Saturday, August 14, 2010

Reproducible Authenticity in a Digital World


What role does the concept of an "authentic" play in our digital age of design and manufacture? In short, not a significant one. Sure, an "authentic" work of art or design is still considered important, especially when it is something that is crafted by hand. For example, an original Picasso is worth far more than a print, and a classic 1963 Pierre Paulin chair, made by Artifort (pictured above), is of much greater value than a similarly styled IKEA chair. Modern design, however, takes into account the fact that we live in a consumer culture, making pieces with reproducibility and a short life span in mind. Walter Benjamin argued that "...the work of art reproduced becomes the work of art designed for reproducibility. From a photographic negative... one can can make any number of prints; to ask for "the authentic" print makes no sense." While he may have argued that well over 50 years ago, it remains true to this day, perhaps even more so due to the advent of digital reproduction, photocopying, and digital cameras. The whole idea of a photograph is to capture a particular moment in time, and be reproduced. If it wasn't meant to be reproduced, there would be no negative. Thus, there is no real original, or "authentic". Everyday objects are the same - most are no longer crafted by hand, but are made by machinery, separated from human contact. These objects, from simple clothing to cars, are also meant to be reproduced, sold to the public for relatively low cost. We live in a consumer culture, and we have to acknowledge that the concept of an "authentic", whether fortunately or unfortunately, is irrelevant.

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