answer: The circles
are created by artists
like himself, with rope,
boards, a surveyor’s
measuring tape, and
sometimes a laser.
“Construction lines
are made and then the
crop is flattened with
boards,” he says.
The controversy
attracted photographer
Robert Ormerod to
Wiltshire. As a child,
he was obsessed
with all things sci-fi,
and now he explores
subcultures in his
work. Documenting
“croppies” seemed like
a natural progression.
Whatever your
beliefs about crop
circles, being in one
can prove a powerful
experience. “There
is a definite sense of
peace,” Ormerod says.
And there may be
something intrinsically
pleasing about circles
themselves. A study
published in Neuropsy-
chologia in 2007 found
that people prefer
curves to angles.
Klinkenbergh sold her
publishing business
and committed herself
to her new passion,
conducting reconnais-
sance flights, finding
resources for tourists,
and running an
information center in
Wiltshire. She’s “never
regretted switching
designer clothes for a
backpack and wellies.
It was, and still is, a
fascinating journey.”The circles’ overnight
appearance and
design precision have
launched a legion of
theories about their
creation. Some camps
believe they are made
by UFOs or formed
when spaceships land.
Others insist the circles
are the handiwork of
humans. Those in the
otherworldly camp
often dismiss the latter
as “hoaxers.”
No matter the origins,
the technique involves
flattening crops, which
are mostly cereals
and grains. Reports of
the circles date back
hundreds of years in
Europe, but the wave
of tourism to Wiltshire
started in the 1970s
and has taken hold.
It was during the
rise in tourism that
documentary film-
maker Chris Carter saw
photographs of crop
circles. Over 40 years,
he observed them from
afar, through photos
and media. Then in
May 2018 he finally
went to England to visit
one in person.
With three other
people, “we lowered
ourselves down while
touching our hands
together,” he says. “We
could see our hands
turn white with red
blotches, and the ends
of our fingers tingled.
When we came up
together, our hands
returned to normal.”
Having experienced
these sensations
doesn’t bring Carter
any closer to an expla-
nation. “This could
be the expression of
consciousness itself or
perhaps a communica-
tion from intelligent life
letting us know we are
not alone,” he says.
For people like Dene
Hine, there is a clear
DECEMBER 2019/JANUARY 2020