The recontextualization of the material is, to both Lessig and I, the most important aspect of remixing. If someone has the ability to alter, pervert, and juxtapose preexisting media to convey an original idea, I believe that artist has a truly original creation on their hands. I'm currently working on my first attempt at video and audio remixing and I must say that I admire those who can make it look easy. It's a delicate process, just like many other art forms. And those who are not aware of the intricacies of the process should not write off the end product as plagiaristic simply because the raw materials used can stand alone as art.
I agree with you that the concern of plagiarism should not exceed our creativity. I personally think modern commercialized art stifled the development of art of mixed media. Not only that, this whole business centered claim about copyright would not even allow people to document some of the materials in their family video without asking them to pay. It is just rediculous.
ReplyDeleteIf the genre or type style of remixing did not extist, would it have an impact on the industry? It seems like if an original product was really a hit, the group of people have the urge to create a new spin off of it.
ReplyDeleteWhile remixing is a fairly new concept in American culture, and copyright issues are delicate, I agree that it is important not to overlook this new art form. I found the correlation between remixing and learning interesting. Lessig remarks that remixing is often vilified but can be used, quite effectively, to promote learning. I would be interested to see how remixing could be implemented into grade school curricula.
ReplyDeleteAlso, while it is logical that people do not charge for works which are remixes, I think it would be important to point out that there are artists who create their own material, such as Radio Head, and have released cds free of charge for the public to download.
I agree that if students are allowed to quote an author's work without his/her permission, then what is the harm in sampling or borrowing an artist's audio and video to create one's own remix? Whether it be writing, audio or video, aren't they all the same, but just a different form of art? Does it not seem strange to you how students are strictly forbidden to plagiarize writing, yet in many school teachers encourage students to learn how to remix videos and audios in Music and other Art classes. For instance, if you haven't read my post, I included a video of a teacher instructing his students how to remix Shakespeare's Macbeth. He encourages his students to add different sounds as background music, along with the audio of the play. Here is a link to the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V-y2QuAokdo&feature=player_embedded
ReplyDeleteNow, if we think again, wouldn't this also be considered plagiarism, since it is just the same as writing, but a different form of art? How can we even differentiate as to what is considered plagiarism or what is "borrowing?" Who decides?
Lessig makes the point that the original must be completely transformed by the remix. There are a lot of remix projects that aren't transforming the material by making it social critique or creating juxtapositions that add new meaning.
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