Work of art in the age of mechanical reproduction.

Walter Benjamin (1936).

In his seminal work " the work of art in the age of mechanical reproduction" Walter Benjamin offers a new theory about art based on the ideas of Marx and his critique of capitalism. Radical and challenging at the time of writing. Benjamin's work still offers some insight into the challenges of today, as we move not from the preindustrial to post-industrial world, but from a pre-digital to post-digital.

The challenges to pre-existing ideas of art and creativity that Benjamin identifies in the change from manual reproduction to mechanical reproduction are similar in some ways, to the challenges of art, creativity and ownership that we now face as we move from analog based mediums to digital world.

Benjamin, begins his essay by discussing the concepts of originality and authenticity. He trys to describe what happens to theses concepts  when they are confronted by reproduction both manual and mechanical.

Benjamin identifies a qualitative difference in the impact that reproduction is on an original artwork ,when that reproduction is undertaken manually, as opposed to when that reproduction takes place mechanically. Pointing to developments in the reproduction of an image or picture. Benjamin shows the way in which changes in methods of reproduction can also directly change the impact that the image or artwork will have on the audience. Within this discussion, he explores the way in which changes in reproduction of media have of themselves led to almost demanded changes in the medium itself.

 " Just as lithography, virtually implied. The illustrated newspaper showed the photography foreshadow the sound film,"

In a similar I suggest that the digitalisation of existing analogue mediums and their subsequent convergence foreshadowed and the development of Transmedial narrative. In essence, once you have the ability to combine the film sounds, music, pictures and words onto one single digital platform social, creative, and methods of production would  evolve to take advantage of this new opportunity.

In order to explain these new technologies and methods of reproduction on the audience Benjamin explored ideas on authenticity and originality.
" Even the most perfect reproduction of a work of art is lacking in one. Its presence in time and space. Its unique existence at the place, which happens to be."

Benjamin offers us the idea that a piece of art has its own or an aura, which is created by its physical place in the world. It is this aura that marks the original as different from the reproduction.

When faced with the manual reproduction, Benjamin  states that the original retains its authority, its aura remains unchanged. Lacking the historical providence of the original the manual reproduction, will generally be seen as a forgery.

When confronted with a mechanical reproduction. For example of of the picture or a scene in Benjamin states that the original artifact is faced with new challenges. Challenges created by the mechanical reproductions, independence from the original artifact. So for example, photographic reproduction, may with the aid of certain processes such as slow motion, , enlargement, capture an images which would escape the natural vision. So if the original were announced.  Secondly, the mechanical reproduction can put an artefact in a situation out of reach of the original itself.

" By making many reproduction is a substitute plurality of copies for a unique existence and in permitting the reproduction to meet holder or listener in their own particular situation it really activates the object reproduced."

From this first part of Benjamin's work we may see a clue as to why digital immigrants have so many problems regulating digital natives in the realm of copyright in a Transmedial environment. The key element to Benjamin's theories is the concept of the physical presence. For Benjamin, in order for something to be copy or reproduced there must be a physical artefact created as the original. So, for Benjamin, a photograph is a physical mechanical reproduction of something that the photographer has seen. The mechanical reproduction itself can be reproduced and lead to the creation of a new physical product. So, that could mean a new negative or a new photograph created from the negative. But whatever it is is a physical product. With digital, and often with Transmedial creations there is no physical product , no hard copy, no photograph, no statue, no film in a can, no physical presence at all in time or space. Simply a group of one's and zeros stored in computer memory. There really is no context to take them out of. Digital/Transmedial creation exist within a digital world, which has no sense of time or location outside of itself. Each time you see, a Transmedial digital creation you see in new product. Original! There are no copies, no forgeries, just new original. Each viewing as original as the one before.

If those who try to regulate the digital world. See it through analog eyes and understand originality, art and creativity as a process which leads to a physical product. Then, clearly, the legislation, they write will have difficulties dealing with a process that leads to something else.