Re: [-empyre-] form constants

[Soo Kwok Heng <kwoksooheng@mac.com>]

Sorry I'm new here... So I'm late to this discussion.

I remember reading this book called "The Mind in the Cave: The Origins 
of Art", which mentioned something about those form constants things..

I don't have the book with me, since I borrowed it from the school 
library. But what the author, David Lewis Williams (if I remember his 
name correctly), did was to pull together archaeological research on 
cave paintings with their inherent squiggles (like the form constants), 
 with research on eye physiology. He also did mention research from 
anthropology with regards to what some tribes would consume to induce 
the trance state that the witch doctors did their rituals in. And how 
all of it links together.

I'm sorry I can't recall more than that. But the book's highly 
recommended. A very exciting read.


kwokheng

On 17 Dec 2004, at 11:18 am, steve guynup wrote:

> I'd assumed these forms are types of mental patterns
> (methods of visually organzing/linking data)
>
> I suppose the eye phys must play a role but..
>
> Although its been a while, my "user" experience was
> more that my mind was doing the work. Other data,
> theories, sounds, words and objects all grooved into
> nice spirally, tunnelinsquishtic, latticetial,
> cobwebanitted patterns.
>
> sigh...
>
> steve
>
>
> > > they are termed "form constants".
> > >
> > > The four basic geometric forms:
> > > - tunnel
> > > - spiral
> > > - cobweb
> > > - lattice (grid)
> >
> > Very interesting. Does s/he offer any explanation of
> > why these are 'form
> > constants'? I would expect that the physiology of
> > the eye would be important
> > here (as well as the mind).
>
>
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