The Golden Gesture
n. an ideal ratio in unfolding time.
The Golden Ratio is an idea that suggests there is an ideal arrangement or ratio of lines and spaces in the visual realm. It proposes that designs that adhere to the ratio tap into an innate attention in the actor, an attention for the the beautiful, the well-placed—rendering the image more readily understood or easily embraced.
Similarly, the Golden Gesture, originating in the Soma Literacy research, occurs in the realm of motion and is only expressed in time. The Golden Gesture is exemplified in the swing of the pendulum. It is a fundamental and ubiquitous motion, recognized as a basic truth of physics on this earth. The Golden Gesture proposes that temporal designs that adhere to this ratio tap into an innate attention in the actor, an attention for the eurhythmic—the right, the beautiful, the well-placed—rendering the image more easily embraced or empathisised-with.
Things fall. The falling motion has an exact formula of acceleration when starting at rest and suddenly rushing to full velocity. It is most easily described on the playground swing. If pulled out to the highest point and then released, the child on the swing starts from no motion and slowly gains speed into the bottom of the swing only to be turned around and tossed up again on the other side. The acceleration into the bottom (anacrusis) passes through the moment of greatest speed (crusis) and decelerates as it moves away from the crusic point (metacrusis). The acceleration and deceleration happen in exactly specific unfolding formulas.
Riding the playground swing reveals another dimension in the experienced gesture. In addition to the acceleration and deceleration present in every swing, there is also a sensation of gaining and shedding weight while in motion. To be in stillness, one feels the pull of gravity in a manner that we recognize as normal; I feel like me. Once in motion, the swing takes the static sensation of being still and turns it into the most perfect example of the dynamic. At the outside edges of the swing the child is tossed upward and passes through a moment of absolute weightlessness, only to be released into a free-fall that both gains speed
and also the sensation of weight. As the child drives toward the bottom of the swing, they gain so much weight that for an instant they weigh more than their at-rest weight. The moment is transcendent as they become amplified and their experience is rich rather than mundane.
The Golden Gesture is not random or creative. It is both an exact and perfect gesture; it is the definition of natural movement. It is exploited for its rich interaction on playground swings and rollercoasters. It is also inherent in every step we take and every ball we toss. It is not only found in physical gesture but in all of temporal experience. It is in the cadence of your natural speaking and in the way one perceives an array of road signs while driving down the street (we feel the ana- crusis–crusis–metacrusis of each). The short definition reads, “The Golden Gesture is experienced as the shift of weight.” One cannot shift weight from one place to another without tapping into this specific progression of heavy/light.
Similar to the Golden Ratio, built interactions that acknowledge the Golden Gesture ideal, result in smoother transitions and more seamless readability. They engender trust and permit an engagement in the beauty of the world.
see Anacrusis–Crusis–Metacrusis, In Time, Inertia