Exploring tags through videography

This article focuses on videography as a method for conducting research, as a means of communicating findings about tags and tagging to the public, and an opportunity to re-evaluate previously-collected empirical material.

Based on ongoing explorative videographic research, the author discusses how the video medium can be used to go beyond the mere visual representation of tags as singular expressions and elucidate otherwise hidden aspects of both tags (works) and tagging (practice) that may contribute to diversify the widespread perception in the public of these phenomena solely as vandalism.

The article further delves into some of the technical aspects of creating a particular video, including overlays that represent the mental process taking place when looking for tags. With a point of departure in this video work, the author lays out how recollections of certain tags that had previously been recorded photographically turned out to be false when images of the works were revisited as part of the video editing. Becoming aware of this is in part interesting because misremembering works might impact the future collection of empirical material, as recollections of previously-found tags influence the researcher when looking for further tags.