the type of mound i am most familiar with is a mound of clothing.

the type of mound that is my favourite is one with a person on top (see cover: @800cherries on a pile of @caitlin's clothes).

mound, like mess, is the result of life going on. we try on everything in our closet, throw it on the pile to go live life now and say we will de-pile it later. often when we do get to it we are surrounded by friends and family –– "idk should i keep this i never wear it but remember that one time i wore it to that thing with that person and you were there and it was the best night ever and ok ok yeah alright i'll keep it." and back into the closet it goes.

things pile up because we want to keep them around. in the case of clothes, the mound must be disassembled with care and attention. each grain of sand turned over.

in cities where development is a constant, mounds form as piles of rock and rubble, waiting to serve their purpose or be relocated. mounds are naturally occurring –– writing this led me down a wikipedia-to-everything-in-the-bibliography rabbit hole on the organically occurring mima mounds, a phenomenon with several hypotheses that attempt explain their formation but none of which are hard confirmed. it's very cute to me that we as humans want to explain explain explain how and why and we will never just shrug and accept the fact that shit shifts around and makes piles and it's kinda arbitrary.

on the other hand, an intentionally created mound is a collective effort with a purpose vital to community, survival, and ritual –– think of anthills, burial sites, even piles at clothing swaps (perhaps this is a stretch BUT clothing is classified under the physiological section on Maslow's Hierarchy, as protection from the elements).

a last thought not so explicitly related to clothing (which seems to be my only way in to a topic):

once formed, there is an innate draw to climb the mound when we see it. this is partially due to survival instinct –– a higher vantage point offers protection, allows us to see predators, search for water sources, etc. but also, i think it's just fun. this is why we rake leaves into piles and jump on them, or run to the top of the hill just to roll down, or climb onto the pile of laundry fresh out of the dryer before folding –– it's just fun to get to the top of a bunch of stuff. to feel like we have a little control over what goes where.

i see the mound as potential. we can get to the top of it or get to the bottom of it. either outcome is extremely satisfying.