Ornament & Manners

 One function of ornamentation, especially compelling, is its role in ‘making special’.

 A ring for a beloved’s finger, a ground of gold on medieval altarpieces, the neoclassical façade of the White House, giftwrapping, & graphic design all trade in the making of special.

 By analogy, manners function as social ornaments. Bowing, handshakes, parties, and ceremonies are relational forms used to denote specialness. It’s this that makes manners a powerful form in the construction of relationships, whether personal, community, or between nations. It is through these forms that the complicated panoply of humanness comes into relation.  These social ornaments can express desire & appreciate, but, more importantly, they produce a space for the negotiation of disruptive & discordant differences.

 Ornamental Objects are available as markers of both human relations and relational environments. That is as gifts to give, receive, and live with.  

 In this sense, my content is your pleasure.