Ornament as Symbolic Form of Culture

The purpose of the work is to determine the specifics of ornament functioning as a symbolic form of culture, its meaning and role in marking the socio-cultural environment. The methodological research consists in the application of analytical, structural, cultural-hermeneutical, axiological, and semiotical methods, which allow us to consider the phenomenon of ornament from different aspects of cultural knowledge. The scientific novelty of the research lies in the discovery of the specifics of human signs and symbolic activities based on the example of ornamental decoration and signification. The ornamental functions, its sign-symbolic and socio-psychological components in the cultural-historical environment are researched. We have proven that the carrier of cultural and historical information is ornament and it is the means of communication between generations in space and time. Conclusions. Self-management of a human in the field of culture is implemented by means of symbols and signs, which are organised in such symbolic forms as language, religion, science, and art. Ornament is an artistic means of shape creation of art. Ornament is a dynamic figurative form that demonstrates the temporal cycles of senses in different artistic genres showing the static of image, the topos. Due to dynamic and temporal component codifies the cultural memory of the community, the ornamental chronotope is a storage of national cultural narratives that are re-actualised during the socio-cultural crises, and during request for deep markers of collective knowledge. Key words: ornament, sign, symbolic form, culture.