Carly Waito

I am attracted to shiny things. Seductive scintillations titillate my nerves, flushing me with excitement. Reflections and refractions - I can resist neither. Why do I fall prey to a glimmer? Why do gleaming objects fondle my heart so?

“Arguments on this point are necessarily speculative, but it’s worth noting that we associate shininess, cleanliness and crisp outlines with objectively favourable attributes. In assessing a mate, a companion or a rival, we spontaneously see bright eyes and teeth, glowing skin and glossy hair as signs of health and quality. As children, we like things that stimulate our nervous systems with clear, vivid colours, contrasts and light.”

“Art may be seen as a form of play behaviour, in that it relies on elements that matter to our mental and physical development. As adults, our senses and creativity put a premium on media and themes that stimulate our innate mental systems in important ways. Shiny things present intense, characteristic stimuli, and are used in social signals and communication, even in creatures that do not see art in our terms. Such dramatic signals may be based on anatomy or physiology, such as peacock tails or the belling of a stag, or may be collected and arranged as adornments, like bowerbird displays and human medals or finery.”

Perhaps we have come to associate ‘gleaming’ with ‘new’?

Happy New Year.

Quotes sourced from New Scientist. Please visit Carly Waito’s blog for more information about her work.