Humans, Nature, and Birds: Science Art from Cave Walls to Computer Screens

A sweeping look at 30,000 years of art depicting birds—from Paleolithic images to those of the Information Age—viewed through a science lens

This book invites readers to enter a two-floor virtual “gallery” where 60-plus images of birds reflecting the accomplishments of human pictorial history are on display. These are works in a genre the authors term Science Art—that is, art that says something about the natural world and how it works. Darryl Wheye and Donald Kennedy show how these works of art can advance our understanding of the ways nature has been perceived over time, its current vulnerability, and our responsibility to preserve its wealth.

Each room in the gallery is dedicated to a single topic. The rooms on the first floor show birds as icons, birds as resources, birds as teaching tools, and more. On the second floor, the images and their captions clarify what Science Art is and how the intertwining of art and science can change the way we look at each. The authors also provide a timeline linking scientific innovations with the production of images of birds, and they offer a checklist of steps to promote the creation and accessibility of Science Art. Readers who tour this unique and fascinating gallery will never look at art depicting nature in the same way again.

Published with assistance from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation's Public Understanding of Science and Technology Program.

Darryl Wheye is a freelance artist and writer specializing primarily in birds and Science Art. She lives in Woodside, CA. Donald Kennedy is editor in chief of the journal Science. He is president emeritus and Bing Professor of Environmental Science emeritus, Stanford University. He lives in Palo Alto, CA.