"There is special providence in the fall of a sparrow." - William Shakespeare
From the final act of Hamlet. The entire quote reads:
"Not a whit, we defy augury. There’s a special providence in the fall of a sparrow. If it be now, ’tis not to come; if it be not to come, it will be now; if it be not now, yet it will come. The readiness is all."
Augury was the ancient Roman practice of divination through birds (the root of words like "auspicious" and "inauguration"). To illustrate the concept of an invisible design as visualized through birds, we chose a "murmuration," a flock of tens of thousands or more birds. Although each individual bird is simply reacting to the birds immediately around it, the murmuration as a whole becomes an organic, undulating chaotic structure, a living system with its own emergent will.
Even the smallest sacrifices are part of a grander design that we cannot fathom with our limited perception. Perhaps the "will of the Gods” that our ancestors were trying to divine was simply an emergent structure we might call a murmuration of humans.
SPECIAL OFFER
Any 3 prints for $48 (regularly $72)
Code: 3PRINTS
See all prints here
Obvious State is a creative studio and publisher founded by Nichole and Evan Robertson in 2011.
We make bold, illustrated editions and fine art drawn from the classics.
Our books and prints are available in our shop and in bookstores and boutiques nationwide.
Our work has been featured at The Folger Shakespeare Library, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The American Writers Museum, The Emily Dickinson Museum, The Library of Congress, The Getty Museum, The Museum of Contemporary Art and more.
Pair large text with an image to give focus to your chosen product, collection, or blog post. Add details on availability, style, or even provide a review.
Provocative visuals paired with punctuated language, full of surprising visual metaphors, subtext, and insider nudges that reveal themselves slowly.
Our pocket editions are portable art objects made to collect, share, and inspire moments of quiet reflection in an overstimulated digital world.
We’re drawn to language that has stood the test of time, insights that strike a chord, poetry that stretches the imagination, and philosophy that prompts critical thinking.
