A Language of Shapes

Did you see the movie Arrival? Behind the theme of aliens and sci-fi, where Heptapods communicate with strange and mesmerizing circular glyphs that resemble coffee stains, there is an important truth about language.

(You might wonder how this is even remotely related to clothes, but bear with me…)

According to Greg Braden, a pioneer in bridging science, spirituality and human potential, Arrival is among the hugely popular movies (like The Matrix and Avatar) where we are reminded of a pivotal part of our reality.

The words we use to communicate are more than simply words.

What Arrival tells us is that the language we use affects the way we think, and even how we experience the world around us.

Most modern languages developed out of ideas of separation. You vs me. Good vs bad. Winners vs losers. A language that can result in a mindset that leads to conflict and war.

A language based on connection on the other hand (like that of the Hopi) creates a very different experience and thinking, which leads to unity, community and cooperation.

Change our language which changes the way we think and thus how we see and relate to the world.

Geometric shapes are also a language. Since designing visual patterns has been one of my jobs as a textile designer, I’ve had a close relationship with shapes and geometry. As I began my journey of searching for a deeper meaning behind clothes, I became fascinated with different shapes. They led me onto a path of experimentation with visual patterns made from basic geometric shapes and how they affect us.

The language of geometry is found in all known cultures. Sacred Geometry has been used for millennia as an introduction to the metaphysical, where the different basic shapes were seen as a reflection of reality and the manifestation of different states of mind.

Shapes are behind everything, from the structure of a minute molecule to endless galaxies and cosmic movements, and the seasons of nature.

You might even say that the basic shapes tell the story of a divine plan behind creation. They follow each other in a given order as they tell the story of human development through various stages. Shapes also give rise to thoughts, perspectives and realities of a specific kind.

Even if we are not fully aware of it on a conscious level, we all know the language of shapes. We are also well aware of the patterns we can create with them, like checks and stripes.

A shape speaks to us on unconscious levels and we are affected by its message.

This is the first blog post in a series about different shapes. The circle, which is central in the movie Arrival, has a very specific role in our human development. You can read more about this shape in A Visual Gate to Wholeness. Stay tuned to join me in an exploration of the language of shapes and how it can be spoken through fabrics for clothes!