Six elements make up 99% of the human body’s mass: Oxygen, Hydrogen, Carbon, Nitrogen, Calcium, Phosphorus. And just four of those elements account for 97% of you. But that’s not all. These 6 elements are also the major atoms of ALL life. Hmmm…Well, if it’s not composition that accounts for such a complex and tightly orchestrated body, what makes us so unique??
Each of these 6 atoms comes with a set of natural laws that govern how they can combine with each other. Once atoms bond, each differing molecule will have it’s own emergent property – new natural laws for how each molecule will interact and how they can join to other molecules. Made of molecules, each organelle has it’s own emergent property influencing it’s shape and function within the cell. Cells –> tissue –> organs –> bodies –> communities –> ecosystems… each emergent property defining new boundaries and possibilities.
Historically, Islamic artists’ interpretation of figurative art as idolatry has redirected artistic focus toward distilling essential forms of the natural world into pattern and visual rhythm–often based on 6- or 8-fold symmetries.
Interesting… especially since two of the biggest atomic players within our bodies are carbon and oxygen, with 6 and 8 electrons, respectively. More, these electrons define exactly how these atoms crystallize into our molecules of life: myofibriles, tiny packages of muscle, are made up of a central hexagonal strand of myosin, surrounded by 6 actin filaments. Sliding along one another like a trillion tug of war matches, we are able to move.
Just one melody in the symphony of life.
Oil on Canvas, 2015
