Eugene artist John Flinn was 10 years old the first time he saw waves of white light cascading across the sky of his home in Ann Arbor, Mich. Many
years later, his photographs of the lights of the aurora borealis are on display at the University’s Museum of Natural and Cultural History.
The exhibit of Flinn’s work, which runs through Feb. 25, show skies on fire with the glow of the Northern Lights. He showed some of his photos during two slide show presentations at the museum on Friday night and spoke of his lifelong fascination with the aurora borealis.
The tiny room, with seating for about 30 people, overflowed into the hallway during both presentations and audience members of all ages “oohed” and “aahed” at photos of the Alaska and Oregon skies glowing with shades of green, red and white. One photograph of the lights through a cloud cover looked like the inside of an abalone shell.
Flinn, who describes the lights as “an intelligent dance,” said the lights are often an example of “subliminal beauty” in nature – they can be just a shimmer in the sky that can’t be seen unless one knows where to look. He said people should stop to look at the things they can’t always see.
Flinn also discussed his technique of trying to capture the lights with certain celestial bodies in the background – many of his photographs depict the constellations of Perseus and Orion. He prefers to photograph when these stars are out because of their symbolism to ancient civilizations, such as the Mayans, who called a group of three stars including one in Orion’s belt the “flame of creation.” He said the constellation Perseus is shaped very much like the Chinese character for fire.
Flinn said the magical thing about the Northern Lights is the way the experience of seeing them unites people. He said whenever he finds out that someone is from a northern area and asks them about the aurora borealis, their eyes light up as they talk about it.
“It’s magic. It’s very appropriate for these times because it’s nice to see light growing from the darkness,” Flinn said. “The lights make people feel like all one family of man.”
Denis McCarthy, a volunteer tour guide at the museum, said he came to the presentation because he has had “a lifelong affair with the Northern Lights.”
Growing up in Duluth, Minn., McCarthy saw the lights all the time. He said he spent eight days one winter on a boat off the northern coast of Norway in total darkness and could see the lights in the distance the entire time.
Marilyn LeRoux showed Flinn a painting she made based on a photograph of the lights. The painting, with it’s swirls of brilliant green against the dark sky, won 3rd place at the Scandinavian Festival, she said.
Flinn said there is something almost alive about the lights.
“It’s a beautiful cosmic dance. There’s something about it that has consciousness. It seems like the entire sky is choreographed,” he said.
Anne Craig, the museum’s education volunteer coordinator, said the museum has been selling Flinn’s photos in the gift shop for years, but that the decision to host an exhibit was made after he did a slide show presentation at a recent winter solstice program. She said the exhibit “sucks in” young children and other people who aren’t normally interested in science.
“We’ve had a lot of phone calls today,” she said, “People really respond to what (Flinn) says about art.”