Task 2 - Mechanical Reproduction

The work of art in the age of mechanical reproduction.

Of course this task is a result of my interpretation of what Benjamin has written about, which is perhaps one of the more challenging writers I have come across; though perhaps this just suggests that I need to read more. Either way, I may well have interpreted his ideas in a slightly different way to how he meant them to be interpreted.

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'In all the arts there's a physical component which can no longer be considered or treated as it used to be, which cannot remain unaffected by our modern knowledge and power' (Valery, 1931)

Essentially, rather than solely focus on one piece of graphic design, I have decided to analyse the idea that certain designers make an attempt to reinstate the concept of 'aura' within some of their work, perhaps by creating limited edition numbered prints or hand-bound books. I also see the same process happening elsewhere outside the realm of design, particularly in the area of the music industry that I myself am particularly interested in, whereby vinyl records are released in small runs of 500-1000 copies, or in special cases an even smaller run of white labels will be released; which in some ways enforces the idea of true authenticity.

Benjamin suggests that improvements in technology lead onto shifts in cultural norms of perception:

'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.' (Benjamin, 1936)

In the particularly special case of mechanical reproduction, the 'mode of human sense perception' as such experienced a change on a level that far greater than what usually results from an improvement in technology. Occasionally arrives an improvement that has a profound effect on the masses and has irreversible consequences on society. The development of the printed letter allowed many to be educated or educate themselves, and it also allowed those who previously could not access works of art to possess their own copies.

It is potentially possible to credit the entire existence of graphic design as a practice to the emergence of mechanical reproduction. 'Designers' began to employ techniques developed to combine pieces of fine art with typography to promote products, services and the culture industry. This particular act of reproduction in itself is perhaps, as Benjamin might suggest, an absolute diminishment of 'aura'. The image has been re-contextualised in the sense that it is now visible to every man on the street. Not only this, the purpose of the artwork used has altogether changed, causing almost all aspects of authenticity and authority possessed by the original artwork to be diminished.

This in many ways potentially defines the whole situation.

Artwork created for, and possessed by the upper classes is suddenly released into a very public domain. Those previously unable to obtain 'media' (as a fairly generic, all-encompassing way of putting it) are now able to purchase, or receive it.

This is becoming visible once again in today's society, with regards to the age of digital reproduction. The basic structure of change in perception is essentially following the same model, although the effects are tenfold, to say the least. All sorts of levels are added to the equation, whereby it is not simply mechanical reproduction that removes the 'aura'; suddenly it is possible to view a work of art from anywhere at any time, in any situation, without any sort of delay, accompanied by countless anonymous opinions, on many different platforms.

Going back to the first paragraph, it is interesting to see how people react to this free-for-all situation, where media is consistently filtered through cultures and subcultures before just becoming another deadlink in cyberspace. The reactions to this are perhaps pretty obvious – in recent times it is possible to see how hand-crafted (and in some cases, mechanical reproduction in itself...woah..) work has become greatly popular. There is also this notion of creating numbered, limited edition screen-printed posters to reinstate the idea of 'aura', although this may be a subconscious thing in many cases. This reaction can be interpreted in a number of different ways, but perhaps the most logical would be to suggest that the lack of 'aura' in today's situation requires making up for in certain ways, to keep that idea alive as such. Perhaps we have reached a level where it is become a choice for the masses, whether to invest in the 'aura' of a piece of artwork, or settle for a lesser, digital imitation.