A Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction

a) The aura of a work of art as Walter Benjamin sees it, may be directly 'tied to presence.' Its an idea of authenticity, originality and distance. It measures a length of time between the present and the last time the artist applied his/her touch to the work. In that sense the aura of the original work forms a supernatural, time warping, visceral connection to the maker. With time and admiration the aura grows like a fable or long tale. But with mechanical reproduction the aura may also wither as a schematic understanding of the work is disseminated and consumed, thus reducing the "historical testimony" which rests on the "authenticity." Benjamin goes on to say that reproduction substitutes a unique existence with a plurality. Andy Warhol emphasized this point in his death series. Value as a relative measure of shock or aura loses significance through repetition and reproduction. Language functions the same way. A word may be emptied of value with overuse.


Andy Warhol, White Car Crash 19 Times

b) Benjamin delineates two types of value, exhibition and cult. As art assumes a more secular place in the world, the former cult value is diminished. As he claims, a statue positioned in a cathedral demands a cult following to acknowledge its existence. But if that sculptor were to instead form a bust or a more transportable figure, the new work assumes greater exhibition value. **While we may have freed art from the classical orthodoxy, it nonetheless operates within a modern orthodoxy much the same way - the museum/institution. The cardinals, saints, and high priests may be seen during business hours in the great halls of the Dia, a relatively short pilgrimage. Benjamin sees the motion picture and photograph as more understandable and empirical, thus more accessible. As he sees it, an inverse shift of power between traditional arts and technology is occurring.

Benjamin notes the importance of the press and literacy. The democratization process and more recently the internet have reprogrammed our culture into a reflexive relationship, rewrite instead of read only. Cascading content no longer flows from the top down, instead it is assuming a more circular pattern.

c) "for the first time in world history, mechanical reproduction emancipates the work of art from its parasitical dependence on ritual." By this Benjamin suggests that film and photography have changed the nature of art. With the invention of the camera in 1839, painting was alleviated of former duty. No longer was it expected to faithfully imitate life as we see it, instead painting was liberated to explore subjective issues. This accelerated the trend toward abstraction in Western art. The public perceives photography to be more true/scientific/empirical. While initially alarming to painters, the invention of the photograph in fact elevates their status to a muse, cultural synthesizer and interpreter.

d) Technology is once again freeing the artist to explore realms beyond what was once conceivable. Just as the photograph enabled painters of an earlier era, computers, code and the internet are empowering contemporary artists to seek form with unparalleled scale, accuracy, and economy. Craftsmanship is being replaced with mechanical reproduction. CAD, laser/3-D printing, online social networks, 3-D motion picture and mobile technology have broadened the expressive capabilities of an artist.

Frank Gehry, Disney

As Bourriaud suggests, the modern artist mobile. No longer tethered to a studio, medium or city, the interconnected world presents new range and possibility beyond the stale hegemony of centralized thought and presence. This is the peripatetic school, representing a group of displaced artists, assimilating traditional method with modern technology through an eccentric range of possibility. Gabriel Orozco represents the international artist embracing a field of opportunity.