Dictionary Definitions / Flexible Visualisations

Walking in the garden this morning a series of words were tumbling through my brain. I wrote a list and at first glance they seemed quite dry, so I decided to look at their dictionary definitions, editing out the ones that didn't seem to apply to our proposed project. In the arts and in business a word like networking is bandied about quite freely, we take it for granted that we know what this means but the first definition "a pattern or system that looks like a series of branching or interconnecting lines" threw up a host of new possibilities creating both a visual and poetic impression.

Photograph by Andrew Rushton

net·work n

1. a pattern or system that looks like a series of branching or interconnecting lines

2. a large and widely distributed group of people or things such as shops, colleges, or churches, that communicate with one another and work together as a unit or system

3. net or netting

4. vi to build up or maintain informal relationships, especially with people whose friendship could bring advantages such as job or business opportunities

sta·tion n

1. a place along a train or bus route where passengers are picked up or set down, often with amenities such as ticket offices, waiting rooms, refreshments, toilets, and facilities for goods and parcels

2. the place or position where somebody or something is usually to be found or is supposed to be found

3. a position where somebody performs a task, for example, in a factory, or the equipment used in performing a task

4. a fixed point used by surveyors as a reference

des·ti·na·tion n

1. the place to which somebody or something is going or must go

2. a purpose for which somebody or something is intended

trav·el v

1. vi to go on a journey to a particular place, usually using some form of transportation

6. vi to move swiftly (informal)

9. vi to be transmitted or communicated

10. vi to scan an object or scene in the process of observing or filming it

11. vi to move in a fixed path while operating (refers to a machine part)

12. vi to associate with a particular person or group

plat·form n

1. a raised level area of flooring for speakers, performers, or participants in a ceremony, making them easily visible to the audience

2. a position of authority or prominence that provides a good opportunity for doing something

3. a computer operating system, often along with the associated equipment

a·light1 vi

1. to step down from a vehicle onto the ground or a platform

2. to happen to find, spot, or come to rest on something

MILES AND DACOMBE, MARCH 2009

ex·plo·ra·tion n

1. traveling to discover what a place is like or where it is

2. an investigation or the study of something such as data, or the consideration and testing of something such as possible courses of action

ex·hib·it v

1. vti to display something, especially a work of art, in a public place such as a museum or gallery (shop / station platform, waiting room)

2. vt to show something off for others to look at or admire

3. vt to show the outward signs of something, especially an emotion or a physical or mental condition