Body as a data artefact: The ontological kaleidoscope framework

Abstract

This article introduces the ‘Ontological Kaleidoscope’ framework—a novel methodological approach for examining the complex entanglements between embodiment, data, and ethics in contemporary digital contexts. Drawing from the established traditions of posthumanism and constructionism, this framework aims to offer researchers a systematic method for analysing how human bodies become translated into data artifacts within computational systems. The Ontological Kaleidoscope serves as both a critical lens and analytical tool, revealing the gaps, ruptures, and impossible translations between embodied experience and data infrastructures. This paper situates the framework within existing methodological approaches, demonstrates its theoretical foundations, provides a detailed implementation guide, and illustrates its potential application illustrated through a case study example. By offering a structured yet flexible approach to examining body-data-ethics relationships, the Ontological Kaleidoscope contributes a valuable methodological innovation for scholars investigating the increasingly blurred boundaries between human embodiment and digital representation.