Thinking Practices Module – 2AMP7H1
Title: Reproduction: The problems facing film art Prepared by: Alexa Raisbeck
Reproduction: The problems facing film art Contents Introduction .................................................................................................................. 3 Case study 1: Reproduction: performance and the participatory ....................... 6 Case study 2: Reproduction within the structural/materialist movement........... 9 Case study 3: Reproduction and the work of Stanley Brakhage ...................... 12 Conclusion. ................................................................................................................ 15
Abstract: The purpose of this essay is to look at Walter Benjamin’s theory on reproduction in art, as found in the text The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction. It is also look at John Berger’s observations and theories on the reproduction of original art work in Ways of Seeing. Using these theories, and accepting the premise that all reproductions distort, I offer an expanded and updated view on the reproduction of original work. This is in regard to original lens-based pieces - with specific focus on film art. This essay focuses on the passivity with which reproductions of original film art created on celluloid are digitized and transferred onto other mediums. It examines these issues through the use of three case studies. The analysis of each case study examines how far the ontology of the original work is maintained after reproduction and relocation to other mediums. Due to advancing technologies, reproductions will continue to be produced on universally viable mediums. Since these mediums introduce new processes, with regard to the way visual and audio information is stored and presented, there becomes a problem with how this work is perceived. I examine how this affects the ontology of the artwork and whether the meaning has become lost or diluted. Acknowledging that there is a demand for a wider audience to see the work in a viable manner, I accept the reasons for these digitised transfers and look into whether the participatory nature of video sharing sites such as Youtube, ultimately could aid in the wider exposure of the work. This perhaps, leads to more demand for the original pieces to be shown in their original celluloid format. However the question is raised that with future technological progression, will the ontology of the original work become completely unrecognisable the further it moves from its original medium? There is also the issue of apathy in introducing reproductions of this work, as ultimately there is a responsibility on those who supervise in the transfer of these pieces (and put them in the public domain) to explain the limitations of the reproductions. Unfortunately this may not happen, which leaves this issue open for further study and debate.
University of Westminster School of Media Art and Design
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MA Art and Media Practice 2010-2011