsciously seek with the rest of life." Humans have a deep connection with nature that goes beyond cultural influence, Wilson suggests this connection is intrinsic to our biological make-up.

Why are humans are so drawn to the natural world? What does this relationship mean to us and to nature in general?

David Attenborough's success is one marker of how nature enthrals us. Channel 4 recently broadcast a documentary called When Bjork met Attenborough, which looks into the relationship between humans, technology, nature and music. Bjork's album Biophilia explores these ideas both musically and also technologically via various interactive apps. Bjork, like most artists, is heavily influenced by her surroundings, both man-made and natural. 

The Old Print Room is located in Dorset, one of the most bio-diverse counties in the UK, and being situated here we can't help but be influenced by nature. We thought it fitting to launch this new gallery with a show that gets to the heart of what we're about: a fascination with our surroundings, questioning ourselves and our relationship to our environment, pushing at boundaries and exploring new ways of looking at an ancient world.

We are inviting visual artists to respond to the theme of Biophilia. Please view our previous post for details about how to take part. http://theoldprintroom.blogspot.co.uk/2013/08/biophilia.html