A Friend's Exhibition

Had to take a trip into Inverness for various reasons, so we took the opportunity to check out Treshnish's exhibition at Xoko.


A Day in the Life

Midday - The Dance of Purpose
The sun was reaching its zenith, and the random movements of individual mayflies began to commingle into something more deliberate. What had been scattered flights of exploration were transforming into an aerial ballet – a murmuration of mayflies. We males rose in unison, dozens of feet into the air above the water. Then there was a downward drift, only to rise once more. Up and down, up and down, thousands of us moving as a single organism. It was not a conscious decision to join the swarm, my wings beating in harmony with those around me. The dance was both within and without me. This was the expression of the ancient rhythms which connected me to every mayfly that had ever lived. An hypnotic undulation. A curious timelessness. Though my existence would be a mere few hours, in the dance I seemed to experience eternity.

Once more a vibration, a male beside me ‘The females are emerging’ his eyes fixed on the water below. Looking down I could see new forms breaking the surface. These were slightly larger than us males, with smaller eyes and larger, more transparent, wings. They rose into the air slowly, deliberately, their bodies heavy with eggs. This sight aroused something primal in me, an urgency, almost electric, making my already rapid wingbeats even faster. I noticed how the pattern of the swarm changed instantaneously. The vertical oscillations suddenly became far more pronounced. Now each male was clamouring to achieve the highest position of the ascent. Height became a status symbol. Height became the evaluation of strength and genetic fitness. My wings pumped harder, every cell of my being now focused upon climbing those extra few inches above those males around me.

Chaos erupted as a female entered the column of dancing males. Myself and dozens of others changed direction towards her, drawn by invisible signals far more compelling than any physical force. Darting, weaving, I manoeuvred through the thickening cloud of desperate males. My thoughts were that the competition was futile. Too many males. Too little chance. Suddenly she was before me. Our eyes met in that strange many faceted way of compound vision. Time had compressed into a single moment of connection. Our coupling was brief, lasting no more than a couple of seconds. Yet in that time I had fulfilled the biological compulsion that had necessitated the two years of underwater growth and metamorphosis. As we separated I watched her descent towards the river. Carrying the future of our species. She would lay her eggs there. Her need to complete the cycle before her wings failed her. I, also, had played my part in the ancient narrative. I had delivered the genetic material with which I had been entrusted.
Yet more vibrations ‘Strange isn’t it?, another male alongside me, ‘All of our existence for that single moment.’. I vibrated ‘Was it worth it?’, not disappointed, merely genuine curiosity. He seemed to consider this as we observed the continuing dance below us, ‘If a moment contains everything is it not equal to an eternity?’. I was somewhat surprised by the philosophical depth of his response. Perhaps there was no requisite of time needed for wisdom, only experience and the capacity to reflect upon it. It made me question if longer lived creatures could achieve such clarity of thought, or whether their relative abundance of time obscured the essential truths that our brief live laid bare. The dance continued unabated below. Those males who had mated drifting away, their purpose fulfilled. Others continued to compete, driven by their biological imperative. As I watched the continuing spectacle from above I was overwhelmed by a curious sense of detachment which seemed also to carry a profound degree of connection.

The sun began its slow descent from its peak height. This brought a new awareness. I had already lived half my adult life. There was no sorrow. There was a very deepened appreciation for what moments remained. Now my wings beat less strongly than they had at dawn. The subtle signs that my body was now in decline. Rather than fear the change I chose to embrace the perfect design of my existence. I had accomplished the reason for my brief existence. Whatever came next was a bonus. A chance to discover the world beyond biological necessity. Holding this thought I turned away from the mating swarm and flew towards the unknown, wondering what discoveries were to be made in my few remaining hours.


Authors Note
For those who are really interested (shameless self promotion) you can find more here.