The original and the reproduction

I just finished reading the Walter Benjamin and the Critical Art Ensemble articles about the original object versus its reproductions. The ideas from the two articles clash against each other as Benjamin argues that the reproduction of objects make the original loose their aura, and the C.A.E (Critical Art Ensemble) argues that it the the reproduction (plagiarism) of ideas that produce new ideas.

Well here is my opinion: If Benjamin argues that the mass reproduction of objects cause the original to loose their own aura because it is shared with the public, I want to question him that if their is only one original and the public was to see that (i.e. the Mona Lisa in Louvre Museum), would the viewers sense original aura of the piece? To me, the answer is no because the only true aura of the piece and the only person who could sense that is the creator himself as he painted it based on his own thoughts. The painting to the painter is a symbol of his own thoughts and that is the true aura that emanates from the artwork. One can argue that they can sense an aura from the original, but I want to ask is the aura they see the intended original aura? If it is no, then what difference would it make if one was to mass reproduce the piece of art since the aura would be different anyways?

I think reproduction creates an aura of its own...

Benjamin also argues that film creates reproductions of the original act and that takes the aura away from the original actor/actress. I think that in film, the artist and the director is the creator and the one thing that they both want to accomplish is to portray the character story in their script. The camera then pieces together creating the aura they want to achieve. The acting out of the film is just a process, the finished film itself is the original. Therefore the distribution of film does not take away the original intended aura but it is a way to deliver the aura to the public.

The article from the C.A.E argues that plagiarism is the key to developing new ideas and I agree with that. From the original person's idea, we can constantly improve on it, and most of the time, people other from the creator makes the most impressive improvements from the original idea.

What captivates me the most is the notion that no one owns words. Words are an ancient tool passed on to us from our ancestors, which allows us to communicate to one another. Writing itself is giving words a physical body. The article then argues that if the author isn't the original creator of words, then why should they copyright it? Why do we get punished for plagiarizing if what we are doing is simply stating what we want to say? It is possible for two separate people to come up with the same idea, but why does one get punished for it because they came up with it a few seconds after? Those are some pretty min-boggling questions to consider when trying to take a side for plagiarism and I do not have the answer to this myself. It hurts my head...

Thoughts on Technology

What is technology?

I think that technology is a tool designed to aid people to do certain things that they cannot achieve otherwise with their body. In other words tools are in a way deviations of the human body as noted from Marshall Mcluhan. Most of the time when we mention the word 'technology', we think of computers and electrical equipment, but it can be items that we don't pay much attention to in our day to day life.

Some of the technologies mentioned in the tutorial include glasses (an improvement of the eye to help us see), and the cell phone (an improvement of speech and hearing). My personal favorite is the computer, which is in a way an extension of our brain.

Just an interesting fact, in Chinese, the word computer is translated to literally 'electronic brain'.


What role do you see technology playing in art?

If technology is an deviation of our physical body, then the role technology plays in art is a tool to extend our sensations and thoughts. It allows us to feel something that we cannot otherwise feel and have a discussion with artists and other viewers we cannot otherwise talk to from our location. Technology also creates a new medium for artists to make art. Referring back to the lecture, the artist Moholy-Nagy created a set of instructions that can be transmitted through the phone or the internet so that someone on the other end could create the same image with the exact proportions. It is the invention of the grid, telephone, and internet that has allowed him to accomplish this.

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