Folds in Fabric

[Taosaur]

Isn't there something oddly compelling about the way fabric stretches and folds? Obviously with clothing there's a sexual component, but even the billows in a curtain or the folds of a carelessly heaped blanket can entrance us. It's a common subject for artists, and often considered a greater challenge than the human form or landscapes. The thing about it, though, is that while it seems to hit us at a very basic level, it's not primal. There's nothing in our evolutionary environment or our animal natures that really should respond to fabric, if you think about it. It's a little like hair and a little like water (like an undulating pond or river), maybe. For me, though, there's a very fundamental satisfaction and almost a kind of drama or meaning in the way light strikes folds in fabric. I suppose it's a bit like getting caught up staring at the clouds, so maybe it just meets this minimum threshold of complexity to engage our pattern-seeking natures.

[cmind]

Please don't post next time you get high, kthx.

[Taosaur]

I will keep that in mind if, at any point in the future, I get high. So do you feel that people in general do not have an unusually strong beauty/fascination response to fabric?

[Darkmatters]

Maybe it's the rhythmic quality of folds of fabric that we respond to so strongly. Like staring into a fire or at waves.

[Xei]

You should see the curtains in my student accommodation. You would quickly change your mind. Seriously, I think they're running some kind of fucking experiment on me.

[♥Mark]

Personally, I find them almost completely uninteresting.

[snoop]

I think it's appropriate to ask those who don't find interest if you find beauty in nature or if it's also uninteresting. Obviously they aren't directly related, but if you don't have a propensity for viewing natural splendors then it's probably safe to say you would be uninterested in the folds of fabirc as well.

[cmind]

I think it's appropriate to ask those who don't find interest if you find beauty in nature or if it's also uninteresting. Obviously they aren't directly related, but if you don't have a propensity for viewing natural splendors then it's probably safe to say you would be uninterested in the folds of fabirc as well. I find nature very beautiful, yet I find fabric quite dull. Have I demolished your worldview?

[snoop]

Not at all, I didn't say it was a requirement--merely that it was more likely that you would if you did. I know plenty of people that find no interest in anything other than what goes on in their daily lives, and I was saying in a rather roundabout way that if you're one of those people, you need not post. There's no mystery in my thinking; that is to say, if you can't even enjoy the beauty of the world, you likely would not find interest in the folds of cloth.

[Taosaur]

Personally, I find them almost completely uninteresting. Well, I could say the same if I look at the time I spend fascinated by light on fabric as a fraction of the total time I spend visually exposed to fabric. Periodically though, it produces quite a striking effect. Maybe I'm more conscious of it from having once been an avid sketcher, and certainly the difficulty of drawing fabric well was a frequent art class conversation.

[Dannon Oneironaut]

Hmmm. Along the same lines I have thought how certain cars are very aesthetically pleasing. But why? Nothing in our genes should make us admire a jaguar or a classic car. But somehow, some shapes and colors of cars are very pleasing.

[tommo]

the difficulty of drawing fabric well was a frequent art class conversation. Please don't post next time you get high, kthx. Well, yes this is kind of interesting. I would say darkmatters' post is pretty close to being the reason. Simply, humans love patterns. Although I don't know why. I've often come out of a daydream and seen, vividly, some remnant of the day dream in the folds of a curtain or blanket. As if those simple patterns sparked a long, deep journey in to a fantasy of my mind.

[cmind]

Not at all, I didn't say it was a requirement--merely that it was more likely that you would if you did. I know plenty of people that find no interest in anything other than what goes on in their daily lives, and I was saying in a rather roundabout way that if you're one of those people, you need not post. There's no mystery in my thinking; that is to say, if you can't even enjoy the beauty of the world, you likely would not find interest in the folds of cloth. But I do enjoy the beauty of the world. I don't find beauty in folds of cloth.

[Darkmatters]

^^Obviously a classic case of fabriphobia.

[Original Poster]

I dont really care for fabric either, unless its draped across a beautiful woman. I like the texture of wood and tree bark though. I also find bodies of water to be very beautiful.

[Arra]

It depends. Some kinds of fabric are entrancing to me, but not most. What comes to mind is those giant 'parachute' cloths that my school would get when I was little. It was just this huge circular rainbow parachute that everyone would go around the perimeter of, grab a part of the edge, and play games with. One just involved shaking it and watching the fabric undulate. Something about that was nice to look at, and might be similar to what you're describing. I'll get it with some materials, but not others. Thin, silky materials.

[snoop]

But I do enjoy the beauty of the world. I don't find beauty in folds of cloth. Feeling insecure? I was making no assertions about you whatsoever. I figured my statement was pretty elementary and at first I somewhat regretted posting it (for that reason), but I saw the posts saying "uninteresting" with no explanation and decided to leave it. I'm happy that you enjoy the beauty of the world cmind, it's a gift... or rather an aptitude I'm thankful for and one I am pleased to see in other people. (Almost) everyone has it really, just most people that I've known throughout my life have to be dragged into a situation in which they are exposed to not only nature itself but the concept and realization of its magnificence. I've no doubt of what you say, a lot of people in extended discussion seem a lot more aware and appreciative of the universe/world/nature.