“Never
again will the real have a chance to produce itself – such is the vital
function of the model in a system of death, or rather of anticipated
resurrection, that no longer even gives the event of death a chance”
Baudrillard, Jean, Simulacra and Simulation, 1994:02, University of
Michigan Press.
Mechanical
and digital reproduction has made works of art ever more
accessible to us. Meaning that we can buy a reproduction of the Mona Lisa or conjure
Van Gogh’s Sunflowers with a simple click of a mouse. The Internet in
particular has completely changed the way we consume information, entertainment
and most crucially, in terms of this project, Art.
You are able to traverse time and
geographical location through your web browser, take a virtual tour of MOMA from
the comfort of your living room, free from the expense of trans Atlantic travel
and the jostling of eager tourists keen to get a snap shot of a Rothko.
In Walter Benjamin’s essay ‘ The work of art in the age of mechanical reproduction’ the author argues that through a combination of mechanical reproductive methods and wide spread distribution traditional notions of the Art object as holy relic are shattered. That is to say that through reproduction and exposure we become familiar, perhaps even intimate with a work and our appreciation of the original as an authentic experience is diminished.
Digital reproductions are far more independent then the original, they are produced using very different methods and crucially they are not restricted in the same ways.
Digital reproductions are free, to develop
a unique existence of their own, free from the control of the originator and in
doing so can attain a far broader cultural resonance.
Our relationship with these images has, in my opinion, irrevocably changed. The perception of Art as something other and outside of our ability to manipulate and ultimately bend to our will has been shattered completely. Where
Duchamp was only able to manipulate the image of the Mona Lisa inside the
restrictive dimensions of the postcards frame we can today manipulate that very
same image without restriction and in ways that Da Vinci and Duchamp could
never dream of. The
original is almost redundant in this context, representing only the
first in a long line of developments. The work becomes fluid, its reinterpretation
inexhaustible and renders the original stagnant, perhaps even obsolete.
“The situations into which the product of
mechanical reproduction can be brought may not touch the actual work of art,
yet the quality of its presence is always depreciated.” - Benjamin, Walter, Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction
With these ideas in mind it will be up to you to react to the above image. The final outcome of which can take any form you wish and I would hope incorporate elements of your own practice, but will ultimately be the subject of a flyer that you will produce and distribute at flyer kiosks, message boards and online. These flyers can be made as inexpensively as you like, but must be A5 with a 1cm border around your image.
It is important that you document the sites that you distribute your flyer; as this documentation will form the basis of a second flyer that you will in turn distribute at the same locations visited previously. This process will be repeated until you reach, what is for you, a satisfying conclusion.
All the best
Aaron Griffin
