Recreating Individuality- fang

Walter Benjamin's piece illustrates the importance of authenticity and the problem society has/will have when mechanical reproduction takes over the way people view images. With reproduction, the context and uniqueness of art, or really anything now in society, dissolve and it becomes much more commodity-esque than ever before. For the first time in human history, art becomes less “real” as “mechanical reproduction of a work of art, however repsents something new” (38). With reproduced art, “the quality of its presence is always depreciated” (39). Benjamin stresses the stripping of individuality as a key reason the age of mechanical reproduction has immense potential to be a danger in our society.

            Here is an example of a photograph that tried to capture something real.

 While the watermark is used to emphasize the commodity-based aspect of reproduction, it still demonstrates what the age of mechanical reproduction does. The flower was free in nature and something gorgeous on its own, in its own context for those who first-handedly saw it. When photographed, you get an unnatural glimpse as to the environment that flower is in and now, the flower no longer belongs to nature and the people, but to Anthony. Anthony, because he has a copyright on the flower, can sell the image and eradicate any aura that the flower had initially.

            Benjamin explains “mechanical reproduction of art changes the reaction of the masses toward art…the reaction is characterized by the direct, intimate fusion of visual and emotional enjoyment with the orientation of the expert. Such fusion is of great social significance.” (45). When art is viewed now, it is by a mass of people that may or may not understand the context or intent of the artist; it is simply just in front of them. There is no aura, and there is no individuality or authenticity.  

AsToldByGinger, Post Class 5/18

During class on Wednesday we discussed the various forms of postmodern architecture and examined many works that embodied the concepts that Jenks explained. These examples were particularly enjoyable due to the fact that I could relate these examples to other buildings I had seen on my own, as well as absorb the concepts in a real way.

I enjoyed the concept of double coding and how the example used revealed the duality of the building, - a Greek front with columns, and Judeo looking back of the building painted blue. I also particularly liked the concept of tradition reinterpreted and the crane example that was located in Europe - I like the history that is associated with something like that and will be on the lookout for more landmarks that employ this concept.

Baldwin Park

The concept of urbane and urban living was also brought up, and the local town of Baldwin Park was discussed; and the way in which this neighborhood was built on the premise of harmony and close living. This concept also heavily interested me because it seems to be the way of the future and responsible living. I think it is a great concept to be able to work, live, and have entertainment all within walking distance, reducing our harm on the environment also while keeping citizens more active. 

Bank of America Building

I also enjoyed the concept of absent center and how it related back to “the gap” from the Barthes reading and how we fill in the missing pieces with our own eyes. I have seen many buildings like this, and it is nice to now recognize this concept. The same is also true for the Bank of America building located in down town Orlando that utilized the new rhetorical figure by repeating a step structure at the top of the building.

Post Blog - Jencks

I really enjoyed the PowerPoint presentation that we went over in Wednesday’s class of buildings all over the world. It really helped me to understand all of Jencks main points that he presented in his article. I am a visual person, so seeing examples of what he talked about really helped me comprehend the meaning of each of the concepts. One concept that really stood out to me was the idea of “urbane urbanism”; the idea of gentrification or creating new architecture that fits into the old feel of a town. I started thinking about examples of this in places I have lived and realized how much of this goes on today. For example, I live in Annapolis, Maryland, an old city that is rich in history and has lots of historical buildings. Many of the older buildings match the traditional colonial red-brick architecture of the Capital building which is also located downtown. However, lots of young people are starting to move downtown and apartments and row homes are being built everywhere. What is interesting though is they all look older, the style matches the older buildings and the town itself is not losing its older feel at all which many of the current residents like. Although the buildings are modern and new, they still represent the tradition and value of the city through their older looking façades. In this same area, gentrification is also occurring. Some of the streets right next to Main Street downtown used to be poorer, predominantly African American areas. Now, the new developments are making the cost of living for them too high so they are slowly leaving and the area is totally changing, and this is all pretty recent, like in the last 5 years. This is similar to the area of Winter Park we talked about in class near Hannibal Square. It’s interesting to see how quickly areas of a city can change due to new architecture and new living spaces. It’s neat how much architecture can define the Post-Modern era and how one building can hold so much character and meaning behind it.

Post-class: Macherey

Macherey says that "the speech stored in the book must be incomplete; because it has not said everything, there remains the possibility of saying something else" (15). I took this quote as meaning that everyone has a choice as to what they say, what they don't say, and how they say it. Because of these choices, our words (or lack of words) can have a much deeper meaning. Macherey extends on this by saying, "Speech eventually has nothing more to tell us: we investigate the silence, for it is the silence that is doing the speaking" (17).

As authors, we may or may not realize the implications our readers are gathering by our unspoken words. In my mind, I connect this idea with white lies. A white lie is a small fib that you tell someone in order to not hurt their feelings. For example, when a woman asks her husband or boyfriend if what she's wearing makes her look fat, the man replies with, "Of course not, you look great in anything." What the man said was not truthful, but by not stating the truth (that she actually does look fat), the man is saying, without words, that he cares for her and doesn't want to hurt her feelings by telling her the truth. Another example of silence working to formulate meaning would be if this woman tells her partner that she loves him. The man pauses before answering, answering, "I love you, too." The woman might take this hesitation as a sign that he really doesn't love her. The woman might wonder about the meaning of this unspoken pause again and again until it becomes an argument between them. Therefore, when the spoken word ceases, the unspoken word takes over; they both work together to form the author's meaning.

lacansmirror, Benjamin

The development of art and the progress of technology has changed the way we see and act in our cultures.  In addition it has enabled artists to explain their ideas in more forms.  "Lithography enabled graphic art to illustrate everyday life, and it it began to keep pace with printing"(38).  Then photography was invented and replaced the original lithograph.  Mechanical reproduction was an interesting concept that enabled rising artists to mimic the styles of reproduction.  The idea of mass producing art enabled consumers to be more exposed to the different lenses of artists of that time.  Benjamin argued that mass producing artist content would cause the radical cultural beliefs to be spread to the masses more easily.  He said, "their most powerful agent is the film.  Its social significance, particularly in its most positive form, is inconceivable without its destructive, cathartic aspect, that is, the liquidation of the traditional value of the cultural heritage"(39). Since film is technically many photographs compiled together, the strengths and cultural references seen in a photograph can also be explained, often in more detail, with the use of film.

Benjamin compares two very different professions to explain the relationship of photo vs film.  He explained, "magician and surgeon compare to painter and cameraman. The painter maintains in his work a natural distance from reality"(45).  Within the same example, a magician is within a natural distance from reality as well.  True sawing someone in half on stage, and having them survive, is unrealistic, but the realism of actively sawing someone in half keeps it at a natural distance.  If the magician  imply pulled a person in half without touching them, then it would be too distanced from reality.  The same idea can be applied to the painter.  If the image is too abstract it is still using the same materials and concepts as the simple painting. "Originally the contextual integration of art in tradition found its expression in the cult", however now with film there are more possible integration (40).  In the case of film, the integration of images are endless as that is what a film is,  However, integrating those images with movement and sound can add another dimension to the piece and therefore have additional cultural impact.

ruqayyahali, 9/21

Wednesday's class was definitely one of my favorite so far. I am a visual learner and seeing things always makes understanding much easier. Jenks was a lot of terminology and information that I did not get right away which may seem odd since he is so removed from the styles of Barthes or Macherey. However, I was able to grasp the concepts better through visualization.

I found myself after class thinking about buildings, the terms Jenks laid out for us, and postmodernism. The city that came to mind combining all of these ideas was not an American city but the one I lived in while studying abroad in Morocco: Rabat. This capital city would be a haven for the likes of Jenks and even for us CMC majors because of the vast amount of history in this city. Not only does that history exist because we know of the cultural development of North Africa but because of the apparent evolution of time that can be seen through the cityscape.

Rabat is large city and divided into many sections. The areas I would like to address in this post are: the old medina (market), the new medina, Agdal, and Hay Riad.

The old medina has always been the primary living location of the working middle class. In the days of kings and until now, the old medina is the center of the city. Surrounded by forty foot walls, the medina is a concoction of houses pressed up against one another. They are stone and unimpressive from outside but from the inside, they are beautifully tiled and crafted. The homes are reminiscent of ancient times and the very detailed architecture that went into construction in pre-modern times. 

The new medina houses more modern and postmodern architecture. Europeans and diplomats live here, right outside the old medina walls, in a style that is very much French. Walking down the length of Avenue Mohammed V, you will think you're taking a Parisian stroll to the Eiffel Tower.

The university district begins in Agdal. The layout of this part of the city is also reminiscent of Paris but more residential in style. There is a cross here between college campus and busy city; it is the height of interaction for college students because of the very Western malls and tall apartment buildings. 

Hay Riad is last but not least, almost entire comprised of residential area. This area sprawls with villas in Spanish and French style. The most affluent citizens of Rabat make residence in Hay Riad and flaunt their status through massive houses and extensive gardens.









My reason for bringing these parts of Rabat up in this post is based on our class discussion about melding the old and new. Jenks speaks about postmodernism and its effect on architecture. Thinking back to this city, our discussion struck me because of how I could see the evolution of the city through these ideas. To see the history of a city through the design of its buildings is definitely something I had not thought of before and was excited to think back to. 

Post Blog

Wednesdays class was much easier for me to understand, as the visual aspect really helped me. It made me think about the buildings in my area, and i thought about any that has unusual styles of architecture. The first thing that popped to my mind was the union league in center city. It is a old style building and city club, that takes up nearly a entire block. It has a very traditional Colonial style to it, and it seems to fit in well with the architecture around. Philly blends older styles, with new buildings like the Comcast center that stands the tallest of all. This mixture creates a sense of postmodern, and modernism in the city. The postmodern in Phily could be seen as the high rise buildings, as a reaction to the previous styles, and the need for a increased amount of space, while a small foundation area. The new style of heavily glassed look, and less stone and brick work, makes the city very diverse. My dads bank is a 20 plus story building, but it keeps the old colonial style to it, which to me; makes it feel very classic, and authentic. In new york, the apple building on the street portrays a glass cube, which to me feels like the french triangle that we talked about in class. Old style buildings with a very modern glass exterior. Could apple be trying to "copy" the glass triangle? The postmodern to some people may be a positive thing, but to me the older style colonial is what built the cities beautiful architecture, and i wish more "modern" style buildings filled the streets. To me its what gives places like orlando, no sense of authenticity or culture, as everything seems very postmodern.

Apple Store New York

The Comcast Center 

The Union League of Philadelphia