In the article, it mentions the "concept of authenticity" and goes on to describe methods to discern this from artworks. With computer generated art and film, remixes, and mash-ups, how do you prove the "concept of authenticity" and does it matter anymore?
On page 5, the author states, "During long periods of history, the mode of human sense perception changes with humanity's entire mode of existence. The manner in which human sense perception is organized, the medium in which it is accomplished, is determined not only by nature but by historical circumstances as well."
In all of this- where does art that is not only computer generated, in that an artist uses the computer as a tool to generate the artwork, but computer generated by computer programming and algorithms fit into this discussion? This kind of work still requires an artist with a vision, but in some ways mathematics and computations may take on a larger role. How does that relate not only to reproductions but to the original art itself and the possibility that an algorithm could generate original pieces again and again precisely? Is this something different from art? I wonder if society would or does place a greater value in things made by hand rather than by computer?
Excellent questions! Please feel free to share your questions in class - I suspect either of these would have led to very interesting discussions. It is indeed important to question the relevancy of something written in the 1930's today - I suspect though, that we would come to realize how truly important Benjamin's ideas are to our present situation.
ReplyDeletejoseph