Taxonomy

The NT2 Lab's taxonomy was put together during the elaboration of the Hypermedia Art and Literature (HAL) Directory following the extensive inventory carried out by the NT2’s research assistants. It is an empirical taxonomy which has adapted to the continuous changes of hypermedia arts and literatures during the course of their transformations and innovations. The development of the NT2 taxonomy thus meets the Lab’s desire to create adapted descriptive protocols for hypermedia works as they occur.

The NT2 Lab’s taxonomy is oriented on the user’s experience and interaction with the hypermedia works indexed. It was developed with the aim of accurately reflecting the experience related to the work – how does the user interact with it, which technical devices are at play, which media are used, etc. The NT2 taxonomy enables to carry out research on the specific interactive quality of hypermedia works within the Lab’s search engine. It is understood as a specialized research tool to help unveil and extract key orientations in hypermedia art and literature from a collection of works. In other words, its main purpose is to research, identify and articulate specific orientations in hypermedia theory and practice. A second, more classic focus of indexing content adds on to the first, insofar as the NT2 taxonomy helps find content on the webiste though the search engine.

NOTE: Given that the purpose of the NT2 Lab has changed over time, certain terms of the NT2 taxonomy vocabularies are no longer of use. In fact, in its early stages, the NT2 Lab took interest in every form of artistic or literary expression found online. Over the years, this universal approach has given way to a focus on the issues of hypermedia works and interactivity. All the vocabularies considered obsolete are nevertheless preserved on the NT2 website for an archaeology of knowledge.

This vocabulary reflects the various devices needed for the object to occur and come to life, such as the ebook reader, the mobile phone, or the tablet. By default, all the Directory artworks are accessible by using a computer, unless otherwise indicated. That is the reason why the term «computer» does not figure in the Media taxonomy. This vocabulary answers the question: How do we access the object?

NOTE: This vocabulary was created recently to account for the new forms of hypermediality that did not yet exist or that were less common at the beginning of the NT2 Lab in 2004.

Application (Android, iOS)
Software application designed to perform a group of coordinated functions, tasks.

It is mandatory to use the [Tablet/iPad] or [Mobile Phone] taxonomy with this term.

Suggested reading
CD-ROM/DVD-ROM/USB key/Floppy Disk

Data storage devices.

Virtual Reality Gear

Computer-generated environment that simulates reality through the use of interactive devices.

Video file
Installation

Involves the configuration of objects or sounds in a space. An installation may be site specific or not.

Internet

Vast computer network linking smaller networks worldwide.

Ebook Reader

Portable electronic device used for reading books and other text materials that are in digital form.

Tablet/iPad
Portable device with a mobile operating system and touchscreen.
Mobile Phone
Portable device for connecting to a telecommunications network in order to transmit and receive voice, video, or other data.
This vocabulary indicates the nature of the indexed object, in the broadest sense. The Directory Entries are mainly dedicated to artworks, but they may also be of double nature. Other theoretical content (E-Journals, Thematic Dossiers, Puntuals, etc.) may however address a variety of objects. This vocabulary answers the question: What is it? Is it a blog, a library, an artistic or literary showcase?
Library
Institution's website or digital platform featuring a collection of sources of information made accessible for reference.

Obsolete for the Directory entries (libraries without artistic or literary hypermedia qualities are no longer indexed). May be used for other content types.

Blog
Website or digital platform consisting of diary-style text entries or posts.

Obsolete for the Directory entries (blogs without artistic or literary hypermedia qualities are no longer indexed). May be used for other content types.

Suggested reading
Dictionary/Encyclopedia
Website or digital platform providing summaries of information or definitions.

Obsolete for the Directory entries (dictionaries or encyclopedias without artistic or literary hypermedia qualities are no longer indexed). May be used for other content types.

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Event Documentation
Website or digital platform documenting an artistic or literary event (a performance, a spoken word or an installation, for example) or its creation process with textual, visual or audio recordings.
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Online Exhibition
Online exhibition displaying hypermedia artworks following presentation strategies (thematic, historical, critical) known to curating practices. An online exhibition can be related (or not) to a gallery or a museum and can be permanent or temporary.
Gallery/Museum
Website or digital platform offering partial or total access to a gallery or a museum’s collections and its exhibitions; virtual tours; news; blogs; selling or lending of artworks; etc.

Not to be confused with [Online Exhibition].

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Bookstore
Website or digital platgorm displaying or selling books (and other cultural products).

Obsolete for Directory entries (virtual bookstores without hypermedia qualities are no longer indexed). May be used for other content types.

Artwork
Artworks involving digital technology. Interactivity is one of the main qualities of hypermedia artworks, but it is not an indispensable component. Hypermedia art is not art on the Web; rather it makes use of the specific possibilities of the digital medium.
Periodical
Website or digital platform offering partial or total access to content from a magazine, a journal, or a newspaper. This category includes online platforms of printed periodicals and exclusively online periodicals.
Suggested reading
Directory
Website or digital platform offering methodically organized data (alphabetical order, chronological order, etc.) for a specific field. A directory is designed for research and consultation. Obsolete for Directory entries (directories are no longer indexed). May be used for other content types.
Suggested reading
Publisher's Web Site
Website displaying, advertising and selling paper or digital books from one or many publishers. May also be a website for self-publishing. Obsolete for Directory entries (publishing websites are no longer indexed). May be used for other content types.
Hosting Web Site
Website hosting many hypermedia artworks or literary works (unlike a directory that redirects to its objects hosting sites), without a curatorial plan.

Not to be confused with [Directory] or [Online Exhibition].

Suggested reading
Organization's Web Site
Cultural, artistic or literary organization’s website promoting its activities. Obsolete for Directory entries (cultural organizations’s websites promoting their activities without hypermedia qualities are no longer indexed). May be used for other content types.
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Artistic or Literary Showcase
Website or digital platform created by (or directed by) an artist (or artists) or an author (or authors) and featuring a variety of information related to their work: artworks, resume, artist statement, blog, exhibitions, reviews, openings, etc.
This vocabulary is at the heart of the NT2 taxonomy. It has been determined that interactivity is a distinct caracteristic of hypermedia artworks as they call upon the user to both activate the work and to explore it’s narrative and symbolic modalities. This vocabulary refers to the forms of interactivity at play in an indexed object: onlinge shopping, random display, postition tracker, generation with data insertion, avatar manipulation, etc. This vocabulary answers the question: How do we interact with the object?
Online shopping
The user can buy products or artworks with a credit card or any other online payment method.
Suggested reading
Activation
The user must click on a link or many links to activate the artwork.

This taxonomy is used to indicate that activation is in fact the only interactivity possible.

Activation with Illusion of Choice
Unique choice navigation that seems like a multiple-choice navigation, but the user's choices do not change the course of the trajectory.

Also see [Multiple Choice Navigation] and [Unique Choice Navigation].

Suggested reading
Random Display
As a result of the user's navigation, elements are randomly displayed. Different elements will be featured coming back to the same point. Refreshing the page on a browser also leads to various versions available.
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No Interactivity
There is no possible interaction with the content or the page. The download of a page is not considered a form of interactivity.
Position Tracker
Depending on the cursor’s position, the user activates differently certain contents on the page.
Sound Detector
By producing or emitting sounds into a microphone, the user activates certain contents on the page differently.
Optic Sensor
Certain contents are activated differently when the user turns on an optical device (e.g. a Webcam).
Suggested reading
Chatbot
The user communicates in real time, verbally or in writing, with an online fictional character.
Suggested reading
Chat
The user communicates in real time and in writing with one or many other users.
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Collaborative Creation
The user participates in the conception or creation of the artwork.
Movement
The user must move from the screen (closer or farther from it) or move the device to grasp the artwork in its entirety.
Email Exchange
The user can send, via a website, emails to other users or receive some by subscribing. These emails can be used or not on the website.

If the trace is made public, there is therefore [Collaboration Creation].

Suggested reading
Sending an Image
The user can send images (by email or by uploading them) that are then used on the website or not.

If the trace is made public, there is therefore [Collaborative Creation]. Also see [Insertion], [Substitution] et [Manipulation].

Suggested reading
Sending a Sound
The user can send sounds (by email or by uploading them) that are then used on the website or not.

If the trace is made public, there is therefore [Collaborative Creation]. Also see [Insertion], [Substitution] and [Manipulation].

Sending a Text
The user can send texts (by email or by uploading them) that are then used on the website or not.

If the trace is made public, there is therefore [Collaborative Creation]. Also see [Insertion], [Substitution] and [Manipulation].

Sending a Video
The user can send videos (by email or by uploading them) that are then used on the website or not.

If the trace is made public, there is therefore [Collaborative Creation]. Also see [Insertion], [Substitution] and [Manipulation].

Generation with Data Insertion
The user chooses, selects or supplies textual, visual or sound data that is then used or assembled by software.

If the trace is made public, there is therefore [Collaborative Creation]. Also see [Insertion].

Generation without Data Insertion
The user does not supply any data. Textual, visual or sound data is used or assembled by software.

Generation without Data Insertion is a particular instance of [Random Display] and/or [Activation].

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Geolocation
The geographical location of the user's device activates or alters content (e.g. GPS).
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Online Registration
The user can identify themself (name, address, email, password, etc.) either to access specific segments of the website or to access additional information.
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Image Insertion
The user inserts images in the artwork, consequently leaving a trace.

It is mandatory to use the [Collaborative Creation] taxonomy with this term. Also see [Sending], [Substitution] and [Manipulation].

Suggested reading
Sound Insertion
The user inserts sounds in the artwork, consequently leaving a trace.

It is mandatory to use the [Collaborative Creation] taxonomy with this term. Also see [Sending], [Substitution] and [Manipulation].

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Text Insertion
The user inserts texts in the artwork, consequently leaving a trace.

It is mandatory to use the [Collaborative Creation] taxonomy with this term. Also see [Sending], [Substitution] and [Manipulation].

Video Insertion
The user inserts videos in the artwork, consequently leaving a trace.

It is mandatory to use the [Collaborative Creation] taxonomy with this term. Also see [Sending], [Substitution] and [Manipulation].

Suggested reading
Live Video Insertion
The user can insert live videos in the artwork (e.g. via webcam).

It is mandatory to use the [Video Insertion] and [Collaborative Creation] taxonomies with this term. Also see [Sending], [Substitution] and [Manipulation].

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Mobile Link
The user must manipulate the cursor to click on a mobile link on the page.
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Avatar Manipulation
The user manipulates, either by moving or transforming them, one or many avatars available on the page.

If the trace is made public, there is therefore [Collaborative Creation]. Also see [Sending], [Insertion] and [Substitution].

Suggested reading
Image Manipulation
The user manipulates, either by moving or transforming them, images available on the page.

If the trace is made public, there is therefore [Collaborative Creation]. Also see [Sending], [Insertion] and [Substitution].

Suggested reading
Sound Manipulation
The user manipulates, either by moving or transforming them, sounds available on the page.

If the trace is made public, there is therefore [Collaborative Creation]. Also see [Sending], [Insertion] and [Substitution].

Suggested reading
Text Manipulation
The user manipulates, either by moving or transforming them, texts available on the page.

If the trace is made public, there is therefore [Collaborative Creation]. Also see [Sending], [Insertion] and [Substitution].

Video Manipulation
The user manipulates, either by moving or transforming them, videos available on the page.

If the trace is made public, there is therefore [Collaborative Creation]. Also see [Sending], [Insertion] and [Substitution].

Search Engine
The user can use a search engine available on the website.
Suggested reading
3D Browsing/Navigation
The user navigates partially or completely in a 3D environment.
Multiple Choice Navigation
The user chooses among different suggested paths during the navigation. This type of interactivity is very common. This taxonomy is used to indicate that multiple-choice navigation is virtually the only interactivity possible.
Suggested reading
Unique Choice Navigation
There is only one possible path of navigation for the user.
Controlled Participation
The content sent by the user is approved and/or modified before it is integrated on the website.

If the trace is made public, there is therefore [Collaborative Creation].

Suggested reading
Involuntary Participation
The user modifies the artwork without knowing it (by answering an email, for example, or at times, simply by visiting the artwork).

If the trace is made public, there is therefore [Collaborative Creation].

Social Network
The artwork includes an automated function allowing to share it (partially or completely) and/or to experience it on one or many social networks (Twitter, Facebook, Reddit, Google+, etc.)
Suggested reading
Interrogation
The user is questioned during the artwork experience (including voting). The response can be essential to the navigation or can leave a trace on the website.

If the trace is made public, there is therefore [Collaborative Creation].

Image Substitution
The user inserts images that replace certain elements on the website.

If the trace is made public, there is therefore [Collaborative Creation]. Also see [Sending], [Insertion] and [Manipulation].

Suggested reading
Sound Substitution
The user inserts sounds that replace certain elements on the website.

If the trace is made public, there is therefore [Collaborative Creation]. Also see [Sending], [Insertion] and [Manipulation].

Suggested reading
Text Substitution
The user inserts texts that replace certain elements on the website.

If the trace is made public, there is therefore [Collaborative Creation]. Also see [Sending], [Insertion] and [Manipulation].

Suggested reading
Video Substitution
The user inserts videos that replace certain elements on the website.

If the trace is made public, there is therefore [Creative Collaboration]. Also see [Sending], [Insertion] and [Manipulation].

Suggested reading
Download
The user can download a document, an image, a video or sounds that cannot be read on a browser.
Suggested reading
This vocabulary indicates the various formal elements or media that can be found within the indexed object. An online artwork is said to be a hypermedia artwork because of the (co)presence of media, mainly text, image and sound. These main media comprise many formats: photo album, code, forum, hypertext, image, 3D object, music, etc. This vocabulary answers the question: What shapes the object?
Photo Album
Virtual space storing a collection of photographs.
Suggested reading
Comic Art
A series of drawings, often coupled with text, telling a story.
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Database/Directory
Collection of data organized for rapid search and retrieval.
Blog
A personal or collective space made up of a series of posts appearing in a reverse chronological order that can be commented by users.
Calendar
A system arranging divisions of time, often presented in tabular or graphic form.
Suggested reading
Code
Computing program instructions.
Suggested reading
3D Environment
Virtual three-dimensional environment, often immersive of interactive.
Suggested reading
Forum
Virtual community space enabling a group of users to exchange opinions and ideas on a certain subject.
Suggested reading
Text/Image/Sound Generator
A computer program generating texts, images or sounds.
Suggested reading
Graph
A diagram (such as a series of one or more points, lines, line segments, curves, or areas) that represents the variation of variables.
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Hypertext
A text or a non-sequential textual system in which the user must click on hyperlinks to connect the textual fragments together.

It is mandatory to use the [Text] taxonomy with this term.

Suggested reading
Image
Visual representation.
Animated image
Animated visual representation.

It is mandatory to use the [Image] taxonomy with this term.

Suggested reading
Video Game
Electronic game displaying a virtual environment in which the user can interact by means of peripheral devices (mouse, keyboard, joystick, etc.) according to predetermined guidelines.
Ebook
A digital version of a printed work incorporating hyperlinks and multimedia information, available on CD-ROM or the Internet.
Suggested reading
Software
Computer program needed to experience the artwork.
Search Engine
Software system designed to search information by locating key words.
Suggested reading
Music
Organized, regulated sounds.
Suggested reading
3D Object
Presence of a 3D representation on the website.
Peripheral Device
An external device connected to the computer system.
Online Questionnaire/Survey
A series of questions (with or without pre-determined answers) from which the answers will be compiled or not.
Suggested reading
RSS/syndication
XML document informing of all the content and the latest updates on the website.
Sound/Soundscape
Non-organised sounds that cannot be considered as music.
Text
Words and sentences forming a written work.
Animated Text
Moving text.

It is mandatory to use the [Text] taxonomy with this term.

Scanned Text
A scanned text that is preserved and displayed on the Internet or on a digital platform.

It is mandatory to use the [Text] taxonomy with this term.

Video/Film/Short Film
Audiovisual content.
Suggested reading
Voice
Sounds produced by human vocal cords or with the help of artificial methods.
Suggested reading