Controlled vocabulary

From UANotebook

Contents

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Introduction

Use the following terms for describing your photographs. Please use the existing terms only. If none of those apply and you find yourself needing to use a new one, make a note of it and inform us of the addition so that we can look it over and add it to this list if needed.

This list is subject to re-evaluation and revision. It is currently evolving and by no means complete. This page, though, is the master list; it is the most up-to-date. You should refer to this list when you are entering metadata into your spreadsheet. Make a note of this page's URL.

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What is a Mark???

here... the subject... or the object of interest in the photograph.

The agent of communication... that which is speaking...

a photograph can have multiple marks, though.


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The four major metadata fields

To help you in categorizing your photographs, we've split up the details into several different fields. The following four fields tell the most detail about your photograph. When describing, keep in mind that you are describing the subject of the photograph rather than what is in the entire frame. For example, in a photograph of a sign hanging from a building, the subject is the sign itself. You will be primarily describing the sign rather than other elements in the photograph. The sign in this case is the mark that you are describing.

In order to help you with your description according to the following four metadata fields, you can ask the following questions:

  • Format: what is it?
  • Materials: what is the mark made of?
  • Processes: how was the mark made?
  • Surfaces: what is the mark put on?


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Plural vs. Singular


Note that many of the terms are plural. Use the plural term posters, for example, even if your photograph has only one poster in it. The purpose of this controlled vocabulary is to have standardized terms from which we all choose. This way, we are not each making things up. As a result, it will be easier to search our entire collection.

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Specificity


These terms are listed heirarchically, meaning that each indented term is narrower and more specific than the term above it. Try to be as specific as possible.

Note also that some of the terms are in italics. These are "guide terms" to give you direction in your thinking only. They are NOT acceptable terms to use in your metadata. Do NOT use them to describe your photographs.


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Metadata

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Formats


  • paintings (use for graffiti painted on any infrastructural surface or mark)
    • painted walls (use only for ghost signs and contemporary advertisements painted directly on walls. DO NOT use for graffiti)
    • buff (use for paint as a means of covering up graffiti)
    • stencils (use for marks made from a template)
    • murals
  • drawings (use for non-painted marks -- markers, pencils -- applied to infrastructural surfaces or marks. use for anything not involving paint that is applied to the landscape). note that free-hand writing is a type of drawing
  • etchings (use for marks scratched into a surface)


  • printed materials
    • banners (use for unfolded sheets much longer in one direction than the other. they can be posted, hung, or carried)
    • posters (use for unfolded sheets, sized larger than 8.5x11)
    • flyers (use for unfolded sheets, sized 8.5x11 or smaller)
    • pamphlets (use for folded sheets, generally the overall size of the sheet is 8.5x11 folded once or twice but this can vary)
    • tracts (use for folded or unfolded sheets of paper that are smaller than pamphlets (85.x11 overall). they are generally pocket-sized)
    • postcards (use for unfolder prints of any size, printed on cardstock)
    • stickers (use for unfolded and generally small -- typically smaller than 8.5x11 -- sheets adhered to surfaces)
    • letters (use for any type of writing for the purpose of personal communications)
    • memoranda (use for writing comprised of lists, notes, and instructions typically written for one's self.)
    • forms (use for official paperwork or documentation of any kind. typically, forms occur in duplicate or triplicate, etc.)
  • flags
  • billboards
  • awnings
  • signs
    • commercial signs
      • printed signs (use for non-electric and non-powered business signs, non-billboard advertisements. may be hand-lettered or professionally constructed.)
      • electric signs (use for neon signs, lighted signs, moving signs)
    • regulatory signs (use for signs intended to communicate authority, either private or public. may be hand-lettered or professionally constructed)
      • traffic signals (use for electric, lighted, moving signs used to communicate authority)
      • benchmarks


  • three-dimensional objects and/or landscape elements
    • infrastructure (use for general street scenes, sidewalks, roads, or any depiction of the vernacular, physical structure of the city)
    • architecture (specific and deliberate manipulation of infrastructure, usually using built elements, to create and atmosphere/ambiance. used primarily to describe buildings)
    • landscaping (specific and deliberate manipulation of infrastructure, usually using natural elements, to create an atmosphere/ambiance. can also be used to describe exterior built elements, like parking lots, which manipulate open space rather than buildings)
    • installations (three-dimensional works that envelop the observer and use their exhibition space as part of their design -- i.e. street scenes. they encourage experiential viewing by demanding active engagement,
      • assemblages (three-dimensional pieces consisting of multiple media, often disparate materials, and especially consisting of found objects. do not use for pieces that are meant to be public furniture)
      • public furniture (plazas, patios, and other such installations in which the majority of elements serve as furniture)
      • booths (tents, vendor displays, and other temporary structures usually erected during public events and/or in public spaces for the purpose of selling goods or disseminating informational materials.)
    • sculpture (use for items created by carving or engraving a hard material or by molding or casting a malleable material)
    • mosaics
    • trash
    • memorials
      • statues
      • plaques
      • fountains


  • actions
    • street performances
    • public events (events, either indoor or outdoor, open to the public at large)
    • demonstrations (use for protests, marches, rallies, sit-ins, etc., usually organized by non-profits or grassroots groups to air grievances)
    • speeches/addresses (use for dedications and events, typically under the auspices of some governmental or official body, at which one or several people speak in an official capacity.)
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Materials

  • paint
    • spray paint
  • chalk
  • ink
  • markers
  • tiles
  • fabrics
  • paper
  • stickers -- use a specific term from below, do not use the general term
    • postal stickers
    • paper stickers
    • vinyl stickers
  • multi_media
    • found objects
    • furniture
  • audio (use for all manner of music, singing, speaking, chanting, playing of instruments, and various noise-making as an integral part of the action.)
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Processes

  • freehand
  • templates (use for stenciling)
  • mass print (use for traditional print methods and computer generated print)
  • engraving
  • cutouts
  • collages
  • actions
    • marching (use for parades, protests and demonstrations, and any other events in which participants walk from one location to another as an integral part of the event)
    • dancing
    • singing
    • speaking
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Surfaces

In this field, you don't need to be as specific. You are not so much describing the exact surfaces in your image as you are identifying a broader, more general category of surfaces in the world. There's a fine line here and it may be hard to explain.

Remember that when you describe a picket fence in your picture, for example, you want to make the term general enough so that it can relate to somebody else describing a similar, though not exactly the same, fence. For our purposes, the term fences is specific enough because we don’t care whether they are picket fences, chain link fences, etc.


vehicles:

  • cars
  • trains
    • freight trains
    • subway trains
  • trucks
  • buses
  • ships
    • ferries


places and spaces:

  • bus stops
  • subways
  • tunnels (use for both pedestrian and automobile tunnels)
  • roadways
    • highways (use this term to describe scenes in which the primary emphasis in on automobiles and high speed travel)
    • streets (scenes including the road, sidewalk, shops, etc... use this term to describe "street scenes" in which the primary emphasis is on pedestrian interactions)
    • alleys
    • sidewalks
    • curbs
    • bridges
    • viaducts
    • underpasses
    • parking lots
  • open spaces
  • lawns and gardens
    • yards (use for open spaces around private residences)
    • parks (use for open spaces that are on public property)


structures:

  • fences
  • barricades (use for any object placed in the landscape to impeded foot or auto traffic)
  • walls (use for both interior and exterior walls)
  • buildings (use for commercial buildings or businesses, otherwise use a more specific term from below)
    • houses
    • apartments
    • garages
  • building components:
    • store fronts
    • bathrooms
    • stairwells
    • doors
    • windows
    • mirrors
    • vents


exterior objects:

  • dumpsters
  • mailboxes
  • mains (this includes all electrical control boxes, circuit breakers, electric meters, etc.)
  • traffic controls (all boxes, switches, "push for walk" buttons, traffic light housings, etc. but not the actual poles holding them up)
  • parking meters
  • newspaper stands
  • poles (utility poles, lamp poles, and poles holding up traffic controls)
  • pipes
  • hydrants
  • railings
  • boards (includes all non-structural lumber: boards, planks, etc.)
  • benches (all sorts of public seating)
  • public art
  • payphones


signs:

  • billboards
  • commercial signs
  • traffic signs front
  • traffic signs back
  • signposts

landscape elements:

  • shrubbery
  • trees
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Architectural Detail

For describing buildings.

  • facade

this is the front of the building. think of it as face

  • north/south/east/west elevation

if you are describing a side other than the facade, use this term. an elevation is just a fancy term for side or wall. So if you are describing the north side/wall of a building, use north elevation

  • alley elevation

use this term instead of north/south/east/west if it is the alley side of the building

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