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Forums > Social Chat > A better word than object manipulation
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3 posts
3 posts
Posted:
Well I am sure that this has been discussed before and many times as well. However, I could not find a post so here it is.
Because object manipulation is so new there seems to be a lack of good words to describe the art and its practice. Lets start with the word object manipulation itself. To put it bluntly I don't like it. First, object manipulation seems to be more applicable to some toys, objects, what have you, than others. Of course the term juggling is no better. But the main reason I don't like it is it just sounds lame, it must have been a very un-poetic geek that coined that term. Telling some cute girl (or guy) that you are a object manipulator is not going to get the same results as if you said you were a musician. So does anyone have any better ideas for a cover all term for someone who plays with a lot of toys? Player has already been suggested to me and, although I like it better, it has its problems as well.
As a second note this form could also expand to the creation of words for tricks. A discussion on the argot of "players" and the evolution of language on the vanguard of a new art form.
Well I am sure that this has been discussed before and many times as well. However, I could not find a post so here it is.
Because object manipulation is so new there seems to be a lack of good words to describe the art and its practice. Lets start with the word object manipulation itself. To put it bluntly I don't like it. First, object manipulation seems to be more applicable to some toys, objects, what have you, than others. Of course the term juggling is no better. But the main reason I don't like it is it just sounds lame, it must have been a very un-poetic geek that coined that term. Telling some cute girl (or guy) that you are a object manipulator is not going to get the same results as if you said you were a musician. So does anyone have any better ideas for a cover all term for someone who plays with a lot of toys? Player has already been suggested to me and, although I like it better, it has its problems as well.
As a second note this form could also expand to the creation of words for tricks. A discussion on the argot of "players" and the evolution of language on the vanguard of a new art form.
The test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposed ideas in mind at the same time and still retain the ability to function.
Strange and hard that paradox true I give,
Objects gross and the unseen soul are one.
SILVER Member
maker of all sorts of cool stuff
14 posts
Location: Central Michigan, USA
maker of all sorts of cool stuff
14 posts
Location: Central Michigan, USA
Posted:
I tend to lean toward 'performance artist' but then again that can cover a wide range of things as well. At least it sounds a little more interesting.
I tend to lean toward 'performance artist' but then again that can cover a wide range of things as well. At least it sounds a little more interesting.
GOLD Member
Now with extra strawberries
810 posts
Location: Canberra, Australia
Now with extra strawberries
810 posts
Location: Canberra, Australia
Posted:
I don't really have a problem with the term. I think it discribes the actions well with out excluding any practices. For example lots of people don't consider them selves performers so 'performance artist' would not be inclusive to them.
I'm a hooper but i also juggle and spin poi. At the training space i run we refer to the area for that sort of thing as the manipulations room. Sounds pretty rad to me.
I don't really have a problem with the term. I think it discribes the actions well with out excluding any practices. For example lots of people don't consider them selves performers so 'performance artist' would not be inclusive to them.
I'm a hooper but i also juggle and spin poi. At the training space i run we refer to the area for that sort of thing as the manipulations room. Sounds pretty rad to me.
I {Heart} hand me downs and spinning in the snow.<br /><br />
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coming to a country near you
4,696 posts
Location: home of the tiney toothy bear, Australia
coming to a country near you
4,696 posts
Location: home of the tiney toothy bear, Australia
Posted:
what do you see it as applicable to more than other thing?
object manipulators is a good broad term in my books. its inclusive of everything from yoyos to seven clubs to contact staff and performers or hobbyists. at also allows for a varying range of abilties.
and quite frankly its a very precise description. we get an object, and manipulate it to look nice/skillful. i just spent a few days at work manipulating a cricketbat like a flairbottle/juggling club. you give me another term instead of 'object manipulation' that still covers so many forms of manipulation i'd be very impressed.
all the different props have their own names so if you're trying to impress someone why not just rattle them all off in a big list? as a collective term i think object manipulator suits the bill perfectly!
yay
what do you see it as applicable to more than other thing?
object manipulators is a good broad term in my books. its inclusive of everything from yoyos to seven clubs to contact staff and performers or hobbyists. at also allows for a varying range of abilties.
and quite frankly its a very precise description. we get an object, and manipulate it to look nice/skillful. i just spent a few days at work manipulating a cricketbat like a flairbottle/juggling club. you give me another term instead of 'object manipulation' that still covers so many forms of manipulation i'd be very impressed.
all the different props have their own names so if you're trying to impress someone why not just rattle them all off in a big list? as a collective term i think object manipulator suits the bill perfectly!
yay
"but have you considered there is more to life than your eyelids?"
jointly owned by Fire_Spinning_Angel and Blu_Valley
stranger
3 posts
3 posts
Posted:
Ok well I guess that I am alone in my dislike of the term object manipulation. To me it is just kind of a mouthful. I think the proof is that it will not translate into a verb that people will use often. It is like I know a Mr. Object manipulator but I quite like him wish he had a nick name or something less formal. If that makes any sense.
However I would be fighting an up hill battle trying to change the term it would be like trying to get CJers to switch to Dynamic Manipulation. Also you are right that I can’t think of a better term, hence the question.
I guess if you shorten it just to manipulation or manipulator it sounds cool but then people have even less of an idea or the wrong idea of what you are talking about.
For some reason when I think of manipulation I think more of something like a one ring routine with lots of isolations and stuff like that. More so than someone that is numbers juggling. However I realize there is nothing in the word that lends itself to one thing more than any others. But does anyone else think like that or is it just me.
Ok well I guess that I am alone in my dislike of the term object manipulation. To me it is just kind of a mouthful. I think the proof is that it will not translate into a verb that people will use often. It is like I know a Mr. Object manipulator but I quite like him wish he had a nick name or something less formal. If that makes any sense.
However I would be fighting an up hill battle trying to change the term it would be like trying to get CJers to switch to Dynamic Manipulation. Also you are right that I can’t think of a better term, hence the question.
I guess if you shorten it just to manipulation or manipulator it sounds cool but then people have even less of an idea or the wrong idea of what you are talking about.
For some reason when I think of manipulation I think more of something like a one ring routine with lots of isolations and stuff like that. More so than someone that is numbers juggling. However I realize there is nothing in the word that lends itself to one thing more than any others. But does anyone else think like that or is it just me.
The test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposed ideas in mind at the same time and still retain the ability to function.
Strange and hard that paradox true I give,
Objects gross and the unseen soul are one.
BRONZE Member
old hand
716 posts
Location: Bristol, United Kingdom
old hand
716 posts
Location: Bristol, United Kingdom
Posted:
I have never really got on with the term either, I have always thought it sounded a little pretentious. Unfortunatley, in the absence of a better term (and i have given this some thought) im sticking with it.
To lay people i usually describe what i do as juggling as people will automatically get at least a vague sense of what i mean even if its not completely accurate. Or "that fire thing" as many people have called it.
If people ask me my job i say "performer" then elaborate, most people assume im a musician if i dont.
If you can come up with a better description that covers all bases i will adopt it
I have never really got on with the term either, I have always thought it sounded a little pretentious. Unfortunatley, in the absence of a better term (and i have given this some thought) im sticking with it.
To lay people i usually describe what i do as juggling as people will automatically get at least a vague sense of what i mean even if its not completely accurate. Or "that fire thing" as many people have called it.
If people ask me my job i say "performer" then elaborate, most people assume im a musician if i dont.
If you can come up with a better description that covers all bases i will adopt it
"Don't do it naked!"
GOLD Member
Rancor
253 posts
Location: Right Here, USA
Rancor
253 posts
Location: Right Here, USA
Posted:
Every time I see this thread I have to bite my tongue before saying something dirty.
Every time I see this thread I have to bite my tongue before saying something dirty.
Human
SILVER Member
Carpal \'Tunnel
4,172 posts
Location: Hastings, United Kingdom
Carpal \'Tunnel
4,172 posts
Location: Hastings, United Kingdom
Posted:
If I was making small talk, asked your profession and you said player, I would laugh in your face.
If I was making small talk, asked your profession and you said player, I would laugh in your face.
GOLD Member
Now with extra strawberries
810 posts
Location: Canberra, Australia
Now with extra strawberries
810 posts
Location: Canberra, Australia
Posted:
Also to add a point i think the term object manipulation is great for talking to other circus/performance people as they will know exactly what you are talking about.
Out side of that i think most people would be accustomed with the term juggler or fire spinner that is what most people who are not involved call this kind of thing any way even if you aren't strictly 'juggling'.
Also to add a point i think the term object manipulation is great for talking to other circus/performance people as they will know exactly what you are talking about.
Out side of that i think most people would be accustomed with the term juggler or fire spinner that is what most people who are not involved call this kind of thing any way even if you aren't strictly 'juggling'.
I {Heart} hand me downs and spinning in the snow.<br /><br />
BRONZE Member
nut.
756 posts
Location: Bouncing off the walls., England (UK)
nut.
756 posts
Location: Bouncing off the walls., England (UK)
Posted:
It is a bit annoyingly vague.. I mean.. Origami is object manipulation, if you think about it.
That's fun as well, but it's hardly the same thing.. though I have heard of a performance form of origami..
You could use the term to describe being a mechanic, or a removals person, or anything else which involves moving any kind of object if you try hard enough..
I tend to go as a juggler. Calling yourself an object manipulator a) sounds silly, and b) confuses people, unless they already know what you're talking about, which defeats the purpose of using it as a handy name.
It is a bit annoyingly vague.. I mean.. Origami is object manipulation, if you think about it.
That's fun as well, but it's hardly the same thing.. though I have heard of a performance form of origami..
You could use the term to describe being a mechanic, or a removals person, or anything else which involves moving any kind of object if you try hard enough..
I tend to go as a juggler. Calling yourself an object manipulator a) sounds silly, and b) confuses people, unless they already know what you're talking about, which defeats the purpose of using it as a handy name.
THE MEEK WILL INHERIT THE EARTH!
If that's okay with you?
BRONZE Member
Mistress of Pink...Multicoloured
6,140 posts
Location: Over There, United Kingdom
Mistress of Pink...Multicoloured
6,140 posts
Location: Over There, United Kingdom
Posted:
Well the technical term in my work is "manipulation and equilabristics"
Well the technical term in my work is "manipulation and equilabristics"
Never pick up a duck in a dungeon...
SILVER Member
coming to a country near you
4,696 posts
Location: home of the tiney toothy bear, Australia
coming to a country near you
4,696 posts
Location: home of the tiney toothy bear, Australia
Posted:
Originally Posted By: Pink...?Well the technical term in my work is "manipulation and equilabristics"
thats even more confusing than object manipulator!
Originally Posted By: Pink...?Well the technical term in my work is "manipulation and equilabristics"
thats even more confusing than object manipulator!
"but have you considered there is more to life than your eyelids?"
jointly owned by Fire_Spinning_Angel and Blu_Valley
BRONZE Member
HoP mage and keeper of the fireballs
1,965 posts
Location: Palmerston North, New Zealand
HoP mage and keeper of the fireballs
1,965 posts
Location: Palmerston North, New Zealand
Posted:
Fire Dancer while not complete description gives people a vague idea of what I do. However in a slightly more performance orientated crowd I would probably use the term Object Manipulation since it is the most accurate term and they are more likley to understand it.
Fire Dancer while not complete description gives people a vague idea of what I do. However in a slightly more performance orientated crowd I would probably use the term Object Manipulation since it is the most accurate term and they are more likley to understand it.
May my balls of fire set your balls on fire 
SILVER Member
lurking like a ninja with no camouflage..
926 posts
Location: over yonder, New Zealand
lurking like a ninja with no camouflage..
926 posts
Location: over yonder, New Zealand
Posted:
you could abbreviate it to obman?
you could abbreviate it to obman?
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Owned by Brenn
SILVER Member
Rampant whirler.
2,418 posts
Location: Geelong, Victoria, Australia!
Rampant whirler.
2,418 posts
Location: Geelong, Victoria, Australia!
Posted:
"I play with sticks and balls, on my own or with other people. Sometimes people give me money, but most of the time its just for fun"
"I play with sticks and balls, on my own or with other people. Sometimes people give me money, but most of the time its just for fun"
BRONZE Member
HoP mage and keeper of the fireballs
1,965 posts
Location: Palmerston North, New Zealand
HoP mage and keeper of the fireballs
1,965 posts
Location: Palmerston North, New Zealand
Posted:
LOL
LOL
May my balls of fire set your balls on fire
SILVER Member
what goes around comes around. unless you're into stalls.
4,030 posts
Location: Bali, Australia
what goes around comes around. unless you're into stalls.
4,030 posts
Location: Bali, Australia
Posted:
I also think object manipulation sounds weird. Better than emotional manipulation I suppose. But the phrase is only really known/used by circussy types (to distinguish it from eg acrobatics). It also sounds dry - eg 'parrots are better at object manipulation than swallows' without any sense of fun.
I often use the phrase skill-toys. Eg "the aerials training is from 1-3pm, the rest of the afternoon is for skill toys'
Also on circussy terms:
Originally Posted By: Pink...?Well the technical term in my work is "manipulation and equilabristics"
Most of us don't do equilabristics (balancing stuff like slack rope and rola bola)
And anything that defines using the word 'fire' is describing the icing, not the cake...
As for 'dynamic manipulation' for contact juggling. That's just silly. CJ would be about the least dynamic of the lot!
I also think object manipulation sounds weird. Better than emotional manipulation I suppose. But the phrase is only really known/used by circussy types (to distinguish it from eg acrobatics). It also sounds dry - eg 'parrots are better at object manipulation than swallows' without any sense of fun.
I often use the phrase skill-toys. Eg "the aerials training is from 1-3pm, the rest of the afternoon is for skill toys'
Also on circussy terms:
Originally Posted By: Pink...?Well the technical term in my work is "manipulation and equilabristics"
Most of us don't do equilabristics (balancing stuff like slack rope and rola bola)
And anything that defines using the word 'fire' is describing the icing, not the cake...
As for 'dynamic manipulation' for contact juggling. That's just silly. CJ would be about the least dynamic of the lot!
.....Can't juggle balls but I sure as hell can juggle details....
GOLD Member
Walking on whims...
687 posts
Location: Eastbourne, UK
Walking on whims...
687 posts
Location: Eastbourne, UK
Posted:
I don't mind the term object manipulation... a friend of mine prefers 'Prop Manipulation'
I quite like the word manipulate... and I guess it describes it fairly well, albeit in a broad way.
As gabe said, the term is only really used amongst other circus types to help distinguish it. To anyone else I just say 'Circus Skills'.
I don't mind the term object manipulation... a friend of mine prefers 'Prop Manipulation'
I quite like the word manipulate... and I guess it describes it fairly well, albeit in a broad way.
As gabe said, the term is only really used amongst other circus types to help distinguish it. To anyone else I just say 'Circus Skills'.
Skatto
"Fly like a mouse,
Run like a cushion,
Be the small bookcase."
For goodness sake, don't aggravate the otters!!!
SILVER Member
enthusiast
360 posts
Location: Oxford, United Kingdom
enthusiast
360 posts
Location: Oxford, United Kingdom
Posted:
The term is quite vague, but then so is the profession. I only do poi so I usually say glow/fire spinning, which usually requires further explanation; I swing burning balls of kevlar round on the end of chains - gets some funny looks.
The term is quite vague, but then so is the profession. I only do poi so I usually say glow/fire spinning, which usually requires further explanation; I swing burning balls of kevlar round on the end of chains - gets some funny looks.
SILVER Member
Unofficial Chairperson of Squirrel Defense League
4,061 posts
Location: South Africa
Unofficial Chairperson of Squirrel Defense League
4,061 posts
Location: South Africa
Posted:
I heard someone describe it as "mucking about with balls and sticks and string".
Pretty accurate, if not overly concise.
I tend towards juggler or spinner to complete new people.
I heard someone describe it as "mucking about with balls and sticks and string".
Pretty accurate, if not overly concise.
I tend towards juggler or spinner to complete new people.
'We're all mad here. I'm mad, you're mad." [said the Cat.]
"How do you know I'm mad?" said Alice.
"You must be," said the Cat, "Or you wouldn't have come here."
- Lewis Carroll, Alice's Adventures In Wonderland
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