Moments of Nature: Katrina Thralls

If the six different “moments of nature” are intrinsic to any exchange occurring between an embodied subject and a landscape, perhaps it is also true between other interactions of nature, such as human interactions. Take, for example, a first date. Picture the first significant boyfriend or girlfriend in your life. The background of wherever you just pictured him or her is the “ambient array.” The “’sensuous surface’ is what stands out on one’s first encounter.” Perhaps you first noticed his or her smile, eyes, the shape of the face, or the color of the hair. The “things” are things profiled on the “sensuous surface”—his or her clothes, perhaps even a tattoo. The “ground,” the extension of the sensuous surface that anchors it, might be something like their apparent physical strength. The “arc” are things you can see, but are more subtle things that may “fade from explicit presentation.” These could be the biologically appealing features that you see unconsciously, such as symmetry of the face, size of the eyes, and apparent youth. Finally the “atmosphere” is the emotional connection you feel, whether or not you “click” with the other person.