Installation Inspiration: Pipilotti Rist

For our final installation, Emily and I plan on projecting video of water and fish onto one of the columns in Babbio. A good source of inspiration is Pipilotti Rist's video projection Sip My Ocean (1996). This projection includes two mirrored projections onto two walls. Much of the content includes underwater scenes which serve as a good reference for what we plan to do in our project. The link to the video is https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJhgIcbSEeM.

Walter Benjamin: Art and Technology and Mass Production

In Walter Benjamin's analysis of art in the age of mechanical reproduction, he evaluates the change in the reception of art as it becomes more readily available to an audience. According to Benjamin, the mass production of art takes away its authenticity. However, in the process of taking away the authenticity, it allows an audience to focus on the meaning of the work rather than the simple existence of the art. With the introduction of film, art becomes a form of interaction rather than something for the audience to “awe” at. 

This idea is particularly interesting in the sense that although art is usually valued at being unique, it is becoming more valued because it is available to more people. Through the increased accessibility involved in the increase of technology in the arts, art is available to more people and is therefore more apparent. Because it is more apparent, people do not have to observe the uniqueness of a work but now can look for the meaning in a particular work.

One of Benjamin's most interesting points is his analysis of how film has changed the perception of art. Film is a medium created for the entertainment of mass audiences. Because of the large scale of people able to view films, all of these people are able to assess the success of the film. In other words, all individuals in the audience become critics of works of art. 

Despite that the mass production of art has limited the uniqueness in a work of art, it has also made art more available to the masses. This allows for more people to become more in tune with the success of a work of art.