ADA Metathesaurus
Center for Image Science
technology
Here: Facet that contains keywords (concepts) to describe technological aspects of artworks. More broadly: The general application of science and related disciplines, typically to commercial or industrial objectives, often with the implication of mechanical, electronic, or computerized components.
MAC
Family of personal computers designed, manufactured, and sold by Apple Inc.
hardware
The physical components of a computer system or device as opposed to the software required for its operation.
C++
General-purpose programming language.
software
Computer system programs, procedures, and associated documentation concerned with the operation of data processing systems, and which require hardware for use to be made of them.
CGI/Perl
Interpreted programming language first released in 1987.
CSS
Declarative language for styling web pages.
Java
Object-oriented programming language.
Linux
Family of Unix-like operating systems that use the Linux kernel and are open source.
PHP
Scripting language focused on web development.
Softimage
3D computer graphics and animation programme.
Virtual Reality Markup Language (VRML)
File format for representing 3D interactive vector graphics.
Extensible Markup Language (XML)
A standard, based on SGML, for the mark-up of electronic documents. It is designed to aid the exchange of data via the World Wide Web, and allows users to customize tags.
loudspeakers
Electroacoustic devices that convert an electrical signal into sound waves that are audible at a distance from the devices.
electronic displays
virtual retinal display (VRD)
Display technology that draws a raster display directly onto the retina of the eye.
aesthetics
Here: Facet that contains keywords (concepts) to describe the aesthetic qualities of artworks. More broadly: Appreciation or criticism of the beautiful. The term refers to a branch of Western philosophy concerned primarily with the fine arts, although it may also be used in the context of the appreciation of natural beauty. Stems from the Greek aisthesis (meaning
displays
Output device for presentation of information in visual form.
interfaces
The boundry in which information is passed, usually between the system and its environment. It can be used to link the computer with peripherals or between the computer and a human user.
genres
Here: Facet that encompasses various genres to describe works of media art. More broadly: Categories of art that are characterized by form or content.
genetic art
Art involving DNA. Genetic Art has many subcategories, e.g. transgenic art, and is itself a subcategory of bioart.
bioart
A contemporary art form that adapts scientific methods and draws inspiration from the philosophical, societal, and environmental implications of recombinant genetics, molecular biology, and biotechnology. It features interdisciplinary relationships that blur distinctions between art and science. It may involve biological entities as media.
head-mounted display (HMD)
Device used in virtual reality systems.
Cave automatic virtual environment (CAVE)
Immersive virtual reality environment where projectors are directed to between three and six of the walls of a room-sized cube.
interactive installations
Interactive art installations directly engage viewers by positioning them as a physical part of the artwork. These types of works tend to be playful, eye catching, and inspirational.
installations
Works dating from the 1960s or later that use their exhibition space as part of their design. Demanding a viewer's active engagement, installations are often created by artists in direct opposition to the notion of permanent artwork, or art as a commodity.
virtual reality (VR)
Computer-simulated environment simulating physical presence in real or imagined worlds.
subjects
Here: Facet containing topics and themes to characterize the content of artworks. More broadly: In the visual arts, oral works, music, performing arts, and literature, the topics, themes, or other visual, oral, or written content of the work. It includes what the work is of or about.
Binocular Omni-Orientation Monitor (BOOM)
A head-coupled stereoscopic display device. Screens and optical system are housed in a box that is attached to a multi-link arm.
projectors
Devices for projecting an image upon a surface by means of the transmission of light through a transparent slide or film or the reflection of light from an opaque object.
inflatable structures
Structure supported by pressurization of the habitable space.
non-electronic displays
computer monitors
Electronic visual display for computers.
projection screens
A white, vertical, flat surface on which images are projected, made of reflective material. Generally used for motion picture, video, or photographic slide projection.
active shutter 3D systems
Technique of displaying stereoscopic 3D images.
mirrors (as non-electronic displays)
Objects with a highly polished surface, designed to reflect images clearly. The surface is typically smooth, flat, or sometimes slightly curved, made of polished metal in ancient and medieval times, but later usually of glass with a reflective coating on one side.
data gloves
Input device for human–computer interaction.
theremins
Electronic instruments played by the performer's hand moving back and forth at different distances from an antenna rising vertically from the instrument; the pitch of the single tone produced varies with the distance of the hand from the antenna.
soundgenerating devices
Tools and equipment to generate sound.
camera recordings
Captured data or translated information on a recording format.
joysticks
Devices consisting of a vertically mounted shaft that can be pushed in any direction; used for generating signals that can cause the cursor or some other symbol to be moved rapidly about on a display screen.
mice (input device)
Small, button-operated computer devices that are moved around on a flat desktop or graphics tablet to control the movement of the cursor on the monitor.
virtual balance
Interface for intuitive navigation through complex, three-dimensional virtual spaces.
breathing sensors
Device to measure breathing. It can be used as intuitive biofeedback based interaction system.
body sensors
Data aquisition systems to retrieve various physiological information from animal bodies. The connection of a group of sensors is called
positiontrackers
Tracking a (moving) object with an apparatus or measuring device.
eye scanners
Devices to perform iris or retinal scans, or to track eye movement.
software interfaces
The languages, codes and messages that programs use to communicate with each other and to the hardware.
touch screens
A computer interface that behaves as both an input and output device. The surface of the monitor screen is overlaid with sensors of various types that allow the user to trigger software tasks.
step sensors
Sensor devices that notice steps, either just to count steps, or to find movement patterns, or to trigger a certain event with each step.
Antiquity
Belonging to the period or manner of ancient Greece or Rome. More specifically, referring to those aspects of classical art, particularly the representation of the human figure in ancient sculpture and also the use of ornament in ancient art, when they are used as models of perfection in other periods.
History and Memory
breathing
Process that moves air in and out of the lungs.
Body and Psychology
machines
Devices for applying mechanical power, often for the purpose of replacing or assisting manual labor.
Art and Science
movement
Act of changing the body's (or a body part's) position.
scientific images
Images used in science; also images produced within a scientific context using specialized methods, techniques, and instruments.
biological sensors
Probe which tests for biological molecules.
DNA
Refers to any of the various double stranded nucleic acids found in chromosomes of higher organisms which store and transfer genetic information.
Nature and Environment
databases
Structured sets of data held in computer storage, especially those that incorporate software to make them accessible in a variety of ways. A database is used to store, query, and retrieve information, typically comprising a logical collection of interrelated information that is managed as a unit, stored in machine-readable form, and organized and structured as records that are presented in a standardized format in order to allow rapid search and retrieval by a computer.
dynamical systems
Systems (e.g. mathematical or physical) whose state evolve with time over a state space according to a fixed rule.
evolution
Refers to the gradual development of living organisms over successive generations, from lower to higher forms, especially as articulated in Darwinian theory or in alternatives to or modifications of Darwinian theory.
genetics
Biological science which deals with the phenomena of heredity and the variation between progenitors and offspring.
geology
Science that deals with the physical history of the earth, the rocks of which it is composed, and the physical changes which it has undergone and is undergoing.
historical sites
Parcels of land with historic significance due to historic events, architectural, engineering or archaeological activities, etc.
illusionary
Based on the distortion of the senses or perception of reality.
communication
Conveying awareness, knowledge, or information to others.
Media and Communication
complexity
Study of complexity in regard to complex systems. Within media theory it is often applied to study social media.
theory
Body of generalizations and principles developed in association with practice in a field of activity and forming its content as an intellectual discipline.
bodies (animal components)
The complete physical forms of humans and other animals. Includes the outer appearance and constitution, as well as internal features, such as organs.
mathematics
Science of numbers, magnitudes, quantities expressed symbolically, and forms and figures, including their interrelationships and the operations performed on them.
artificial life
Artificial life is a field of study wherein researchers examine systems related to natural life, its processes, and its evolution, through the use of simulations with computer models, robotics, and biochemistry.
Technology and Innovation
landscapes (environments)
Broadly used to describe portions of the earth's surface that share common repeating characteristics that can be comprehended at a glance. Landscapes are more than scenery or political units; they are systems of natural and cultural contexts.
myths
Individual stories derived from a mythology; distinguished from historical accounts in that they are considered by current scholars to lack a determinable basis of fact or natural explanation; typically concerning a being, hero, deity, or event and explains some practice, rite, or phenomenon of nature.
Religion and Mythology
Nature
Refers to the concept of the physical world, including the forces at work in it and the nonhuman life inhabiting it, perceived by human beings as separate and independent from themselves, their activities, and civilization.
panoramas
Refers generally to pictorial representations with very broad horizontal ranges of view. The term is also used specifically for photographs that show a wide view produced by a panoramic camera or by joining photographs together.
Arts and Visual Culture
poetry
Literary and oral genre rooted in the compressed and cogent imaginative awareness or associations of experiences, ideas, or emotional responses and arranged under an organized criterion of meaning, conscious and unconscious expression, symbolism, formal or informal pattern, sound, and rhythm. The genre encompasses narrative, dramatic, satiric, didactic, erotic, and personal forms.
robots
Machines capable of automatically carrying out a complex series of movements, especially one that is programmable.
senses
The five faculties by which stimuli from outside or inside the body are received and felt.
sound installations
Interdisciplinary art installations that incorporate sound into physical environments.
sound art
General term for works, particularly contemporary works, that integrate sound and the visual arts.
games
Forms of competitive play, usually involving an element of strategy, especially to interfere with an opponent's play; may or may not require physical skill.
entertainment
Activity that diverts or amuses someone; causing someone's time to pass agreeably.
speech recognition
Automatic conversion of spoken language into text.
theater
Genre of performing arts concerning theatrical or dramatic entertainment, often reserved for works intended for stage presentations.
weather
State of the atmosphere with respect to such factors as wind, temperature, cloudiness, moisture, and pressure.
cities
Distinctions among villages, towns, and cities are relative and vary according to their individual regional contexts. Generally, cities designate large or important communities with population, status, and internal complexity greater than most towns in the region.
Society and Culture
dreams
Successions of images, thoughts, or emotions passing through the mind during sleep.
telematic art
Artworks using computer-mediated telecommunications networks.
gesture
Movement and positioning of limbs, hands, or body as a means of intentional expression.
earth
The world as considered the dwelling place of of living creatures, the surface of the planet; contrasted with sky, heaven, hell, etc.
speech
The act of expressing or describing thoughts, feelings, or perceptions by the articulation of words.
animals
Any living organisms, including human beings; may be real or fictional, including mythical or legendary creatures.
humans
Members of the species to which all modern human beings belong. Homo sapiens is one of several species grouped into the genus Homo, but it is the only one that is not extinct.
algorithms
Sets of logical procedures for solving problems in a finite number of steps.
microscopy
Generally, the use of or investigation with a microscope.
motion pictures (visual works)
Works presented in the form of a series of pictures carried on photographic film or video tape, presented to the eye in such rapid succession as to give the illusion of natural movement.
archaeology
Scientific study of the material remains of past human life and activities, including human artifacts from the very earliest stone tools to the man-made objects that are buried or thrown away in the present day. Archaeological investigations are a principal source of knowledge of prehistoric, ancient, and extinct cultures.
outer space
The physical universe beyond the earth's atmosphere, consisting of near vacuum with small amounts of gas and dust. Usage often excludes celestial objects, but includes the expanse in which celestial objects are situated.
house walls
Vertical architectural members used to define and divide spaces. In English, there is no distinctive term for an external wall and the internal sides of a room, but this is not universal. Many languages distinguish between the two.
code
Method to represent information for various purposes (storage, transmission, protection against unauthorized access etc.).
narrative
Based on account of a series of related events or experiences. An emphasis on storytelling.
gender
The state or condition associated with male, female, neutral, or other social or cultural distinctions and differences, rather than strictly biological ones.
documentation
The process or function of gathering and recording information, especially to record facts or characteristics or to establish evidence or testimony. Here, particularly with regard to scientific documentation.
net art
Works made with and existing in the context of networked systems, meant to be accessed via network protocols. This term is not used to refer to reproductions of art made in other media that is represented on Web sites or online media. 'Web art' is considered a separate concept, as net art may use protocols other than the World Wide Web. Some argue that net art is independent of technology, and is defined only as work that uses systems or social situations as the medium, but the majority of these works exist in the context of computer networking systems.
robotic art
Any artwork that employs some form of robotic or automated technology.
plants (as non-electronic interfaces)
Multicellular eukaryotic life forms characterized by photosynthesis, in which chemical energy is produced from water, minerals, and carbon dioxide with the aid of pigments and the radiant energy of the Sun. However, also included in the kingdom are plants that do not produce their food by photosynthesis, but rather are parasitic and live off of other living plants. Other plants are saprophytic, obtaining their food from dead organic matter. Plants have cells that contain cellulose in their walls and are therefore to some extent rigid. There is also an absence of organs of locomotion, resulting in a more or less stationary existence as well as no sensory and nervous systems. There are over 300,000 living species of plants.
non-electronic interfaces
microphones
Devices that convert acoustical sound waves into corresponding variations in electrical current that are then amplified, transmitted, or recorded.
SGI Onyx
Graphics system manufactured by Silicon Graphics.
transgenic art
Transgenic art is a new art form based on the use of genetic engineering techniques to transfer synthetic genes to an organism or to transfer natural genetic material from one species into another, to create unique living beings. It is a subcategory of Genetic Art and involves actual DNA sequences or lifeforms produced through genetic engineering.
mixed reality
Merging of real and virtual worlds to produce new environments.
scanners
Digitizers that derive data from the scanning of opaque or transparent images.
psyche
Totality of human consciousness.
magic (occult science)
Study and practice of ritual activities intended to control or influence human or natural events through the invocation of external and impersonal mystical forces beyond the ordinary human sphere; typical ritual activities include the manipulation of special objects and the recitation of spells.
Magic and Phantastic
emotion
Refers to a complex phenomena and quality of consciousness, featuring the synthesis or combination of subjective experiences and perceptions, expressive physiological and psychological behaviors, and the excitation or stimulation of the nervous system. Among psychological studies, the concept is associated with ideas on personality formation, rational and irrational thinking, and cognitive motivation.
combinatorics
Combinatorics is an area of mathematics primarily concerned with counting, both as a means and an end in obtaining results, and certain properties of finite structures.
intermediality
A generic term for phenomena at the point of intersection between different media, or crossing their borders, or for their interconnection, typically in the context of digital media.
keyboards
Sets of levers or keys actuating the sounding mechanism of keyboard instruments.
perspective
Refers to any graphic method concerned with conveying an impression of depth, usually on a two-dimensional surface, by means of geometric projection using one or more vanishing points, foreshortening, and/or atmospheric effects.
cyborgs
Cybernetic organisms, often depicted in science fiction works as humans with machine parts.
urban space
Areas within city limits or closely linked to them by common use of public utilities or services.
politics
The art or science of government or governing, especially the governing of a political entity, such as a nation, and the administration and control of its internal and external affairs.
Power and Politics
globes
Representations of the Earth, heavens, or another planet in the form of a ball.
brainwave sensors /brain-computer-interfaces
Connection between brain and computer.
augmented reality (AR)
The use of digital technology to overlay visual real-life representations, usually provided through video, with computer-generated data.
digital graphics
Digital graphics combine text and images to produce a graphic product.
digital animation
Process of creating animated images by using computer-assisted or computer-generated techniques. It includes limited animation where only a part of the figure is animated, and sophisticated animation, where computers supply in-between drawings based on a limited number of hand-drawn images and digitized figures that can appear to move or rotate convincingly through space.
surveillance
The function of watching or guarding people, activities, or situations, usually having a connotation of spying on a suspected person or a prisoner, or observing in order to provide supervision for direction or control.
endoscopes
Instrument used to examine the interior of a hollow organ or cavity of the body.
cameras
Lightproof boxes fitted with a lens through the aperture of which the image of an object is recorded on light-sensitive material such as film, or transformed into electrical impulses for direct transmission or for video recording.
retina scanners
Device for the biometric technique that scans unique patterns on a person's retina blood vessels
webcams
Video cameras that are connected to or are integral to a computer so that its output may be viewed online.
database art
Database art is a form of digital art that uses the digital archive as both a source of artistic imagination and a form of critical inquiry.
nanoart
Nanoart is a novel art discipline related to science and technology. It depicts natural or synthetic structures with features sized at the nanometer scale, which are observed by electron or scanning probe microscopy techniques in scientific laboratories.
assembled
Consisting of multiple parts.
sublime
The conception or expression of awe-inspiring grandeur.
installation-based
Artworks that use their exhibition space as part of their design and demand a viewer's active engagement.
contextual
Highlighting the interaction between artists and social situations, and the formal, social, and ideological conditions of the artist's production, in contrast to the functions of traditional art.
multi-user
Allowing for interaction of more than one user at a time with an artwork.
panopticons
Buildings, as prisons, hospitals, or libraries, so arranged that all parts of the interior are visible from a single point. Concept also expands to the capabilities of digital technologies, e.g. with regard to surveillance etc.
panoramatic
Revealing a wide, all-encompassing view of a particular subject. Pictorial representations with very broad horizontal ranges of view.
acoustic
Based on the properties of sound, especially the sound properties of built environments, materials, and sound devices.
representation
A manner of expression by the artist in which the subject matter is presented so that the observer is reminded of actual visible forms. However, the subject represented may or may not exist in the visible world. For example, representations may include presentations of subject matter that are invisible to the eye, such as emotions or imaginary events, as if they are visible.
violence
The use of physical force so as to kill, injure, damage, or abuse.
production
Act of creating goods or services.
meme
A meme is an idea, behavior, or style that spreads by means of imitation from person to person within a culture and often carries symbolic meaning representing a particular phenomenon or theme. In popular language, a meme may refer to an Internet meme, typically an image, that is remixed, copied, and circulated in a shared cultural experience online.
utopias
Places of ideal perfection, especially with regard to laws, government, and social conditions.
interculturalism
Support for cross-cultural dialogue and challenging self-segregation tendencies within cultures.
Postmodernism
Refers to the style and period of art and architecture that developed in the 1960s and after, when there was a clear challenge to the dominance of Modernism. Generally speaking, it advocated a pluralistic approach to the arts and it stated that Modernism had failed because of a lack of a coded language of meaning to the viewer.
post-structuralism
Critical theory similar to structuralism in its critique of historicism, meaning, and post-Renaissance rational philosophy, but differing by its rejection of structural linguistics as a theoretical base, emphasizing fragmentation instead, with a belief that there can be no historical progress nor any cumulative progress in knowledge.
semiotics
Theory and study of signs and symbols dealing especially with their function in languages, including syntax, semantics, and pragmatics.
democracies
Political entities have a government in which people either rule themselves or elect representatives to rule in their interests. Elections, to be democratic, must be held regularly, be secret, and provide a choice of candidates; the elected assembly must also be free to legislate and criticize government policy.
folklore
The body of traditional beliefs, legends, customs, music, arts, material culture, etc. that is shared by a culture or group of people.
communities
A community is a body of people who live in the same place, usually sharing a common cultural or ethnic identity; may also include a body of people who do not necessarily live in the same place, but share common interests or backgrounds, and typically meet or communicate regarding these interests.
legislation
Declarations of laws, regulations, fund allocations, international treaties, etc., having the force of authority by virtue of their passing or enactment by an official organ of a state or other governing body.
institutions
Formally structured organizations, establishments, or associations created for the promotion of a specific benevolent public or private objective, usually a religious, charitable, or educational objective, such as a church, school, college, hospital, asylum, reformatory, mission, or the like.
popular culture
The dance, literature, music, theater, cinema, television, language, fashion, and other cultural indicators intended for or appreciated by the mainstream public rather than an elite audience. Popular culture reflects changes of style, fads, nostalgia, critical revivals, popular institutions, and forms borrowed from elite art, folk art, or foreign culture.
privacy
The state of being apart from company or observation, generally in voluntary seclusion. Also refers to the right to freedom from unauthorized intrusion.
psychology
Science of human and animal mind and behavior, both healthy and unhealthy, with the focus on individuals in interaction with their environment.
religions
Belief systems that encompass various personal and institutional relationships between human beings and what they regard as holy, sacred, or divine, usually but not always a deity, or a spiritual or occult force. Participation in a religion is typically manifested in obedience, reverence, and worship, often including group activities and alliance with a leader. Elements of a religion or similar belief system include doctrine, ritual, defined parameters of morality, and a code of living, often seen as a means of achieving spiritual or material improvement.
language
The language of the catalog record or other information.
traditions
A belief or behavior passed down within a group or society with symbolic meaning or special significance with origins in the past. Common examples include holidays or socially meaningful clothes (like laywers' wigs), but the idea has also been applied to social norms such as greetings.
visual culture
The total of images, objects, and other visuality that has been built up by a group of people and transmitted from one generation to another. It includes art media such as painting, drawing, prints, and installations; architecture and design; utilitarian artifacts of a culture such as tools and costime; media such as photography, film, television, and digital media, covering topics of news, popular culture, advertising and consumerism, politics, law, religion, and science and medicine.
archives
Collections of historical records and primary source documents that have accumulated over the course of an individual's or organization's lifetime, and are kept to show the function or history of the person or an organization. Documents may be tangible or digital.
optics
Branch of physics that deals with the properties and phenomena of both visible and invisible light, including its generation, transmission, and detection or perception.
film (discipline)
Discipline encompassing the art and form of expression of filmmaking and motion pictures, which are produced in the media of film or videotape, on which a series of pictures are presented to the eye in such rapid succession as to give the illusion of natural movement. It may also refer to similar art created in digital media.
media archaeology
Field that attempts to understand new and emerging media through close examination of the past, and especially through critical scrutiny of dominant progressivist narratives of popular commercial media such as film and television. Media archaeologists often evince strong interest in so-called dead media, noting that new media often revive and recirculate material and techniques of communication that had been lost, neglected, or obscured.
broadcasts
Transmissions of signals, usually taking the form of programs consisting of images and sound, made public by means of television or radio.
stereoscopes
Viewers in which pairs of stereoscopic images are mounted and appear as a single, three-dimensional image when viewed.
search engines
A software program that searches the contents of a database based on keywords entered by the user. More specifically, a program that returns a list of URLs from the World Wide Web based on keywords.
supercomputing
A form of computing that determines or calculates using a high performance computer, a supercomputer, reducing overall time to solution.
drawings
Visual works produced by drawing, which is the application of lines on a surface, often paper, by using a pencil, pen, chalk, or some other tracing instrument to focus on the delineation of form rather than the application of color. This term is often defined broadly to refer to computer-generated images as well.
censorship
The act, process, or policy of prohibition of the production, distribution, circulation, or access to a work, or the suppression or deletion of parts of a work, on the grounds that the work contains material or is of an appearance considered politically or morally offensive by some.
access
The habit, power, state, or faculty of being able to locate, gain entry to, and use something, such as a building or a database. In computer-based information retrieval, access is the method by which a computer refers to records in a file, dependent upon their arrangement.
anthropology
The scientific study of human history in its biological, linguistic, and social aspects.
architecture
The art or science of designing and building structures, especially habitable structures, in accordance with principles determined by aesthetic and practical or material considerations.
historicism (theory)
General theory that emphasizes the importance of history as a standard of value or as a determinant of events.
museums
Institutions that maintain places where objects of value such as works of art, antiquities, scientific specimens, or other artifacts are housed and displayed for public benefit. An institution devoted to the procurement, care, documentation, study and display of objects of lasting interest or value.
music
The discipline of combining vocal or instrumental sounds to produce beauty of form, harmony, melody, rhythm, expressive content, etc.; musical composition, performance, analysis, etc., as a subject of study; the occupation or profession of musicians.
nanotechnology
Development and manufacture of objects 100 nanometers or less in size, or the manipulation of individual molecules and atoms.
philosophy
Critical examination of the grounds for fundamental beliefs and analysis of the basic concepts, doctrines, or practices that express such beliefs.
history of technology
Study of the development of technology over time.
science
Refers to the group of studies or branches of knowledge concerned with facts and phenomena of the observable or quantifiable world, systematically arranged and showing the operation of general laws.
eyes
Paired globular organs of sight in the head of humans and other vertebrates. The term may also refer to any of various visual or light-detecting organs in invertebrates.
hands
Parts of a human's or an animal's body, usually having fingers, located below the wrist joint of the arms, characterized by being routinely used for purposes other than support and locomotion.
imagination
The capacity to form or the state of forming mental images or ideas of people, objects, and situations that are not truly present to the senses, including both remembered and constructed ideas and images. In modern philosophy, imagination is the power or capacity by which the mind integrates sensory data in the process of perception.
cybersex
Virtual sex encounters via electronic video communications (e.g. webcam) and other electronics (such as teledildonics) connected to a computer network.
digital identity
Information on an entity used by computer systems to represent an external agent.
ambient intelligence
Electronic environments that are sensitive and responsive to the presence of people.
artificial intelligence (science discipline)
The study of the capacity of machines to simulate human behavior such as reasoning, learning, or the understanding of speech.
software manipulations
Controlling or influencing computer programs, often but not exclusively clandestine and with malintent.
technophobia
Fear, discomfort, or aversion to advanced technology, especially computers.
digital communities (social network)
A community whose members interact with each other primarily via the Internet (e.g. via social media). Members usually share common interests.
geography
Science dealing with the earth and its life, especially the description of land, sea, air, and the distribution of plant and animal life, including human beings, their activities and territorial organizations.
environment
The natural world or physical surroundings in general, either as a whole or within a particular geographical area, particularly as affected by human activity.
bicycles
Vehicles with two wheels in tandem propelled by the rider straddling a frame which holds the wheels and handlebars for steering.
dolls
Figurines representing humans or animals, including but not restricted to those intended as toys for children, usually girls, or as collectibles for adults. Dolls are commonly in the form of a baby or woman, often with changeable clothes; they may have moveable arms and legs. Dolls may be made of cloth (rag dolls), wood, clay, porcelain, wax, paper, plastic, celluloid, corn husks, or other materials. Dolls may also be figurines used for ceremonial, religious, or decorative purposes.
flashlights
Small, portable electric lamps, usually powered by batteries or a generator.
sofas
Long, upholstered seating objects with a back and two ends, and primarily used for sitting.
tables
Articles of furniture consisting of a flat, slablike top supported on one or more legs or supports.
animated
Giving the illusion of movement that may be created by a number of techniques including successive drawings, photographing positions of puppets or models, or using computers.
space
Digital or physical extent or area, in two or three dimensions, in the natural world or built environment. Typically used in the context of space being applied to or sufficient for a purpose or action.
telephones
Instruments, apparatus, or devices that convey or reproduce sounds at a distance, especially such devices in which the human voice is transmitted as by wire, satellite, or via base-station antennas as short-wave analog or digital signals.
sight
The faculty of perception with the eyes.
hearing
The faculty or sense by which sound is perceived.
touch
The faculty of perception through physical contact, especially with the fingers.
smell
The faculty of perceiving odors via the olfactory organs' reception of chemical substances in the surrounding air.
telephones (as soundgenerating device)
electromagnetism
The phenomena associated with electric and magnetic fields and their interactions with each other and with electric charges and currents.
robotic
body tracking
Tracking procedures to detect body movements and convert them into a digital format.
history
Discipline that studies the chronological record of events, such as affecting a nation, community, individual, object, or place, based on a critical examination of source materials and usually presenting an explanation of their causes.
product design
Creating a new product to be sold by a business to its customers. A very broad coefficient and effective generation and development of ideas through a process that leads to new products. Product design is not the same but overlaps with industrial design, which is concerned with bringing artistic form and usability together in order to mass-produce goods.
books
Items comprising a collection of leaves of paper, parchment, wood, stiffened textile, ivory, metal tablets, or other flat material, that are blank, written on, or printed, and are strung or bound together in a volume.
working class
Class of persons employed for wages, usually at manual labor.
processual
Based on a set of interrelated tasks that transform inputs into outputs. Tasks may be carried out by people, nature or machines using various resources.
invention
The quality of original and productive creativity.
real-time
Based on reliable responses to inputs within a specified time interval.
simulation
The representation of the behavior or characteristics of one system through the use of another system, especially a computer model; often used to forecast or predict the behavior of a dynamic system when real world experimentation is not feasible.
television
Telecommunication system whereby visual images, with or without accompanying sound, are converted to electromagnetic waves and transmitted to distant receivers where they are reconverted into moving visual images.
voyeurism
A socially unacceptable pattern of sexual behavior in which one's preferred means of sexual arousal is the clandestine observing of others when they are disrobing, nude, or actually engaging in sexual activity. Arousal is dependent upon the observed person(s) being unaware of their being observed.
intimacy
Condition of closeness and openness towards another.
periscope
video (digital)
Standardized means of organizing and storing moving images created using a binary numerical system electronically stored in the form of encoded image elements, or pixels.
audiotapes
Sound recordings on magnetic tape.
ISDN
Set of communication standards for simultaneous digital transmission of voice, video, data, and other network services over the traditional circuits of the public switched telephone network.
lasers
Device which emits light via optical amplification.
motion capture
Tracking procedure which makes it possible to detect any type of movement and convert it to a digital format.
breathing-balance-interface-vest
Real-time motion tracking based on breathing and balance.
expression
An act, process, or instance of representing in a medium.
voice analysis
Voice analysis is the study of speech sounds for purposes other than linguistic content, e.g. analysis of the voice (phoniatrics) or speaker identification.
pain
The bodily and emotional experience consisting of physiological and affective responses to an undesirable event. Often serves as a warning mechanism that protects an organism from the threat of injury or potential injury by stimulating a withdrawing response from harmful stimuli.
literature
General term for the genre of works, written or oral, that are the result or product of literary activity. Included are written works considered collectively; a body of literary works produced in a particular country or period, or of a particular genre.
expanded cinema
Expanded Cinema broadens the concept and practice of the cinematic. Films are not
project onto a screen, it allows for experimental approaches, e.g. multiple projections with several screens, light shows or even multimedia settings in which films, diapositives, overhead projectors and video projections are combined with performative elements like theatre or dance.
cybernetics
Comparative study of automatic control systems and communication processes in both living organisms and machines. The study links the working of the brain and nervous system with the functioning of computers and automated feedback devices.
conceptual art
Art from any period in which the idea represented is considered more important than the finished product.
performance art
Refers to works of art that unfold over time and that combine elements of theater and object-oriented art.
video performances
Genre in performance art
sound performances
Genre in performance art in which sound is used as the primary medium or material.
performative installations
Art installations that put a specific emphasis on performance, e.g. through user interaction.
multimedia performances
Performances combining and/or juxtaposing varied media from dance to digital technologies.
happenings
Works that are unique, unrehearsed events, often combining elements of theater, music, and the visual arts. Usually nonverbal, they may incorporate visual, tactile, and olfactory responses, chance, and audience participation.
computer performances
Performances that incorporate and integrate computer technologies and techniques.
simulacrum
Representation or imitation of a person or thing.
sexuality
Generally used for the sum of an individual's sexual emotions, ideas, and behavior.
manipulation
Premeditated action that seeks to controll somebody or something to the own advantage, often with unfair or dishonest conduct.
nationalism
Sense of national consciousness exalting one nation above all others and placing primary emphasis on promotion of its culture and interests as opposed to those of other nations or supranational groups.
symbolism
Method of representing things by symbols, or of giving a symbolic character to objects or acts.
visualization
Making large amounts of complex data comprehensible, usually by using of computer graphics.
Internet
Global computer network which provides the world's users a variety of information resources and communication facilities. It consists of interconnected networks that use standardized communication protocols.
Modernism
Refers to the succession of 20th-century avant-garde art and architectural movements formed in a reaction to social modernity.
art history
Study of the visual arts within a historical framework, from prehistory to the present, including stylistic development, use of art in communication and decoration, and the aesthetic and intellectual value of art.
navigable
Allowing for a certain amount of control in an artwork.
affective
Aiming for the experience of feeling or emotion.
furniture
Movable or fixed objects or equipment, which may be either functional or ornamental, particularly objects for sitting, reclining, or storage, such as chairs, beds, tables, cabinets, etc., in a dwelling, business, or public space.
commerce
Large-scale organized system related to the exchange of goods and services
spectator
Individuals who are present at and observe live events, works of art, motion pictures, or architecture.
public spaces
Open spaces designed for public use or are accesible to the public, often designed to foster a sense of community.
art interventions
Art works, including performance art, designed specifically to interact with an existing work, structure, environment, or situation, be it another artwork, the audience, an institution, or in the public domain.
game art
Game art is an art movement that developed at the beginning of the 21st century and explicitly refers to the virtual space of digital game worlds.
glitch art
Art genre that uses digital or analog errors for aesthetic purposes.
digital activism
Use of electronic communication technologies for various forms of activism.
hybrid art
Hybrid art is a contemporary art movement in which artists work with frontier areas of science and emerging technologies. Artists work with fields such as biology, robotics, physical sciences, experimental interface technologies, artificial intelligence, and information visualization. They address the research in many ways such as undertaking new research agendas, visualizing results in new ways, or critiquing the social implications of the research.
auditory user interfaces (AUI)
Interfaces that rely primarily on audio for interaction, e.g. speech and sound.
interactive media
Media requiring interaction from the user to be understood, executed, or experienced.
ludic interfaces
Interfaces that are designed to be inherently
internet of things (IoT)
Proposed Internet-like structure connecting everyday physical objects.
mixed reality-based interaction
Merging of virtual and real worlds as foundation for interaction with works of art.
facial recognition system
Computer application capable of identifying or verifying an individual person from a digital image.
breath based communication
Communication that relies on the inhalation and exhalation of air from the lungs.
augmented reality interfaces
Interface based on the interactive experience of a real-world environment enhanced by computer-generated perceptual information.
light-emitting diodes (LEDs)
Semiconductor diodes that emit visible or infrared light when voltage is applied to them. They are most commonly used as indicator lamps in electronic devices or in automobiles. More recent applications include signage and illumination.
vacuum fluorescent displays (VFD)
Electronic display device that operates on the principle of cathodoluminescence.
tactile feedback technology
Tactile feedback technology can create an experience of touch by applying forces, vibrations, or motions to the user.
headphones
Small loudspeakers worn on the head for listening to music or for communications purpose; may have speakers for one or both ears, attached to the head by a band.
holography
Photographic recording of a light field, rather than of an image formed by a lens, used to display a three-dimensional image of the holographed subject. Processes create three-dimensional appearing images by laser light; when properly viewed, the interference pattern recreates the pattern of light originally reflected by the subject. Allows multiple perspectives such that images in the background are obscured and revealed by those in the foreground as the angle of view changes.
electromechanical display devices
Output device for the presentation of visual information that is based on electronical and mechanical principles. A well-known electromechanical display device is the split-flap display, which is often used as a public transport timetable, e.g. in airports or railway stations
electronic paper
Display technology that mimics the appearance of ordinary ink on paper
plasma display panels
Flat-panel video displays for computers and other such devices that utilize ionized gas, or plasma, to illuminate pixels on the screen which emits a bright light that reflects focused color and images.
bodies (as non-electronic displays)
Using the body as vital component for an artwork. This also encompasses artworks dealing with transhumanism, cyborgism etc.
printers
Output devices that convert coded information from the processor into a readable form on paper.
head-up displays
Transparent display presenting data within normal sight lines of the user.
paper
Refers generally to all types of thin matted or felted sheets or webs of fiber formed and dried on a fine screen from a pulpy water suspension. The fibers may be animal, such as hair, silk or wool, or mineral, such as asbestos, or synthetic. However most paper is made from cellulosic plant fiber, such as from wood pulp, grass, cotton, linen, and straw.
globes (as non-electronic displays)
easel paintings
Paintings executed on an easel or other portable device, having either canvas or panel supports; generally restricted to those painted from the 16th century forward.
sculptures
Three-dimensional works of art in which images and forms are produced in relief, in intaglio, or in the round. The term refers particularly to art works created by carving or engraving a hard material, by molding or casting a malleable material (which usually then hardens), or by assembling parts to create a three-dimensional object. It is typically used to refer to large or medium-sized objects made of stone, wood, bronze, or another metal. For the process use
tangible acoustic interfaces (TAI)
Interfaces that are based on acoustic-sensing technologies, e.g. sound source location and acoustic imaging.
touch user interfaces
Computer-pointing technology based upon the sense of touch. It enables not only the sense of touch to innervate and activate computer-based functions, it also allows the user, particularly those with visual impairments, an added level of interaction based upon tactile or Braille input.
musical instruments
Sound-producing apparatuses whose primary function is to play music.
turntables
Refers to the plates of gramophones or record players on which the recorded discs rest and are spun to draw the grooves of recorded sound under a stylus, at fixed speeds, to enable reproduction of sound. Usage of the term is frequently extended to the totality of the machinery or housing of this plate.
mobile devices
Small, hand-held computing devices.
wireless sensor networks (WSN)
Refers to networks of autonomous sensor nodes monitoring environmental or physical conditions at diverse locations that pass their data via wireless technology to a central location.
optical character recognition (OCR)
The process of electronic conversion of handwritten or printed characters into machine-encoded text by means of an optical scanner, special software that identifies text images, and an output interface which reproduces them in electronic form.
automatic identification and data capture (AIDC)
Methods of automatically identifying objects by computer system.
biometrics
Statistical study of biological observations and phenomena.
plotters
Output devices for translating information from computers into pictorial or graphic form on paper or a similar medium.
synthesizers
Electronic instruments made in a wide variety of models differing considerably in size, appearance, and manner of operation, though generally their output must pass through external amplifiers and loudspeakers to produce sound.
Global Positioning System (GPS)
Refers to the technology originally developed by the U.S. Department of Defense and consisting of 24 satellites that continuously transmit signals globally. In conjunction with receivers on Earth, the system uses triangulation to quickly and accurately determine the latitude, longitude, and altitude of a point on or above the Earth's surface. In addition to military applications, the system is primarily used to gather spatial data needed for making maps and to calculate geographic positions for travelers on Earth who have GPS receivers. The system was originally called
(Navigation System with Timing And Ranging).
multimodal interaction
Form of human-machine interaction using multiple modes of input/output.
tangible user interfaces (TUI)
User interface in which a person interacts with digital information through the physical environment.
multi-touchscreens
Technology that enables a surface (a touchpad or touchscreen) to recognize the presence of more than one point of contact with the surface at the same time.
robotic user interfaces (RUI)
Either an interface to a robot, or a robot serving itself as an interface to another system.
anamorphic
Images so executed as to give a distorted shape to the object represented but which, if viewed from a certain point or using a curved mirror or other instrument, show the object in true proportion.
tactile
Specially designed for perception through touch.
telematic
Based on the long-distance sending and receiving of computerized information.
time-based
Artworks that are dependent on technology and have a durational dimension.
virtual
Artworks that do not exist in the physical world, such as digital art works.
visual
Works of art, architecture, and any objects that occupy space, are perceived by the sense of sight, and are created or arranged, rather than naturally occurring.
duplicated
Use of reproduction and copying as a creative tool to achieve aesthetic effects.
experimental
Application of new methods, ideas, materials, etc. to find out what aesthetic effects they produce.
realistic
Quality of artworks in which the depiction is based on or seems to be based on the direct observation of the external world, including or even emphasizing flaws and imperfections rather than the beauty or idealized characteristics.
automated
Using or devising mechanical or electronic devices, processes, or systems which take the place of human effort, observation, or decision, and which require minimal human intervention in their operation.
autopoietic
Relying on a systems concept which entails automatic reproduction and maintenance.
disgusting
With the intention to raise strong feelings of disapproval and dislike at a situation, behaviour, etc.
distorted
Quality or state in a painting or of an object due to the use of optical illusions, manipulated surfaces, or discordantly juxtaposed images.
documenting
Gathering and recording information, especially to record facts or characteristics or to establish evidence or testimony.
interactive
Making use of two-way systems involving feedback from a viewer or user to obtain data or commands and to give immediate results or updated information. Generally used to describe computer-based systems, but may have broader applications as well.
modular
Based on a system of components that can be separated and recombined.
multiple
Works of art designed to be produced so that there is more than one original, theoretically in unlimited numbers. The most common examples are works produced from plates or negatives, including engravings, etchings, lithographs, photographs, and other prints. Multiples can also be produced from others device or methods, e.g. computer programs.
networked
Based on a system of interconnected computers or any instances of two or more organisations or individuals engaged in a common pattern of information exchange through automated, online, or on air communications links.
olfactory
Artworks primarily experienced via the sense of smell.
performative
Meant to be presented publicly. Art that focuses on presentation, actions, processes rather than producing static objects.
polysensory
Relating to multiple senses.
projected
Images cast on a surface or in space by optical means, generally by placing an object between a light source and the surface or a designated point in space. They include images created with slides or film, digital images or other computer files, or shadows cast from opaque objects; projections on surfaces may be cast from the front or the rear of the surface. They also include holograms cast onto a point in space.
found objects
Objects, natural or human-made, unaltered or only slightly altered, presented by an artist as works of art in themselves or used as parts of works of art.
remediated
Representation of one medium in another. New media may revise, repurpose, remix, reference, and/or compete with older media. Remix, one of the tools used most often in remediation, is altering a work from its original state by adding, removing, and/or changing pieces of the item.
site-specific
Artworks that are designed for specific locations, especially those that exploit or incorporate aspects of their sites.
sonification
Using sounds other than speech to convey information or perceptualize data.
cybernetic
Works of art that are capable of responding to external stimuli.
ephemeral
Artworks that have a temporal immediacy or are built with the recognition that they will disintegrate.
generative
Capability of producing something or causing it to develop, e.g. via algorithms.
gustatory
Artworks relying primarily on the sense of taste.
hypermediacy
Style of visual representation whose goal is to remind the viewer of the medium. Hypermediacy plays upon the desire for immediacy and transparent immediacy, making us hyper-conscious of our act of seeing (or gazing).
immersive
Giving the perception of being physically present in a non-physical world. The degree of immersion can vary based on the technologies or media that are used to create immersive experiences.
mobile
Moveable.
remixed
Piece of media that has been edited and re-released. Remixing is one technique of remediation.
sculptural
Aesthetics of three-dimensional works of art in which images and forms are produced in relief, in intaglio, or in the round.
allegory
Method of expressing complex or abstract ideas in the literary or visual arts under the guise of another subject of aptly suggestive resemblance. An allegory is principally constructed from personifications and symbols. In art, allegories include combinations of personifications and/or symbols, which, on the basis of a conventionally agreed relation between concept and representation, refer to an idea outside the work of art. The properties and circumstances attributed to the apparent subject of the allegory really refer to another subject in an extended or continued metaphor. Allegories may have meaning on two or more levels that the viewer or reader can understand only through an interpretive process.
anamorphoses
animations
Works that present the illusion of movement and that may be created by a number of techniques including successive drawings, photographing positions of puppets or models, or using computers.
art market
Refers to the buying, selling, and trading of works of art.
collage
Refers to the technique of making compositions in two dimensions or very low relief by gluing paper, fabrics, photographs, or other materials onto a flat surface. The technique is also applied in the digital realm.
gaze
Psychoanalytical concept and theory surrounding a supposed anxious state that comes with the awareness that one can be viewed: the subject loses a degree of autonomy upon realizing that he or she is a visible object. In the context of art, literature, film, and other arts, a way of regarding people or things so as to embody certain aspects of the relationship between the observer and the observed.
grids
Networks of horizontal and vertical lines used to guide the layout of graphic material.
optical illusion
Deceptive visual phenomena induced by the refraction of light as it passes through one substance to another or by atmospheric conditions that manipulate light rays.
mirrors
model
Something that serves as an ideal, a pattern to follow or copy, or source of inspiration to a creator. Can be physical or conceptual.
nude
The absence of clothing, leaving those parts of the body that, in the cultural traditions of the viewer, are usually covered, exposed to view. Also an art genre for works that have as their primary subject the unclothed human body.
ornaments
Decorative forms or embellishments that are an integral part of a building or object but are not essential to its structure. Refers also to decorative objects attached to or worn by humans and animals.
paintings
Unique works in which images are formed primarily by the direct application of pigments suspended in oil, water, egg yolk, molten wax, or other liquid, arranged in masses of color, onto a generally two-dimensional surface.
portraits
Representations of real individuals that are intended to capture a known or supposed likeness, usually including the face of the person.
projections
Refers to images cast on a surface or in space by optical means, generally by placing an object between a light source and the surface or a designated point in space. They include images created with slides or film, digital images or other computer files, or shadows cast from opaque objects; projections on surfaces may be cast from the front or the rear of the surface. They also include holograms cast onto a point in space.
shadows
Areas of partial darkness produced by a body intercepting the direct rays of the sun or other luminary, so that radiation is unable to reach the darkened area directly.
sketches
Rough or summary art works; less finished than studies. Though sketches are often in the drawing medium, the term
in general implies more finished works than does
still lifes
Images in which the focus is a depiction of inanimate objects, as distinguished from art in which such objects are subsidiary elements in a composition. The term is generally applied to depictions of fruit, flowers, meat or dead game, vessels, eating utensils, and other objects, including skulls, candles, and hourglasses, typically arranged on a table. The subject is generally seen in oil paintings, though it can also be found in mosaics, watercolors, prints, collages, and photographs.
virtuality
Non-physical property of an entity or collection of entities.
beauty
A pleasing quality associated with harmony of form or color, excellence of craftsmanship, truthfulness, originality, or another, often unspecified, quality.
conservation
The action or process of conserving for the preservation of existence, state, life, health, safeguarding from destructive influences, natural decay, or waste. May apply to conserving a building, object, environment, species, or other thing.
photography
The dedicated practice of making photographs as an applied art.
anatomy
Discipline concerned with the structure, function, and development of the cells, tissues, and organs constituting the animal body.
agency
Capacity of an agent to act in a world.
performativity
The ability of language to effect change in the world.
death
Cessation of life processes of all living organisms, but particularly refers to the act as it occurs in individual human beings.
disease
An abnormal, pathological condition that affects part or all of an organism, affecting the functioning of one or more of an organism's systems, parts, or organs. It is often construed as a medical condition associated with specific symptoms and signs.
embodiment
Representation of a certain quality or idea. Also refers to a theory in cognitive science holding that cognition is shaped by an organism's entire body.
physiognomy
Study of the interpretation of facial features with respect to qualities of mind or character, shown by peculiarities of configuration or cast or characteristic expression. Can also refer to the general appearance of a person without reference to its implied characteristics.
feelings
Conscious subjective experience of emotion.
skin
The layer of tissue forming the external covering of the body in vertebrates.
facial expression
Motions or positions of subcutaneous (human) face muscles, conveying emotional state.
surgery
Treating injuries, diseases, pathological conditions, deformities, and other disorders by operative manual and instrumental techniques.
posthuman
Concept originating in the fields of science fiction, futurology, contemporary art, and philosophy that means a person or entity that exists in a state beyond being human.
comedy
Genre encompassing forms of theatre, literature, and improvisation with the basic objective to amuse, humor, and induce laughter. In general, it is often contrasted with tragedy and can be applied in the form of social criticism through satire and political or intellectual wit or applied in the form of pure spectacle through farce or burlesque.
comics
Used broadly for sequential graphic narratives, often serialized, and typically having dialogue written in balloons.
fashion
A prevailing usually short lived custom, usage, or style in clothing, cars, restaurants, or other personal possessions and services.
festivals
Gala occasions devoted to community observances, such as harvests or anniversaries of notable persons; also cultural events consisting typically of a series of performances of works in the arts.
masks
Refers to coverings for all or part of the face, usually with openings for the eyes and sometimes the mouth. They are worn to hide or alter the identity of the wearer or for protection. Masks are extremely varied in appearance, function, and fundamental meaning. They may be associated with ceremonies that have religious and social significance or are concerned with funerary customs, fertility rites, or curing sickness. They may be used on festive occasions or to portray characters in a dramatic performance and in re-enactments of mythological events. They may be used for warfare and as protective devices in certain sports. They are also employed as architectural ornaments.
parody
The form of analytical criticism in which one performance or work of art or literature subversively mimics another work or its style by adapting and inverting its characteristic features, in order to reveal weaknesses, pretensions, or lack of self-awareness in the original.
spectacles
Performances and displays on a large scale that are specially prepared or arranged for viewing, usually by the public, with the intent of forming an impressive or interesting show or entertainment.
toys
Material objects contrived for amusement rather than for practical use by children or pets, or intended as collectibles by adults. Toys are generally miniature versions of real beings or objects that lend themselves to imaginative or imitative play. Toys may also be items for use in games. Among the earliest toys were dolls and balls.
phantasmagoria
Phantasmagoria was a form of horror theatre that (among other techniques) used one or more magic lanterns to project frightening images, such as skeletons, demons, and ghosts, onto walls, smoke, or semi-transparent screens, typically using rear projection to keep the lantern out of sight.
counterculture
Subculture whose values and norms of behavior deviate from those of mainstream society. A prominent example is the counterculture of the 1960s.
mass culture
ancestors
Those from whom a person is descended, usually considered to be those more remote in the line of descent than grandparents.
artifacts
Generally, objects or other things made or modified by humans, typically manually portable products of human workmanship, such as tools, utensils, objects for personal adornment, or art, as distinguished from natural remains. In archaeology, an artifact is an object made by a human culture and later recovered by an archaeological endeavor.
cultural heritage
The belief systems, values, philosophical systems, knowledge, behaviors, customs, arts, history, experience, languages, social relationships, institutions, and material goods and creations belonging to a group of people and transmitted from one generation to another. The group of people or society may be bound together by race, age, ethnicity, language, national origin, religion, or other social categories or groupings.
nostalgia
State of wistful yearning to return to a former place or time.
preservation
The maintenance of objects as closely as possible to their original condition through appropriate environmentally controlled collection maintenance, repair, and physical treatment. Refers to actions taken to prevent further changes or deterioration in objects, sites, or structures. More generally, for the treatment, preventive care, and research directed toward the long-term safekeeping of cultural and natural heritage, see
romanticism
Refers to the European movement affecting visual arts, literature, music, and to a lesser degree architecture from the mid-18th to the mid-19th centuries. Viewed as a reaction to Neoclassical formality, it stressed emotion and the right to individual expression. Works encompass a range of styles but in general are painterly, dynamic, and reflect an interest in color over line.
memorial
Area or object, smaller than a monument, which serves as a focus for memory of something.
collective memory
Shared pool of memories, knowledge and information of a social group that is significantly associated with the group's identity.
teleology
Philosophical study of finality, especially as it pertains to design or purposes in the processes of nature.
modern era
Era from ca. 1500 until present.
postcolonialism
The historical-political-cultural nexus of the global colonial experience and its aftermath in the late 20th century and beyond; it embraces the colonial past, the present time following the end of colonial status in a given region, the exile and diaspora of colonized and colonizing peoples, and the politics of multiculturalism.
psychedelic
Advocation of the exploration of the subconscious mind through drugs, sensory deprivation, and a total immersion of the senses through music and light shows. In the visual arts, the style is characterized by obsessively detailed images, ambiguous representations of space, and acidic colors.
supernaturalism
The study of entites or phenomena that are thought to be beyond the laws of nature.
superstition
Belief in irrational supernatural causality.
uncanny
Psychological experience of something as strangely familiar.
esoterism
Wide range of loosely related ideas and movements associated with the occult or secrets.
animism
Refers to the belief in spiritual beings capable of influencing human events, based on the idea that animals, plants and even inanimate objects have souls like humans.
metaphysics
Branch of philosophy inquring into the fundamental nature of reality, including such concepts as being, substance, essence, time, space, cause, and identity.
ghosts
Souls of deceased persons, spoken of as appearing in a visible form, or otherwise manifesting their presence, to the living.
video surveillance
Closed-circuit television specifically for surveillance purposes.
big data
Information assets characterized by such a high volume, velocity, and variety to require specific technology and analytical methods for its transformation into value.
error messages
Message displayed on a monitor screen or printout indicating that an incorrect instruction has been given or that there is an error resulting from faulty software or hardware.
global village
Global village describes the phenomenon of the entire world becoming more interconnected as the result of the propagation of media technologies throughout the world.
hypertext
Generally, hypertext is any collection of written or pictorial matter that may be experienced non-sequentially, specifically used now in relation to the World Wide Web.
information
Data, ideas, and imaginative works that have been communicated, recorded, published and/or distributed formally or informally in any format.
media theory
Theories of media and communication, usually (but not exclusively) they are explored within the discipline media studies and often approach the relationship between people and media.
radio
Telecommunication system whereby sound and code signals are transmitted through space without wires by means of radio frequency electromagnetic waves.
telecommunications
Science of communication over long distances, especially by electronic means, such as telephone systems or broadcasting.
writing
Forming or producing letters to record the ideas which characters and words express or to communicate the ideas by visible signs.
advertising
Public presentation of or calling attention to a product, service, event, or idea, that is openly paid for by an identified entity. Media for advertising include print and online publications, posters, television, and other media.
print media
Written or pictorial form of communication produced mechanically or electronically using printing, photocopying, or digital methods from which multiple copies can be made through automated processes. In a narrower sense, any form of ‘ink and paper’ communication that is not hand-written or hand-typed, including books, circulars, journals, lithographs, memos, magazines, newspapers, pamphlets, and periodicals.
electronic media
Media that use electronics or electromechanical energy for the audience to access the content.
nonhuman communication
Any form of communication outside of the human realm.
social media
Refers to tools, usually a combination of software and database accessible through the World Wide Web, which enable persistent computer-mediated relationships that encompass social networking, blogs, wikis, and social or collaborative tagging.
vegetation
Plants collectively, usually referring to plants or vegetal growths in a defined area.
atmosphere
The gas and aerosol envelope that extends from the ocean, land, and ice-covered surface of a planet outward into space; used especially in reference to the earth where it is held by the force of gravity.
ecology
Branch of biology dealing with the relations and interactions between organisms and their habitat, including other organisms.
four elements
Group of four elements (fire, earth, water, air) into which according to ancient notions any object may be analyzed
pollution
The introduction of or condition of having harmful or otherwise undesirable substances or products in the environment.
global warming
The gradual increase over time of the average temperature of the entire earth's lower atmosphere. Global warming has occurred in the distant past as the result of natural influences, but the term is most often used to refer to the warming predicted to occur as a result of emissions of greenhouse gases directly and indirectly caused from the burning of fossil fuels. An increase of the earth's temperature by only a few degrees results in dramatic climate change, loss of habitat and species, sea-level rise, and alteration of the oceans' currents.
magnetism
Class of physical phenomena associated with magnets and the fields of force produced by moving electric currents.
catastrophes
Sudden calamitous events producing great material damage, loss, or distress.
energy
Generally, the capacity to do work; precisely, any quantity with dimensions that can be represented as mass times length squared divided by time squared.
agriculture
Science or discipline of cultivating the soil, harvesting crops, and raising livestock.
oceans
Category of marine body of water comprising the main water areas of the earth, lying in basins.
sustainability
The preservation of natural or cultural resources through managed use. For example, as an ecological concept, the preservation of natural resources through responsible use and stewardship; a component of sustainable development. In context of conservation, preserving cultural heritage resources through maintenance and limited use.
physical laws
Scientific law of physics.
authority
Authority is the power of a person or group over other people. In a civil state, authority is practiced in ways such a judicial branch or an executive branch of government.
colonialism
The political phenomenon that occured from ca. 1500, whereby European nations conquered and exploited the peoples in other parts of the world. Often used generally, and in a derogatory manner, referring to a policy of control by one country over another group or area.
conspiracies
Events involving multiple people reaching agreement or working together for an evil or unlawful purpose, such as treason, sedition, murder, or other serious wrong doing.
discrimination
Biased or differential attitudes toward or treatment of people on the basis of the group, class, or category to which they belong.
geopolitics
Study of the geographic aspects of political phenomena, including the geographical bases of the power of nations, and geographic influences on power relationships in international politics.
governance
All of the processes of governing, whether undertaken by a government, market or network, whether over a family, tribe, formal or informal organization or territory and whether through the laws, norms, power or language of an organized society.
heroism
Great courage. Acts of bravery.
human rights
Rights deemed by a society to be possessed by all humans, typicaly a set of entitlements held to be critical by virtue of being human.
imperialism
Creation of an unequal relationship between states through domination.
markets
Congregations of people at a stated time and place for the purpose of private buying and selling, usually not by auction.
military
Refers in the aggregate to military, naval and air forces of any nation.
sovereignty
Supreme and independent authority of a political unit to make and apply laws within its own boundaries and to conduct international relations.
terrorism
Systematic use of terror, violence, and intimidation against people, usually civilians, or property to create a general climate of fear in a population. The purpose of terrorism is typically to bring about a particular political or social objective.
warfare
Conduct of war, often including the weapons and methods that are used.
love
Emotional and psychological state based on strong affection, loyalty, and benevolence for another arising out of kinship, as in maternal love; arising out of sexual attraction and emotional affinity, as in affection and tenderness felt between lovers; and arising out of respect and admiration, as in the valuation and appreciation among friends.
affect
Experience of feeling or emotion.
alienation
Of a person, or his or her feelings: estranged, excluded, or turned away (from a person or thing); experiencing a feeling of estrangement or isolation. Also in extended use: (of a period, place, etc.) characterized by or inducing such feelings.
anger
Strong emotional reaction of displeasure or hostility demonstrated by physical reactions, particular facial grimaces and body positions characteristic of action in the autonomic nervous system.
stress
Resultant condition of applied force; condition existing in a body when its internal structure or surfaces resist a force that produces or tends to produce deformation in the body.
cognition
Mental processes by which knowledge is acquired. These include knowing, perceiving, reasoning and problem-solving.
curiosity
Desire to learn, explore, or investigate.
depression
State of low mood and aversion to activity, which can affect a person's thoughts, behavior, motivation, feelings, and sense of well-being.
disgust
Strong feeling of disapproval and dislike at a situation, person's behaviour, etc.
ecstasy
Advanced emotion, subjective experience of total involvement of the subject, with an object of their awareness.
empathy
The capacity for participating in, or a vicarious experiencing of, another's feelings, volitions, or ideas.
erotic
Refers to the emotional, intellectual, and physiological condition of sexual arousal. Use also for the capacity or quality of inspiring such arousal through suggestion, symbolism, or allusion.
experience
Subjective interpretation of perceptible stimuli by an individual.
fear
The state of alarm and urgency; apprehension toward a potentially harmful experience.
happiness
The personal state of pleasurable contentment of mind, typically including contentment with or resignation to one's circumstances.
isolation
State of seclusion or isolation of a person or a group.
joy
Emotion expressing the mental state of happiness, bliss, and felicity.
narcissism
Personality trait of self-love of a perceived perfect self.
optimism
Positive mental attitude.
perception
The process of becoming aware of objects, qualities, or relations via the sense organs; involves the reception, processing, and interpretation of sensory impressions.
pessimism
Mental attitude and philosophical position that dwells on the dark or gloomy side of things, the world or the universe, culminating in a sense of their vanity and nothingness that is sometimes thought to render them unworthy of existence.
pleasure
The state of emotional, mental, or physical gratification. Also refers to the source of joy or amusement.
psychoanalysis
The science concerning the relation of conscious and unconscious psychological processes; also a particular method of investigation of unconscious mental processes, designed to bring preconscious and unconscious material to the patient's consciousness in order to treat behavioral and personality disorders.
sadness
A pensive psychological state characterized by despair and dejection.
self awareness
Capacity for an individual to consciously know and understand one's own character, feelings, motives, and desires.
shame
The painful emotion arising from the consciousness of something dishonoring, ridiculous, or indecorous in one's own conduct or circumstances of being in a situation which offends one's sense of modesty or decency.
shock
A sudden, unexpected, and usually unpleasant event or experience. In medicine a condition of insufficient blood flow to the tissues of the body.
trust
Assumption of and reliance on the honesty of another party.
psychosis
Abnormal condition of the mind that involves hallucinations and delusions and is a symptom of any of various disorders or other causes.
paranoia
Thought process believed to be heavily influenced by anxiety or fear, often to the point of delusion and irrationality.
unconsciousness
The state, in a normally conscious being, of not being conscious.
mental disorders
General term for any emotional or organic mental impairments, manifested in maladaptive behavior, psychological problems, or impairment in one or more significant areas of functioning.
loneliness
Unpleasant emotional response to isolation.
anxiety
Refers to the irrationally-based feeling of apprehension or dread, a product of internal emotional or psychological conflicts. The feeling can be situation-specific, chronic, or general and diffuse. Often associated with Freudian ideas of suppressed feelings and impulses and with the idea of learned or conditioned response mechanism in which the anxiety is triggered by events or stimuli associated with circumstances that previously produced a frightening or stressful experience.
amnesia
Cognitive disorder where the memory is disturbed or lost and involves the loss of memories previously established, loss of the ability to create new memories, continuous high blood pressure and severe shock may also caused amnesia.
Islam
Refers to the religious beliefs and social practices founded in the seventh century by the Arabian Prophet Muhammad, held to be the last of a series of major prophets, which include, according to Islamic dogma, Adam, Noah, and Jesus. It later spread throughout the Middle East, Africa, Europe, and parts of Asia. It is characterized by the belief in the fundamental idea that a devotee 'surrenders' and submits his will to Allah, the prime creator and sustainer of the universe and all creation. In Islam, God is unique and has no partner or intermediary as in the Christian Trinity. Social service and the active alleviation of suffering in others is considered the only path to salvation and prayer and sacred ritual alone are inadequate forms of submission to Allah. The Qur'an (Koran), the sacred text of the religion, is a compilation of revelations from Allah believed to have been received by Muhammad.
Buddhism
Refers to the philosophy and religion based on the enlightenment and teachings of the Buddha Gautama in the early sixth century BCE in the northeastern region of modern India. Playing dominant roles in the art and culture of Southeast Asia and East Asia, this religion is based on the transcendence of human suffering and pain through the acceptance of the limitations of individuality, the surrender of worldly desires and cravings that cause disappointment and sorrow, and the deliverance from the impermanence of living and individual ego based on wealth, social position, or family through the process of enlightenment (nirvana). The religion also centers around 'anatman', or no-self, the idea that the self is in a state of action or a series of changing manifestations rather than in a state of fixed, metaphysical substance. The structure of the religion is based on the Triratna (
of Buddha), a tripartite schematic for living based on three elements: Buddha (the teacher), dharma (the teaching), and sangha (community).
Judaism
Refers to the monotheistic religion of the Jewish people, central to which is the belief that the ancient Israelites experienced God's presence in human events. Jews believe that the one God delivered the Israelites out of bondage in Egypt, revealed the structure of communal and individual life to them, and chose them to be a holy nation of people able to set an example for all humankind. The Hebrew Bible and Talmud are the two primary sources for Judaism's spiritual and ethical principles. The religion, which traces its origins to Abraham, places more emphasis on expressing beliefs through ritual rather than through abstract doctrine. The Sabbath, beginning on sunset on Friday and ending at sunset on Saturday, is the central religious observance; there is also an annual cycle of religious festivals and days of fasting. Judaism has had a diverse history of development over almost 4000 years, with a number of resulting branches in modern times, namely Orthodox, Conservative, and Reform.
creation
The bringing into existence of the world or universe, usually by a deity or supernatural force, either making the universe out of nothing, or fashioning pre-existing materials into the universe. As defined by many historical and some current religions, the beginning of the world as an event from which the reckoning of time begins. Most modern religions reconcile the doctrine with scientific theory by treating the literary tradition of creation stories, such as in the Bible, as allegory, while some consider the literary tradition of creation as fact.
afterlife
The idea of survival of a person in some form after physical death. This notion is present in a wide variety of forms in different religions.
exodus
The departure of the Hebrew slaves from Egypt under the leadership of Moses. Also the second of the Books of Moses in the Old Testament of the Bible. For exodus in the sense of mass emigration please use
rituals
Generally, practices or patterns of behavior regularly performed in a set, precise manner, for either personal or public purposes. Specifically, particular activities performed during a designated event, often a ceremony.
sacrifices
Offerings to a deity, for the purpose of propitiation or homage, usually something of value, material or immaterial; human, animal, or other living agent or object.
spirituality
In modern times the term broadened to refer to a wider range of experiences, including a range of esoteric and religious traditions.
visions
Experiences in which a person, thing, or event appears vividly or credibly to the mind, although not actually present.
worship
The reverent love and allegiance accorded a deity, idol, or sacred object, often expressed through ceremonies, prayers, or other religious rituals.
paradise
Place or state of perfect freedom, peace, innocence, and plenty, often referred to both as the original state of humanity and a blissful world to come. Common to many religions and mythologies.
Bibles
Refers to books, scrolls, rolls, or other document forms containing the sacred scriptures of Judaism or Christianity. Bibles may also contain illuminations, which are painted scenes or decorations. The Bible is composed of two parts: The Hebrew scriptures or Old Testament, written originally in Hebrew (with some parts in Aramaic) and including the writings of the Jewish people, and the New Testament, composed in Greek and recording the story of Jesus and the beginnings of Christianity. The Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox versions of the Old Testament are somewhat larger than the Protestant Bible because they accept certain books and parts of books considered apocryphal by Protestants. The Jewish Bible includes only the books known to Christians as the Old Testament. The arrangements of the Jewish and Christian canons differ considerably. Traditionally the Jews have divided their scriptures (the Old Testament) into three parts: The Torah (the
), or Hagiographa. The stories, moral teachings, and theological doctrines in the bible have provided subjects for an immense body of visual art in both Christian and Jewish imagery. For Christians, a canon of biblical books was established in the Early Christian period; however, several apocryphal books continued to circulate long afterwards. Beginning in the late medieval period, poetic and dramatic interpretations of biblical narratives were very popular, providing ample extra-canonical literature that contributed to the development of important subjects in Christian art.
Christianity
Refers to the world religion and culture that developed in the first century CE, driven by the teachings of Jesus Christ of Nazareth. Its roots are in the Judaic tradition and the Old Testament. The tenets include a belief in the death and redemptive resurrection of Jesus. The religion incorporates a tradition of faith, ritual, and a form of church authority or leadership.
crucifixions
To put to death by nailing or otherwise fastening to a cross; an ancient mode of capital punishment among Asians, Greeks, Romans, and other peoples. In Greek and Roman culture, was considered an especially ignominious means of execution.
sin
Acts or thoughts that are transgressions of the divine law and an offence against God, or are a deliberate violation of some religious or moral principle.
heretic
Believer, deviating from accepted doctrine.
astronomy
The science that deals with the material universe beyond the earth's atmosphere, comprising the study of celestial objects and extraterrestrial phenomena, and of the nature and history of the universe.
biology
The study of living organisms, including their structure, functioning, origin and evolution, classification, interrelationships, and distribution.
botany
The scientific study of all plant life, including their structure, properties, and biochemical processes.
experiments
Testing a hypothesis or model. In science and related fields, refers to testing systematically under controlled conditions in order to discover the qualities, behavior, or effects of the subject of the experiment.
geometry
Branch of mathematics dealing with the measurement, relationships and properties of points, lines, curves, angles, surfaces, and solid figures.
history of science
Study of scientific concepts and practice throughout human history in a global, social, and cultural context.
libraries
Collections of books, periodicals, and other materials, organized to provide physical, bibliographic, and intellectual access by the public or members of a group.
neuroscience
Scientific study of the nervous system.
physics
Science that studies the laws determining the structure of the observable universe and the interaction between its fundamental constituents, such as matter and energy, with the broad goal of explaining natural phenomena.
research
Conducting diligent and systematic inquiry or investigation into a subject or question, especially in order to discover or revise facts or theories.
statistics
Branch of mathematics that deals with the collection and arrangement of numerical facts or data,whether relating to human affairs or to natural phenomena.
humanities
Branches of learning regarded as having primarily a cultural character, such as languages, literature, and philosophy.
evidence
Evidence which either supports or counters a scientific theory.
activism
Efforts to make change in society toward a perceived greater good.
capitalism
Economic system characterized by private or corporate ownership of capital goods, by investments that are determined by private decision rather than state control, and by prices, production, and the distribution of goods that are determined mainly by competition in a free market.
civilization
Generally, a relatively high level of cultural and technological development in human society. Specifically, the stage of cultural development at which writing and the keeping of written records is attained.
consumption
Purchase and use of goods and services.
diversity
The condition of having elements that are different, varied, or unlike. Used often to describe organizational or social groups composed of different types of people with varying perspectives.
economy
The management or administration of the money, financial resources, or material resources of a community, a nation, or the world.
equality
The condition or ideal of uniformity in treatment, status, dignity, rank, or privileges, particularly as recognized by those in a society who are in a position to affect or influence these standards.
morality
Ethical wisdom, knowledge, or qualities, as evidenced in behavior conforming to moral law or accepted moral standards, particularly in relation to sexual matters or personal qualities judged to be good.
ethnicity
The perception of identity, distinctiveness, and significance of a group that shares a linguistic group, religious belief, nationality, cultural tradition, or perceived physiological characteristics.
feminism
Social and political critical theory and movement asserting the inherent value of women and female characteristics, and working to protect and promote women's rights and interests.
globalization
Refers to the global integration of economic, political, cultural and social institutions as motivated by objectives which include fostering international cooperation and coordination, universalizing regulatory standards, and enabling free flow of capital and free trade. The term is also used to imply the loss of national identity that globalization is perceived to bring.
information society
An information society is a society where the usage, creation, distribution, manipulation and integration of information is a significant activity.
mass society
Mass society is a concept that describes modern society as a monolithic force and yet a disaggregate collection of individuals.
migration
The function of moving from one country, region, or place to settle in another.
minorities
Smaller groups within a larger society that are the objects of prejudice or discrimination from the majority.
native
The original, or earliest known, inhabitants of a colony or country.
otherness
Process of differentiation and demarcation where an in-group construes one or many out-groups with the intention to draw the line between
understands this process as an underlying cultural process, which maintains these boundaries.
participation
Inclusion of individuals and organizations in decision-making and opinion-forming processes.
patriarchies
The provinces or jurisdictions of a patriarch.
poverty
The condition of having little or no wealth or material possessions.
racism
Discriminatory attitudes and denial of rights, privileges, or choice because of race.
unemployment
The state of being without a paying job.
wealth
All property or resources that have monetary or exchangeable value or economic utility.
individuality
Characteristic that contributes to the differentiation or distinction of someone or something from a group of otherwise comparable identity.
banking
Business of receiving and safeguarding money on deposit, loaning money, extending credit, and facilitating the transfer of funds by check, draft, or exchange.
cartography
The science and practice of calculation and representation of a geographical area, usually on a flat surface such as a map or chart. It may involve the physical or geographical features, superimposition of political, cultural, or other non-geographical divisions, or the distribution of socio-economic, political, agricultural, meteorological, or other information. Each point in the representation will correspond to an actual geographical position according to a fixed scale or projection. The term map also apply to those who study and calculate similar representations of the positions of stars, planets, the surface of other planet, or the like.
territories
Divisions under the jurisdiction of a nation, not vested with the full authority of provinces or states, but having some degree of local governing and legislative power.
countries
Independent states, or regions once independent and still distinct in race, language, institutions, or historical memories. For example, England, Scotland, and Northern Ireland are countries in the nation of the United Kingdom.
borders
Boundary lines that separate one country from another.
topography
The art or practice of the accurate graphic delineation of the natural and man-made surface features of a specific urban area, tract of land, or other place, especially so as to show their relative positions and elevations.
cyberspace
Computer science concept of a place within the collective memories and interconnecting networks of computers filled with virtual 'stuff' and populated by people with virtual bodies. Distinguished from
which is an immersive virtual physical environment with user interfaces.
three-dimensional
Having, or appearing to have, the three dimensions of length, width, and height.
development
Change over time in human activities, institutions, or settlements, usually in the sense of improvement or expansion.
digitization
Converting, sound, motion pictures, images, or other analog data to binary form to be stored or altered with a computer. (For the application of digital technology in a broader sense please use digital transformation)
emulation
Technique by which one computer is enabled to interpret and execute the instruction set of another.
engineering
The discipline of applying technical, scientific, and mathematical knowledge to the design and construction of architecture, machines, systems, processes, and the like.
innovation
Application of better solutions that meet new requirements, inarticulated needs, or existing market needs.
mechanics
Study of forces on matter or systems, involving the identification and description of such systems by cause-and-effect associations.
mobility
The ability to move via vehicles and services.
open source
Philosophy about free redistribution and access to a product.
telematics
Science of the long-distance sending and receiving of computerized information.
telepresence
Set of technologies which allow a person to feel as if they were present in another place.
military technology
Application of technology for use in warfare.
horoscope
A diagram indicating position of planets and zodiacs with respect to time and place of birth of a person.
enchantment
Magic effect that was put on something or someone.
legends
Stories handed down by tradition from earlier times, usually concerned with a real person, place, or event, and popularly regarded as historical although not entirely verifiable.
fantasy
Ideas having to do solely with the spectacular and improbable, with no or very little relationship to real people, objects, or events.
illusion (performing art)
Performing art focusing on sleight of hand or tricks involving various types of illusion for purposes of entertainment.
collaborative
Focus on participation and working together.
materiality
Putting the substances, or raw ingredients of an artwork in the foreground (rather than for the idea for example).
mythological creatures
Living or animate beings, including animals or people that are fantastic or of anomalous or uncertain aspect or nature.
anthropomorph
Attribution of human traits, emotions, or intentions to non-human entities.
personification
Artistic device that consists of attributing and granting human characteristics to an abstract quality, animal, or inanimate object.
anthropocentrism
Position that human beings are the central species, or the assessment of reality through an exclusively human perspective.
saints
People recognized by others as holy persons; in various religions, the dead who are believed to be in Heaven. In the Roman and Eastern Catholic churches, people who are formally recognized by the Church as having had exceptional holiness of life and therefore an exalted station in heaven, and who have often been formally canonized.
mysticism
Refers in a general sense to a spiritual quest for hidden truth, the goal of which is to be united with the divine. It also refers more specifically to a belief in the existence of important realities beyond perceptual or intellectual understanding that are accessible by subjective experience, such as by intuition or meditation. Forms of mysticism are found in all major religions as well as in secular experience.
alchemy
A form of chemistry and speculative philosophy practiced in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance and concerned principally with discovering methods for transmuting base metal into gold and with finding a universal solvent and an elixir of life.
intelligent environment
electricity
Physical phenomenon involving electric charges and their effects when at rest and in motion.
sculpting
Refers to the process or branch of fine art concerned with creating sculpture, which are three-dimensional works. It refers particularly to carving or engraving a hard material, or with molding or casting a malleable material, so as to produce designs or figures in relief, in intaglio, or in the round. It is typically used to refer to the production of large or medium-sized objects in stone, clay, or bronze.
mythologies
The body of mythical stories or traditional beliefs belonging to a particular religious or cultural tradition; usage often differs from standard religions only in that the belief system is no longer extant.
representation of knowledge
Set of tools used to represent and organize human knowledge in order to use or share it. Also entails the preconditions under which knowledge is produced (e.g., institutions, political systems etc.) and modes of dissemination (e.g., museums, activism etc.).
churches
Institutions that maintain places for public Christian worship.
plants
video (analog)
Type of electrical signals. Also older video recording formats.
radio frequency identification (RFID)
System for tracking objects or animals using radio signals. Usually employed via a device such as a microchip which transmits radio signals.
voice user interfaces (VUI)
Enables spoken human interaction with computers by using speech recognition to understand spoken commands and answer questions.
medicine (discipline)
Discipline concerned with the study of human diseases and injuries, including their causes, treatment, and prevention, and with the diagnosis and management of patients.
immaterial
Exploration of the non-material realm in various domains, e.g. in philosophy the soul,
(Hegel), or ideas (Plato). In natural sciences energy, gravitation, information. Also intangible cultural heritage (folklore, customs, beliefs, traditions, knowledge, etc.).
identity
Those characteristics or conditions of a thing, person, or group that remain the same amid change or that distinguish a thing, person, or group from another.
water
A liquid made up of molecules of hydrogen and oxygen (HO2). When pure, it is colorless, tasteless, and odorless. It exists in gaseous, liquid, and solid forms; it is liquid at room temperature. It is the liquid of which seas, lakes, and rivers are composed, and which falls as rain. Water is one of the most plentiful and essential of compounds. It is vital to life, participating in virtually every process that occurs in plants and animals. One of its most important properties is its ability to dissolve many other substances. The versatility of water as a solvent is essential to living organisms. The term
is typically used to refer to the liquid form of this compound.
intermedial
Resulting from interdisciplinary activities between media.
light (energy)
That portion of the electromagnetic spectrum visible to the human eye, having a wavelength in the range from about 4,000 (violet) to about 7,700 (red) angstroms and may be perceived by the normal unaided human eye. It ranges from the red end to the violet end of the spectrum, with wavelengths from 700 to 400 nanometres and frequencies from 4.3 x 1014 to 7.5 x 1014 Hz. Like all electromagnetic radiation, light travels through empty space at a speed of about 186,000 miles per second (300,000 km/sec).
dance
Discipline involving the study of dancing and movement, including performance.
surveillance-capitalism
Concept in political economics which denotes the widespread collection and commodification of personal data by corporations.
artificial intelligence (technology)
Artificial intelligence is intelligence—perceiving, synthesizing, and inferring information—demonstrated by machines, as opposed to intelligence displayed by non-human animals and humans. Example tasks in which this is done include speech recognition, computer vision, translation between (natural) languages, as well as other mappings of inputs.
blockchain
Blocks of data created in a distributed ledger technology that was originally designed for cryptocurrency, but now being used in a wider range of implemenations.
fulldome
Way to film and project movie or video material
lightbox
food
Any material that can be digested or absorbed by the body of a human or other animal and used as a source of energy or some essential nutrient, to build and replace tissue, or to relieve hunger.
biocomputers
Systems of biologically derived molecules that perform computational processes.
storytelling
Telling or writing stories, especially recounting stories aloud to others, either from memory, ex tempore, or reading from notes or a book.
artistic inventions
Unique or novel device, method, composition, idea or process either developed within the field art or for other fields through applying artistic means.
emergence
Phenomenon whereby larger entities arise through interactions among smaller/simpler entities such that the larger entities exhibit properties the smaller/simpler entities don't exhibit.
fiction
Genre that refers to works evoked from the imagination of the creator and not conferred as fact. In literature, fiction generally refers to the novel, novella, short story, and poetic forms.
images
Depictions and representations on a surface in two dimensions or low relief, or digital, whether the optical counterpart exists in reality or only in imagination. For example, the term may refer to a depiction as distinguished from its support, as when referring to a drawing as distinct from the paper upon which it is drawn.
360° virtual walktrough
Simulation of an existing location, usually composed of a sequence of videos or still images. It may also use other multimedia elements (sound effects, music, narration, text).
taste
Sense by which the flavor or savor of things is perceived when they are brought into contact with the tongue.
light art
Form of visual art using light as a medium.
LGBTQIA+
General term for lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender / transsexual / transvestite attractions or behavior.
gender studies
Interdisciplinary academic field devoted to analyzing gender identity and gendered representation.
Black Lives Matter
Decentralized political and social movement that seeks to highlight racism, discrimination, and racial inequality experienced by black people, and promote anti-racism.
MeToo movement
Social movement and awareness campaign against sexual abuse, sexual harassment, and rape culture, in which people publicize their experiences of sexual abuse or sexual harassment.
generative art
Electronic art that incorporates process in the creation of the work. The work itself is usually experienced through time and space, and may include sound, motion, animated graphics, sculptural elements, or any combination of these. Generative art has a performative aspect.
kinetic art
Refers broadly to artworks in a variety of styles that incorporate some aspect of motion, including machines, mobiles, and actual objects in motion. Kinetic art could be regarded as one of the precursors to digital media art.
ecological art
A contemporary art genre utilizing natural physical forces, biological organisms and processes, personal performance, or a variety of other media to demonstrate the workings of the earth's ecological systems, illustrate and explain environmental problems, or implement solutions to these problems.
artificial intelligence art
Images generated using artificial intelligence or deep learning algorithms such as generative adversarial networks and transformers that simulate painting, photography, or other forms of image-making.
text-to-image model
Machine learning models which take an input natural language description and produce an image matching that description, e.g. DALL-E, Stable Diffusion, or Midjourney.
language models
Probabilistic model of a natural language that can generate probabilities of a series of words based on text corpora it was trained on. Language models are useful for a variety of tasks, e.g., speech recognition or machine translation. Large language models like the GPT models used in ChatGPT are a type of language model notable for their ability to achieve general-purpose language understanding and generation.
bias
Partiality that prevents objective or alternative consideration of an issue or situation.
digital transformation
Adoption of digital technology by a social entity.