SOUP

Article title: Art Colum
Preferred pseudonym: Leaf

I had a dream once that the SOUP staff had been abducted by aliens. Or at least, I think it was just a dream. SOUP has been awfully quiet for a few months, so I'm not quite sure...

If that's the case, it's good to be back on Earth. Don't get me wrong, I kinda enjoyed the abduction. I could finally understand what Professor Arronax felt whilst on board the <i>Nautilus</i>. The aliens on the craft had a large selection of art from Earth, and I perused these at my pleasure. Unfortunately, I only remember a few of them.

<img src="http://www.bibliotecapleyades.net/ufoart/UFOArtwork_com%20-%20Matthew%20Hurleyx21_archivos/slideshow_archivos/tap.jpg">

This is <i>Summer's Triumph,</i> a tapestry made in 1538 in Belgium. In the sky there are depicted objects that look somewhat like unidentified flying objects. When I first saw the tapestry in the craft (it was not in any protective case, just out in the open), I was so excited I reached out to touch it. That is something you should <i>never</i> do in an art exhibition, museum, etc., especially with old artwork. A cold hand grabbed my arm just in time to stop me.

"But this isn't the original, is it?" I asked my host, trying not to shudder at its touch. The last time I checked, the tapestry was residing at the Bayerisches National Museum.

It made a movement almost like a shrug and let go of me. "You humans have overanalysed this piece," it said, changing the topic. "The clouds are lovely, but I do not see the reason to place so much emphasis on them."

Come to think of it, the UFOs -- or whatever they are -- do look a bit like clouds.

<img src="http://i60.tinypic.com/1zwp26o.jpg">

This is part of <i>The Madonna with Saint Giovannino,</i> Domenico Ghirlandaio's 15th century painting. In the sky there is, once again, a UFO-shaped object. My host told me it was a meteor.

Then it led me to a device that I'd never seen before (which I guess isn't unusual when you board an alien craft). It encouraged me to press a button, and I did. The device started emitting weird sounds.

<a href="http://www.nasa.gov/wav/123163main_cas-skr1-112203.wav">Go here to listen to them.</a>

"To you, these are radio emissions from Saturn recorded by one of Earth's space agencies," my host said. "To us, it's music."

If there's one thing I'll remember from the abduction, be it a dream or reality, is that it left me with a really profound question I have spent ages thinking about. What is art like to other species, both terrestrial and extra-terrestrial?

-Leaf