all pointing
16 Performative Signs, archival digital prints, 9”x13”, 2012-in progress
Gestures in general are argued to have been a precursor to language, and “declarative pointing,” which directs others to an object for the purpose of sharing attention, is considered to be unique to our species.
Lynn Isbell, in her “snake detection theory,” believes that this kind of social sharing of attention may constitute the origins of human language and the beginnings of complex, socially constructed decision-making.
