Grace Collins DESMA 9 Week 3

Robotics + Art: Mass Production

The idea of Mechanization is a particularly interesting one. Arguably, mechanization was the bridge between speed of production and output. As mentioned by Professor Vesna, in the lecture, the Chinese first invented the printing press. A couple hundred years later, Gutenberg utilizes the printing press to then create one with movable metal parts as a replacement for wood (Roemer 2015, 83), as shown in the first photo. 


The rapid production of books then translated to other material goods, like art. For example, the famous Andy Warhol soup cans pictured above. Today we see his art reproduced not only as prints, but now onto t-shirts, bags, etc. This allows us to think of the word ‘aura’ as it appears in not only Benjamin’s reading, but also in a journal by Ginia Sweeney. In this she challenges Benjamin’s thoughts. While Benjamin argues meaning is lost as only the original can tell the true story, Sweeney brings up a new idea. 



In today’s art & photography scene, some photographs are intentionally made for reproduction. For example, images intentionally designed to be used for postcards, as shown in an image above. In this artistic form, the uniqueness behind each postcard lies within what has been written on the back of it, however their popularity could not have been gained without mass production. Based on this idea, do you think the aura or authenticity, as mentioned by Benjamin, is retained or lost?

 


Works Cited

Articles & Websites

Roemer, Robin. “Mechanization of the Printing Press - Digital Commons @ WOU.” Digital Commons @WOU History of the Book: Disrupting Society from Tablet to Tablet, https://digitalcommons.wou.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1007&context=history_of_book. 

          AMA J Ethics. 2019;21(12):E1098-1102. doi: 10.1001/amajethics.2019.1098.

Doran, Bob. “The Golden Age of Postcards.” North Coast Journal, North Coast Journal, 9 Apr. 2022, https://www.northcoastjournal.com/humboldt/the-golden-age-of-postcards/Content?oid=2131798. 

“Walter Benjamin, ‘the Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction.’” Modernism, 1936, pp. 164–165., https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315833125-38. 

Davis, Douglas. “The Work of Art in the Age of Digital Reproduction (an Evolving Thesis: 1991-1995).” Leonardo, vol. 28, no. 5, 1995, p. 381., https://doi.org/10.2307/1576221. 


Images

eCommerce, Hip. “Postcard of Los Angeles California Travel Poster Style Postcard: United States - California - Other, Postcard.” HipPostcard, https://www.hippostcard.com/listing/postcard-of-los-angeles-california-travel-poster-style-postcard/16326065. 

Matsaş Digital Offset and Printing. “The History of Printing - Blog.” Matsaş Digital Offset and Printing, 28 Apr. 2021, https://www.matsas.com.tr/en/blog/the-history-of-printing. 

“9.98US $: Warhol Tomato Soup Can (Distressed Design) t Shirt Andy Pop Warhol Campbells Cambells Tomato Soup Can Movement 1960s: T-Shirts: - Aliexpress.” Aliexpress.com, https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4000732442509.html. 

Comments

  1. AnonymousApril 16, 2022 at 2:29 AM

    Hi Grace -

    I liked how you mentioned from lecture that the Chinese invented the first printing press. This was truly an innovation. Society has come such a long way since the first printing press in terms of technological advancements. However, the printing press serves as a crucial foundation for modern society. I also enjoyed your discussion as to how the advent printing press led to advancements of digital media and art. This continues to be true in the society of today. I agree that postcards are a fantastic example of the interplay between art, science, technology, and digital media. I really enjoyed reading your post for this week!

    -Julia

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