Wildman Negative Spaces part II

Now that we understand negative spaces, we can explain more about how the Wildman exists and is perceived.  The most common form of negative space is the old "optical illusion" pictures.  Often a black picture form is imposed on a white background.  The black picture could be a candle or a face.  By blurring your eyes, or focusing instead on the white background, another picture emerges of either a couple kissing or a witch.  The negative space contains a picture of white-around-black while the positive space is black-inside-white.  Of course, it could be the other way around.  The exact definition is symmetric and arbitrary.

When a participant observer meets the Wildman, a positive space image of a person might be presented.  We posit this is the positive projection of Wildman space, but it is not necessary to do so.  What is more important is the relationship of other objects and ideas around the area of the Wildman that are either implied by absence (Negative Insertion), by presence (Positive Insertion), by lack of absence (Positive Removal), or by lack of presence (Negative Removal).

In Negative Insertion, the observer participant projects outward their desires, wants, or needs.  They envision in that space a reflection of what they see in that area.  This is different from Negative Removal which is a form of purposeful Negative Insertion in the sense that someone or something has removed a piece that used to exist where the emptiness now sits.  A good way of thinking of this is the difference between "There should be something there" and "There is nothing there."

In Positive Insertion, the observer participant sees what is projected intentionally to them and interprets the result.  The opposite is the purposeful removal of an object or image or idea so that nothing exists where the removal occurred.  A good way to describe these is "There is something there" and "There was something there."

The Wildman inhabits most of these for different purposes.  In the simplest of cases the Wildman appears to be seen and have interactions.  He is there to listen, to observe, and to talk.  We have seen some instances in the Conversations in a Bar series (cf. T. Pascal et. al.).  Within those series the Wildman has also resorted to appearing in a form that is purposefully altered or arranged to decieve.  In this way, he has added or subtracted parts of his appearance, voice, and demeanor.  The participant-observer projects their own image of what they expect and this is what they see.  The Wildman's artifice is only a loose outline with enough details or hints to make the illusion complete.

In other more complicated episodes the Wildman will remove himself from a scene or tableau in order to draw attention to an idea or a concept.  That is, if the Wildman attends a child's party as a magician, he will then make himself and all his props disappear suddenly.  The children will be confused about what they have seen (or not seen) and they will cry and scream for Mommy and Daddy to fix it.  The Wildman is teaching a leasson to impressionable young minds, you see.

And even more complicatedly, the Wildman may detract from himself by erasing records or memories of himself to create an empty spot or blur in the confused minds of (wo)men.  This blur is intended to allow the Wildman to ask questions or pose thought-provoking mind experiments in order to draw attention to himself or to not draw attention to himself.

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