DAF's glossary is designed to explain new media and digital art related, and/or technology terminology you will find on our website, exhibitions and programmes.

Algorithm

An algorithm is a set of steps or instructions used in a specific order to complete a task. Algorithms are the building blocks for programming that allow computers, smartphones or websites to function and make decisions. Algorithms are the building blocks for programming that allow computers, smartphones or websites to function and make decisions.

Anthropocene

The word Anthropocene comes from the Greek terms for human (anthropo) and new (cene). It is a word used to describe the period of time during which humans have been on the earth and the substantial impact their presence/existence has had on the planet.

Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Artificial Intelligence – or AI – is the set of computational techniques needed for machines to exhibit behaviour which, if exhibited by humans, would be described as ‘intelligent’. AI is an often invisible part of our everyday lives, from predictive text on our smartphones, to shopping recommendations online.

Bot

A bot, Internet bot, web robot, or robot, is a software application that performs automated tasks on the Internet, usually with the intent to imitate human activity, such as messaging, on a large scale.

Computer Art

Computer art can include any type of art that uses computers in its creation and/or displays. This can include both two-dimensional and three-dimensional images created with a computer and graphics programme.

Cryptocurrency

Cryptocurrency is a digital currency (such as bitcoin) in which transactions are verified and records maintained by a decentralized system using encryption algorithms, rather than by a centralized authority.

Dataset

A dataset – or training data – is a collection of data used to train a machine / AI. Data exists in many forms. It could be numerical data in a spreadsheet, a collection of photographs, a huge catalogue of text (books, recipes, blogs, for example), a library of sounds and audio recordings, and so on. AI uses the dataset to learn from.

Digital Art

Digital Art refers to artworks created using digital technology, such as computers and software programmes. Digital Art and New Media Art are closely related, with digital art often serving as a foundational component or a complementary element within the broader scope of New Media Art.

Facial recognition

Facial recognition technology is able to recognise human faces and match them against a database. For example, you might use facial recognition to unlock your phone or pass through passport control. Facial recognition is also used in video surveillance.

Generative Art

Generative art is art made with the use of a predetermined or autonomous system that can independently determine features of an artwork that would otherwise require decisions made directly by the artist.

GIF

GIF is a type of computer file that contains a still or moving image. GIF is an acronym for Graphics Interchange Format, a file format that supports both static and animated images.

Interactive Art

Interactive art engages the audience in the creation process, evolving with participation. Using technologies from digital interfaces to sensors, it emphasizes engagement and experience, redefining traditional art boundaries.

Machine Learning (ML)

Machine learning – or ML – is a subset of AI. ML uses algorithms to look at a dataset, find patterns or repeating features, and build a model. This model then allows the computer to make predictions or decisions. For example, looking at thousands of pictures of cats, to make a model of what a cat ‘looks like’, to then be able to look at other photos and work out if that photo contains a cat.

New Media Art (NMA)

New Media Art encompasses a variety of creative expressions that explore the intersection of art, technology, and culture. It often challenges conventional artistic boundaries by incorporating interactivity, multimedia elements, and dynamic, ever-evolving content.

Plotter

A plotter is a machine that produces vector graphics drawings. In the past, plotters were used in computer-aided design, as they were able to produce fast and high quality line drawings, but the introduction of laser printers in the mid-1980s largely eliminated the use of plotters.

Post-Human or Posthuman

Posthuman or post-human is a term originating in the fields of literature, science fiction, futurology, contemporary art, and philosophy used to describe a person or entity that exists in a state beyond being human. Posthuman addresses questions around ethics and justice, language and trans-species communication, social systems, and the intellectual aspirations of interdisciplinarity.

Robotic Art

Robotic art is art that makes use of some form of robotic or automated technology.

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