Did you know that in a murmuration each starling is aware of seven others around it? And each of those is aware of another seven and another seven and another seven? And so on and so on until the whole flock is connected and every movement, every change of direction or speed, could be said to come from one bird but also from none.
Did you know that in physics this phenomenon is called a critical transition? A radical change that happens at a tipping point when a threshold is passed. A physical reaction between bodies, like snowflakes in an avalanche, or water molecules turning into steam. One bird's body changes and is changed by the action of the whole flock.
Did you know that the word ‘mumuration’ means “the act or instance of murmuring”, which in turn means a low, continuous, and indistinct sound. The murmur of a crowd, the murmur of the wind through the trees, the constant beating of many birds' wings. A murmur is something that can’t easily be understood.
Did you know that seven is a recurring number both in nature and culture? There are seven layers of skin, seven orifices in a mammalian head, and human cognitive capacity sits in the range of seven, plus or minus two, which means that most people’s short term memory can store about seven things at a time. There are seven colours in a rainbow, seven notes on a musical scale, seven wonders of the world, seven heavenly virtues, and seven deadly sins.
Did you know that Seven of Nine in Star Trek: Voyager follows a tradition of characters who can provide a third person view of the human condition? Like Spock in the Original Series, or Data in the Next Generation. Seven of Nine was created to explore the positive and negative aspects of human individuality, of bodies being connected, and bodies being isolated.
Did you know that critical transitions can occur in all kinds of systems, not just those that exist in nature? They are, in effect, moments of crisis that force an action that results in a regime change. Recovering from such a change requires more than just returning to the same conditions at which it occurred.
Did you know that in the 1930’s there was a theory that murmurations happened through thought transference and that starlings used psychic powers to avoid colliding with each other in the air? Not a rigorous scientific theory perhaps, but what is a critical transition if not an instinctive response to an instruction that is sensed rather than spoken? One bird’s body reacting to and leading another bird’s body, without the need for command or direction. Perhaps seven is the point where individual effort and collective action sits in perfect balance.
Siân Williams 2021