Table of Contents

KINETIC SCULPTURE: THE THESAURUS

This thesaurus is an attempt to compare multiple sets of subject headings to one another. The first set comes from the Library of Congress and their own subject headings. The second set is from an art-specific information source - The Getty Research Institute

The goal is to compare how a massive group describes a very specific topic and how a more specific group would describe that topic. The more specific group's subject headings are likely to fit neatly within the larger group's own subject headings, and would likely expand beyond where the more general descriptors.

The Records

The following are 25 records that pertain to kinetic sculpture, and a detailed breakdown of how they are cataloged - ie, what language is used in their subject headings.

Art & Architecture Complete; Art Index; and Art Index Retrospective were used.

Footnotes are available to show subject headings for each item.

Books

  • Beesley, P.; Macy, C. (2010). Kinetic architectures & geotextile installations.Ontario: Riverside Architectural Press. 1)
  • Collischan, J. (2000). Welded sculpture of the twentieth century. New York: Hudson Hills. 2)
  • Horrocks, R. (2010). Art that moves: the work of Len Lye. New Zealand: Auckland University Press. 3)
  • Kozar, A. J., McKenzie, R. T., & Kozar, A. J. (1992). The sport sculpture of R. Tait McKenzie. Illinois: Human Kinetics Books. 4)
  • Lucie-Smith, E. (1987). Sculpture since 1945. New York: Universe. 5)
  • Museu d'Art Contemporani (2000). Force fields : phases of the kinetic. Barcelona: Museu d'Art Contemporani de Barcelona. 6)
  • Rickey, G. (2007). George Rickey: Kinetic Sculpture, a Retrospective. Florida: Vero Beach Museum of Art. 7)
  • Selz, P.; Chattopadhyay C. (2008). Fletcher Benton : the kinetic years. Vermont: Hudson Hills Press. 8)
  • Selz, P. (1985). Art in a turbulent era. Michigan: UMI Research Press. 9)
  • Simanowski, R. (2011). Digital art and meaning: Reading kinetic poetry, text machines, mapping art, and interactive installations. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press. 10)

Films

  • Flynn, S. Shawcross C. (2008). Conrad Shawcross [Motion Picture]. USA: Kino International. 11)
  • Jeffries C.D. Jeffries A.D. (1994). Kinetic sculpture garden [Motion picture]. 12)
  • Newstead, K. (1994). How to make automata: Part 1 Mechanisms & Methods [Motion picture]]. London: GASP production for Cabaret Mechanical Theatre. 13)
  • Police, J. (1973). Wire sculpture [Motion picture]. USA: Coronet Films & Videos. 14)

Articles

  • Allen, J. (2012). Working with the Wind. Sculpture, 13(2), 46-51. 15)
  • Busbea, L. (2013). Kineticism-Spectacle-Environment. Black and White Photographs, Spring(144), 92-114. 16)
  • Isles, G. (2008). The Glass Eye: The Kinetic movement. Glass Quarterly, Spring(110), 14-21. 17)
  • De Bruyn, E. C. (2012). Ghost Story. Artforum International, 51(1), 526-533. 18)
  • Gabriel, H. (January 01, 1980). Kinetic artworks and transformables: Mobilo-sculptures and polysculptures. Leonardo, 13.1980 36-37. 19)
  • Hessels, S. (2012). Sustainable Cinema No. 4: Shadow Play. Leonardo, 45(4), 384-385. 20)
  • Newmark, D. (January 01, 1972). An interview with Stephan von Huene on his audio-kinetic sculptures. Leonardo, 5.1980, 69-72. 21)
  • Yunsil, H.; Hyunwoo, B. (2014). Levitate. Leonardo, 47(4), 402-403. 22)

Music

  • Lye, L. (2005). Composing motion: The sound of tangible motion sculpture [CD]. New Zealand: Atoll. 23)
  • Tinguely, J. (1994). Musical machinery [CD]. England: Unknown Public. 24)
  • Turpin, J. (2003). Fan: wind sculpture, celebrating the centenary of women's suffrage in Australia [Score]. Australia: Turpin Crawford Studio. 25)

Library of Congress

The Library of Congress is fairly compact in describing kinetic sculpture. They use the following structure in creating subject headings to use in this topic:

  • Components
    • Fine Arts
    • Sculpture
    • Mobiles. Kinetic sculpture
  • Variants
    • Fine Arts–Sculpture–Mobiles. Kinetic sculpture
    • Mobiles–Sculpture
    • Kinetic sculpture–General
  • Broader Terms
    • Sculpture
  • See Also
    • Mobiles

For one item, the structure could resemble something like this:

  • Fine arts
    • Kinetic sculpture
      • Mobiles
        • Mobiles - Australia

The Getty Research Institute

Getty's Art and Architecture Thesaurus does not provide an entry for kinetic sculpture. However, they do include an entry for mobiles, which are a type of kinetic sculpture. Arguably, this could be used quite efficiently for kinetic sculpture as its own subject. The Getty heirarchy for describing mobiles is as follows:

Objects Facet

  • Visual and Verbal Communication (Hierarchy Name)
    • Visual Works (Hierarchy Name)
      • visual works (works)
        • <visual works by material or technique>
          • sculpture (visual work)
            • <sculpture by form>
              • mobiles

Graphic Comparison

Using a side-by-side comparison, it is easier to see the differences between a subject-specific database like Getty, and a more broad database like the Library of Congress. Getty includes much more specific data in their subject headings, while the LOC uses the broadest terms, ones most likely to be used by the general public.

Additionally, we can examine all of the subject headings from the above records and connect them together to form one large visual of how they are connected and how they help define one another.

Color saturation denotes narrowness of terms - as the shading darkens, headings become narrower.

For a larger and more easily explored version, visit this link.

Finally, The Explanation.

1) Kinetic sculpture – Canada; Installations (Art); Kinetic sculpture; Sculpture cinetique
2) Welded sculpture – 20th century; Welded sculpture
3) Lye, Len, – 1901-1980; Kinetic sculpture – New Zealand; Artists; Kinetic sculpture
4) Athletes in art; athlete – sculpture; plastic
5) Sculpture, Modern – 20th century – Themes, motives
6) Art, modern – 20th century; Kinetic art – exhibitions; Kinetic sculpture – Exhibitions; Installaties; kinetic art; kinetic sculpture
7) Rickey, George – Exhibitions; Kinetic Sculpture – Exhibitions; Plastik
8) Benton, Fletcher; Kinetic sculpture – United States; Plastik
9) Art, Modern – 20th century; Kunst; Visual arts – 1900-1980
10) Digital art; interactive art
11) Shawcross, Conrad – Interviews; Installations (Art).
12) Kinetic sculpture, American; Mobiles (Sculpture) – California – Oakland; Physics – Art; Outsider art – California – Oakland; Kinetic art; Mobiles (Sculpture); Outsider art; Physics
13) Mechanical toys – Design and construction; Robots – Design and construction; Kinetic sculpture – Design and construction
14) Police, Joe; Kinetic sculpture; Wire sculpture
15) Sculptures; kinetic sculptures; sculpture and architecture
16) Kinetic sculpture; art and social action; art historians
17) Kinetic sculpture; kinetic art; art movements; glass art; glass artists
18) Kinetic art; kinetic sculpture; media art; art – 20th century; art – 21st century
19) Gabriel, Henri
20) Kinetic sculpture; sculpture – 21st century; motion pictures; public sculptures
21) Huene, Stephan von, – 1932-2000.
22) Kinetic sculpture
23) Lye, Len; kinetic sculpture – New Zealand – sounds; avant-garde (music).
24) Computer music; kinetic sculpture
25) Sculpture – Australia; Public sculpture – Australia; Fans in art; Suffrage in art
HRHILES