Avian Semiotics (translated: Seagull Script)
Researchers have long been fascinated by the complex visual expressions created by Larus argentatus, the European herring gull that dominates our coastlines. These organic formations, popularly referred to as Avian Petroglyphs, emerge when gulls “paint” on dark rock surfaces using their droppings.
The most prominent theories suggest that these image structures represent powerful memories and emotional impressions: places of birth, lost partners, threatening predators, as well as phenomena from the depths of the sea and the sky above.
Some motifs appear to recur across different flocks, suggesting the existence of a shared visual world. Others are more fragmented and difficult to interpret — perhaps traces of traumatic events, such as storms in which many gulls perished.
It remains unclear whether these expressions constitute deliberate communication, ritual markings, or unconscious aesthetic acts. What is clear, however, is that the gulls’ visual language opens up entirely new interpretations of how animals shape and share their cultural identity.
Currently on view at Norrtälje Art Hall.
