FLOCK
Distinguishable units may gather until their relation becomes consequential.
A flock need not arrive as a flock.
Units may approach individually, gather, move together, disperse, return, or progressively accumulate.
The resulting whole may be real without having begun as a whole.
APPARENT UNITY ≠ COMMON ORIGIN
COORDINATION ≠ COLLAPSE
ACCRETION
A gathering may become consequential by amount.
One unit arrives. Then another.
The kind of unit may remain unchanged while accumulated capacity increases.
KIND ≠ AMOUNT
AMOUNT → THRESHOLD → AVAILABLE CAPACITY
ONE MORE UNIT MAY CHANGE WHAT THE ACCUMULATION CAN DO WITHOUT CHANGING WHAT ANY UNIT IS.
Units may also gather upon a receiving material.
Fibers, particles, cells, minerals, residues, or other matter may settle, adhere, grow, migrate, or assemble upon a substrate.
SUBSTRATE → INTERFACE → ACCRETION → ?
The surface may be protected, obscured, decorated, damaged, strengthened, or transformed.
Present appearance does not, by itself, establish which occurred.
COVERING ≠ SUBSTRATE
EFFECT ≠ CONVERSION
ACCRETION ≠ CONVERSION BY DEFAULT
SEVEN CUTS
ENGLISH — flock / flocked
A moving plurality. A surface upon which fine material has been gathered.
ESPAÑOL — bandada / flocado
A moving group, especially of birds. A surface treated with deposited fibers.
FRANÇAIS — volée / flocage · floqué
A flight or group of birds. Material applied to produce an accreted surface.
ITALIANO — stormo / floccaggio · floccato
A moving flock. Material flocking and the resulting surface.
PORTUGUÊS — bando · revoada / flocagem · flocado
A group or flight of birds. Fibers applied to produce a flocked surface.
DEUTSCH — Schwarm / Beflockung · beflockt
A moving collective. Applied fibers and the resulting surface condition.
NEDERLANDS — zwerm / flocken · geflockt
A moving collective. Fine fibers gathered upon a receiving surface.
WHAT SURVIVES
CHANGED GEOMETRY ≠ CHANGED MEMBERSHIP
CHANGED AMOUNT ≠ CHANGED KIND
CHANGED SURFACE ≠ ESTABLISHED CONVERSION
The gathering may be real.
Its consequences may be real.
Neither completes its history.
THE VISIBLE WHOLE MAY BE REAL WITHOUT TELLING US HOW IT BECAME WHOLE.