Bonding
There
are clearly immense advantages
for
creatures to be able to instantly recognise
which
creatures are bonded, and will defend one another,
and
to be able to communicate the wish to be bonded with others
to
achieve common aims. Again we are looking for the simple visual cues
that
communicate this state or wish. One clue comes from proximity
combined
with tranquillity, another from linked or embracing
limbs,
another
from shared looks and smiles, either at one another
or
both at the same thing near, or in the distance
and
– a very sensitive indicator of the emotions involved,
whether
the bodies lean in towards the top, and maybe even nuzzle or kiss.
In
Art Wolfe’s masterpiece below,
the
character on the right is, well, solid as a rock,
Art
Wolfe - the star is a final touch of genius.
Prints,
unless marked otherwise, from King & McGaw
while
the one on the left, leaning in for all she is worth,
clearly
deeply in love, and striving for his affection.
Same
with dad and his son, brother and sister,
and
all the rabbits.
But
what
are
we to make of this charming seaside couple?
Is
it shyness? Making up after a tiff? Did she say ‘mind my hat?’
Or
is it just a case of model rebellion? He is striving, but she is certainly not
snuggling up, is she?
The
arm and proximity says one thing, the postures reveal
the
opposite!
We
should be getting used to this now…
the cues must be very simple and basic, because not only people, but two rabbits,
even
two rocks, two flowers or two beans can trigger the feelings of
togetherness,
or strain in a relationship.
Bonding
is about creating allies for a quest,
or
quests in general. It is about providing treasures
for
the desired partner, sharing pleasures together, giving
consolation,
giving protection, expressing the idea ‘we two are really one’.
And
it is especially intriguing when ambiguous –
when
the clues point in opposite directions:
Bonding
is a special case of Helping, noted below, where the main
treasure being sought is the other partner.
And it is
something
which turns on another feeling in
those watching – one of strong approval,
and delight. It warms the heart.
It’s
as if the love being demonstrated spilled
over
onto the viewer.
Arrivals and Departures
And
while we are talking about Bonding, we need to
consider
the poignant emotions which arise
when
we detect Departures, or
Arrivals:
Recursion
Bonding
may be the main story of a Quest.
Or
it may be a means to an end – one quest (for a partner)
nested
within a wider quest – for food, for survival, for treasure.
We
have met recursion above, in the section on Secrets, where a new secret
is
introduced to delay resolution of the first enigma or secret. But this ability
to
nest tasks inside one another is a key part of what it means to be
human. Only when we can do this can we make
sophisticated
tools, only than can we create art. It is
what divided
Homo
sapiens from our Neanderthal cousins.
