# Tao

> creative work by Alan Sondheim, Reiner Strasser

**Wikidata**: [Q132198052](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q132198052)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/tao-q132198052

## Summary
Tao is a digital poetry application created by Alan Sondheim and Reiner Strasser in 2004. It exists both as a creative work and a software program, utilizing Adobe Flash and distributed via web page and optical disc.

## Key Facts
- Publication date: 2004
- Authors: Alan Sondheim, Reiner Strasser
- Genre: Digital poetry
- Instance of: Creative work, exhibit, application
- Software engine: Adobe Flash
- Distribution formats: Web page, optical disc
- Published in: Academic journal
- Language: English
- ELMCIP ID: 1359

## FAQs
### Q: What is Tao?
A: Tao is a digital poetry application created by Alan Sondheim and Reiner Strasser in 2004. It functions both as a creative work and a software program.

### Q: Who created Tao?
A: Tao was created by Alan Sondheim and Reiner Strasser.

### Q: What technology was used to create Tao?
A: Tao was developed using Adobe Flash as its software engine.

### Q: How was Tao distributed?
A: Tao was distributed as both a web page and an optical disc.

### Q: Where was Tao published?
A: Tao was published in an academic journal.

## Why It Matters
Tao represents a significant early example of digital poetry that blurs the lines between creative work and functional software. Its existence as both an exhibit and an application highlights the evolving nature of digital art, demonstrating how poetry could be experienced interactively through web-based technology. By being published in an academic journal, Tao contributed to the legitimization of digital poetry as a serious artistic and scholarly pursuit, influencing subsequent explorations of literature and technology. Its use of Adobe Flash reflects the technological context of early web-based creative works.

## Notable For
- Dual classification as both a creative work and an application software program.
- Utilization of Adobe Flash as its core software engine for digital poetry.
- Distribution via both web page and optical disc formats.
- Publication in an academic journal, bridging art and scholarship.
- Identification with the ELMCIP ID 1359, a key resource for digital art.

## Body
### Creation and Publication
- Created by Alan Sondheim and Reiner Strasser.
- Published in 2004.
- Published in an academic journal.
- Language of work is English.

### Nature and Classification
- Instance of: creative work.
- Instance of: exhibit.
- Instance of: application (software program for end-users).
- Genre: digital poetry.

### Technical Details
- Software engine: Adobe Flash.
- Distribution formats: web page, optical disc.
- ELMCIP ID: 1359.