week 9 assignment 6

Considering this week’s lecture and reading, “The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction” by Walter Benjamin, respond to the following question;

In this week’s reading Benjamin argues, “To an ever greater degree the work of art reproduced becomes the work of art designed for reproducibility. From a photographic negative, for example, one can make any number of prints; to ask for the authentic print makes no sense.” Do you agree or disagree? Do you think there is a role for the ‘authentic’ in an age of digital design and manufacture?

Answer;

I deem that Benjamin’s belief that from digital design and new manufacturing techniques our society’s creations will begin to lose their aura and authenticity, is true to a certain extent. In order for someone to class an object as authentic it depends how harsh the viewer wants to be, as there is always an original of every work. However that mass production of the piece is what makes the individual object lose its authentic quality.

However I do believe it is becoming increasingly harder to come across a true authentic piece. As our world develops ideas are repeated, and expanded thus making it exceedingly difficult to come across and produce a piece that is 100% original. Every idea and creation comes from something, from a single thought which links one creation with another. However then you could argue on the other side, as one of the popular views in today’s world is that every object is different, as it has gone through those different experiences, perhaps has a stain from a spilt drink/food, or a rip, repair, making that object arguably “authentic” from another.

I trust that even through the ever advancing digital technology there will always be a role for the authentic. In our world today companies are utilizing authenticity in order to produce motives for individuals to purchase their goods. Introducing factors such as “Limited edition”, collectables and simply placing a brand name labelled across the product. It is also the type of manufacturing that a company chooses to embrace that affects the amount of aura (authenticity) that is associated with their products. This mass production that is occurring contradicts this whole view that people are able to express their inner self through their clothes and what they choose to decorate their home with. With people feel obliged to follow along with the trends of today in order to stay “cool”, more and more people are choosing to decorate their homes with similar designs, thus losing their own authenticity