Submitted for the definition of ‘Ascent.’ Photo by Josh Murfitt
If you could use images to define words, how would you communicate their meanings? That’s the question behind a fascinating new experiment called The Photographic Dictionary, a community-sourced website that asks you to create visual definitions.
Each accepted photograph attempts, either literally or figuratively, to offer a meaning to its accompanying word. For example, “tentacle” is represented by a picture of a tree’s sprawling roots, while “doze” shows us a candid image of a man asleep in an empty park. Under each image is also a standard definition of the word and its many uses. From “bamboo” and “buffalo” to “xenophilia” and “zapatista,” the dictionary currently has hundreds of words, and it’s only getting bigger.
Most of the images are somber and melancholy in tone, but browsing the site’s alphabet is at times moving, even enlightening. Words that we take for granted, like “red,” “away” or “home,” are given unique portraits that force a viewer to reexamine definitions and connotations, and to think about the meanings others place in words that we might not consider otherwise. So make sure to check out one of the coolest online community art project arounds by visiting thephotographicdictionary.org. Just make sure you have plenty of time — the site is highly addictive.
To submit your own words and photographic definitions, send an email with the chosen word and your photo (resized to 600px wide), plus a link to your work, to thephotographicdictionary@gmail.com.