Reports of crop circles — geometric patterns made by flattening crops — date back centuries, but have been much more frequent in Britain since the 1970s, particularly in Wiltshire near the monuments of Avebury and Stonehenge. They appear overnight and their makers rarely come forward, perhaps from fear of arrest, perhaps to maintain mystery. This has led to theories and beliefs being developed: that they are messages from aliens, marks from UFO landings, or created by “ball lightning” or whirling columns of electrically charged air. The photographer Robert Ormerod set about capturing the circles and those who visit them after becoming fascinated by the way people can project big theories onto something that is simply unproven. Those few people who have confessed to making the circles with planks of wood and string are dismissed as “hoaxers” by those who believe the real causes are otherworldly. Either way, thousands visit each summer. Some conduct rituals, others simply bring their kids to play. For many, crop circles are something of a religion.
