November 20 2007

Text By Greg Fallis

There are aspects of human nature that must give even the most cynical amongst us a reason for hope. One of those aspects is humankind's strange desire to ornament the world around us. There is no utilitarian purpose served by the graceful curves that decorate the railing of that stairway. They exist for one reason: they're pretty.

It's not an instinct limited to humans, of course. The burrowing owl often decorates its nest, as does the three-spined stickleback fish. Even some species of desert spiders have been known to add ornamentation to their burrows. But no other creature under the sun or moon embellishes its environment with the passion of the ordinary human, or for such a multitude of reasons. Whether we act on it or not, most of us feel the urge to bedizen our surroundings, from the most urbane and sophisticated city dweller to the tackiest suburbanite to the most isolated hermit in his hut.

Why should the desire to add decorative ironwork to an exterior staircase give us hope? Because the desire itself is universal. Because the very act of decorating humanizes us. Because at its heart, the impulse to decorate is whimsical and whimsy does not sit easily with cruelty or wickedness. Because decoration is a sign of belonging, and belonging gives comfort. Because it's pretty.