Glossary:
Artforms
Explaining art terms used to describe Artwork on Axisweb.
Explaining art terms used to describe Artwork on Axisweb.
Animation is a technique of creating the appearance of movement by displaying a sequence of still images or three-dimensional objects. Traditionally this has been done using hand-drawn or printed imagery, photography and 'stop-motion' processes. More recently digital techniques and computer-generated imagery have been employed.
Architecture is the process of designing and constructing buildings or other structures. Artists work in a variety of different ways with architecture ranging from drawings, sculptural works or installations that enhance, document, subvert or say something about a specific space to exploring the site or materiality of a building through performance, intervention or taxonomy.
Basketry is the process of weaving or tying together pliable materials such as straw, grass or thin pieces of wood into two- or three dimensional objects for both decorative and functional purposes. Artists use basketry to create sculptural forms or vessels.
Book works can be self-published works, usually in limited editions, that document a project or contain individual works on various materials which are then bound together. A book work can also be an existing publication that is manipulated or appropriated in some way to create a new artwork.
Traditionally ceramics are functional or decorative objects which are made from clay and then hardened by heat. These can then be glazed or left unglazed. Artists employ these traditional processes and techniques to create sculptural forms that can exist as individual pieces or as part of larger installations. Some artists make ceramic objects that subvert or comment on their historical manufacture or uses.
Digital art makes use of computer-based technologies to create and present works in a variety of different contexts such as online, digital media, virtual reality or in physical installations. Digital processes can also be used in more traditional methods of production such as painting, sculpture and printing. The works themselves can be commentary on how digital technologies have had an impact on visual culture and social interactions.
Drawing is the application of graphite, charcoal, crayons, pen or other media onto a two-dimensional surface such as paper or board. Drawings can also be created digitally using computer software and other technologies. Drawing is one of the fundamental cornerstones of visual art and can be used is a number of different ways from quick sketches, illustration and animation to technical and architectural draughtsmanship.
Environment artworks are usually located within and respond to a specific place or space. They can take many forms including interventions, performances and installations.
Artists use the mediums of film and video in a number of different ways from documentation and narrative works to more experimental and abstract pieces. The content can be filmed/videoed by the artist themselves or in collaboration with a filmmaker. The works can also be made from found footage or include other techniques such as animation. Films and videos are often projected or viewed on monitors/screens as part of an installation and can also be streamed and shown online.
Furniture is traditionally a functional object used for various activities such as seating, eating and sleeping. Artists and craftspeople often use traditional furniture-making methods and materials to make either purely functional items or more conceptual work that uses furniture as a sculptural object or installation piece.
As a material glass can be used in many different ways, from small sculptural objects and decorative pieces to large installations. Glass works are usually combined with, or placed next to some kind of light source to enhance its transparent or colourful attributes.
Graphics are visual designs that encompass symbols, drawings, illustrations and typography which can be rendered in many different media on many different surfaces. Artists can use graphics to communicate their ideas and thoughts in a clear and direct way and these are often instructive, subversive, playful or simply decorative.
Illustration includes many forms of drawing and image making. Often used in addition to written text, illustration is a method of visually communicating an idea or narrative beyond pure representation or instruction. Artists create illustrations using a wide range of mediums from pen and pencil, to print and digital.
Installations are usually large-scale constructions or a collection of smaller artworks that occupy a specific space within a gallery or other venue. They are designed to be an all-encompassing 'experience' rather than a collection of separate works. An audience can walk around the installation and engage with the work or view it from a specific place or angle. Some installations can have a performance or participatory element to it.
An intervention is when an artist or group of artists interacts in some way with a space, situation or audience to create a work of art or undertake a performance. Interventions can take place anywhere and usually happen in non-art spaces in order to engage with or elicit a response from a wider audience.
Jewellery usually consists of small decorative ornaments such as necklaces, rings, or bracelets, that are typically made from or contain jewels and precious metal and are designed to be worn. Artists and makers use a mixture of traditional and non-traditional processes and materials to make jewellery that can be simply decorative or that operates within a fine art context and is more conceptual.
Live Art can include performances, events, participatory activities or 'happenings' carried out in various venues or locations.
Metalwork is the activity of making objects out of metal using processes such as welding, casting and punching. Artists use metal in a number of ways from creating sculptures and large-scale constructions to smaller decorative items.
Mixed media refers to an artwork that combines various distinct media such as painting and collage or 3D objects made from different materials. A mixed media installation can combine different elements such as sculptures, paintings and audio visual works.
Traditionally painting is the act of applying paint, pigment or other medium to a surface such as canvas, board or paper using brushes, knives and other implements. The styles, forms and content of 'painting' are vast but broadly speaking range from representational and figurative works to abstract and more conceptual pieces.
Performance art is created by an artist or group of artists undertaking an activity or action. These can be rehearsed, choreographed pieces or spontaneous responses to a situation or environment. Members of the public can view the performance as an audience or become active participants, either willingly or not.
Photography is the practice of creating an image by recording light either chemically onto a light sensitive material such as a photographic emulsion or digitally onto an image sensor. A camera is normally the device used to create a photograph. There are many types of genres in photography including portraits, still life and documentary.
Printmaking is the process of creating an artwork by transferring ink or paint onto a surface such as paper, card or fabric. Multiple copies of the same image can be created using this process, each of which contain slight variations making each one unique - this is usually called an 'edition'. There are many types of printmaking methods and techniques including engravings, woodcuts, etchings, lithographs and screenprints.
As a contemporary artistic category, 'sculpture' encompasses a multitude of forms, contexts and attitudes. It enables cross and interdisciplinary exchange between media, and opens the door for re-evaluation of the terminology we use to describe art objects. This selection from Axisweb’s 'sculpture' tag is a testament to the complexity of the term itself, and its continued relevance to a community of diverse, contemporary artists
Sound art is an artform where sound/audio is the primary medium and can include field recordings, music, spoken word, documentary or sounds that have been modified and abstracted using analogue equipment or software. A sound work is often combined with other media or can form part of a larger piece of work such as an installation or performance.
At times forming a cohesive whole, illustrated signs, or Text, is used to depict a distinguished body of matter. Often both recognisable and accessible, an author, speaker, or artist, might use visual language as a means for constructing a passage, or part of a passage, to communicate to a wider audience
Textiles within art refers to any form that involves the use of fibre, thread or fabric, be it found, constructed, sewn, glued, manipulated, knitted, spun or woven. Contemporary Textile Art with its broader, conceptual bias encompasses hand-sewn ‘drawing’, sewing-machined ‘painting’ and abstracted three-dimensional forms often made into large-scale installations
In recent years the way in which it is used has changed due to technological advancements and the pressures of industry, challenging our associations of traditional methods of production and craft. The variety of ways wood informs and is used is best displayed throughout contemporary art and this is just a small sample of the way in which artists are working with wood.
Animation - Blue Room 2016 by James Moore
Architecture - Outpost 2016 by Marcus Jefferies
Basketry - Spin Symmetry 2013 by Chris Dunseath
Book Works - Hodegetria 2017 by Serena Smith
Ceramics - Spin (detail) 2010 by Robert Dawson
Digital - Accessible Artwork (Existential Sign) 2016 by Beth Davis-Hofbauer
Drawing - Postcards from Cambridge 2012 - 2013 by Alison ONeill
Environment - Digital Avalanche 2011 by Bob Budd
Film and Video - It Doesn't Fit Anymore 2016 by Natalie Ramus
Furniture - water cabinet 2010 by Mike Gent
Glass - Monstrous Cosmological Flux (2) 2014 by Ana Rosa Hopkins
Graphics - La Bouche 2012 by Mike Tedder
Illustration - ALICE IN POUNDLAND AN UNPAID WORKER 2015 by Linda Hubbard
Installation - GUTS & VIGOR 2016 by Robyn LeRoy-Evans
Intervention - How to put up a shelf (IV) 2011 by Joe Hancock
Jewellery - large bangle 2015 by Gill Forsbrook
Live Art - FoolooF (2017) 2017 by Martin Hamblen
Metalwork - Nakama #2 2017 by Nilplug
Mixed media - Paradise 2016 by Michaela McMillan
Painting -Nora 2017 by LisaODonnell
Performance - [INstitutional] BODY: DE(con)STRUCTION 2016 by Natalie Ramus
Photography - Record, Archive, Rewind 2016 - 2017 by Elizabeth Wewiora
Printmaking - Celebration Day (Hope Remains) detail 2017 by Sam Lee
Sculpture - At Rest in 4 Parts (II) 2016 by Naomi Harwin
Sound - Tin 2016 by Aaron Scott Griffin
Text - In Other Words 2013 by Rowan Lear
Textile - Textile Drawing 2008 by Sarah Evans
Woodwork - We Will Rise 2016 by Martyn Cross