POST BY PADDY JOHNSON
The latest example of the ongoing discussion on whose work looks similar to whose comes from a Keith Schofield video for Charlotte Gainsbourg and Beck, which draws heavily on William Hundley’s work, amongst many other sources. In a recent interview Schofield acknowledges the video was inspired by his online activity, though no specific sources were given.
“I'm just always looking for new ideas. I mainly do this by spending a ton of time online. I go to a lot of link filter sites (like reddit.com), read a lot of wikipedia, watch a lot of youtube videos, look at found photo sites (like ffffound.com). By absorbing enough stuff, the ideas eventually come.”
Many of Hundley’s flickr commentors seem to think he should have been paid to make the video himself, which of course would make sense if all of the appropriated imagery came from the artist, and video mimicked the Hundley’s concepts. It doesn’t. The debate however does add another layer to criticism we often see lodged at Facebook and Google: Why should large corporations be the only ones to profit off our online activity? It’s great that we can all mix and reuse other people’s images whenever we like, but when we’re not all profiting, when there’s profit to be had, people become a little more sensitive.
In this particular case, we assume Schofield is obligated by law to credit at least Hanley, who uses an “all rights reserved” Creative Commons license on his flickr account (it’s possible that license was adjusted after he saw the video). Past this however, I can’t help but think even the quality of the video would have benefited from the making the source imagery a little more transparent. There is a unique sensibility to Internet culture, and Schofield’s absurd narrative makes a lot more sense when it’s made clear that this is what he’s depicting. In failing to acknowledge his sources, Schofield not only violates at least one artist’s stated terms of use, but compromises his own rendering of this culture. After all, the Internet is not nearly as anonymous as Schofield makes it out to be.
Via: Metafilter + Personism
Editor’s note: Amusingly, a Lady Gaga ad follows the Metafilter post.
Related:
Lady Gaga’s Bluffin’ with her Muffin
Lady Gaga’s Burgeoning Art Market
Lady Gaga – Art is a Lie
{ 8 comments }
Many of Beck hansen’s more recent videos draw on tropes from the interweb. I read some criticism of this that he (because presumeably he makes the final say) is trying to gain “street cred” by doing this without participating in the culture (i.e. actually creating). But then he’s making music not visual art. No one is saying “hey, that Beck, he’s a great filmmaker” like they do with Julian “Helicopter shot” Schnabel.
AMong other examples of Beck video appropriation are: using ascii animation, lo-fi After Effects animation (also used in TIm and Eric Awseome Show on Adult Swim and a bunch of folks in Portland, apparently)
But this is old hat – look at MTV when it started – the art came from somewhere.
Many of Beck hansen’s more recent videos draw on tropes from the interweb. I read some criticism of this that he (because presumeably he makes the final say) is trying to gain “street cred” by doing this without participating in the culture (i.e. actually creating). But then he’s making music not visual art. No one is saying “hey, that Beck, he’s a great filmmaker” like they do with Julian “Helicopter shot” Schnabel.
AMong other examples of Beck video appropriation are: using ascii animation, lo-fi After Effects animation (also used in TIm and Eric Awseome Show on Adult Swim and a bunch of folks in Portland, apparently)
But this is old hat – look at MTV when it started – the art came from somewhere.
Video director Mark Romanek has taken ideas wholesale from contemporary artists, as well.
Video director Mark Romanek has taken ideas wholesale from contemporary artists, as well.
Making a high-budget, A.D.D. video montage of online images and saying “I used the internet” is a little like splicing random literature together and saying “I used the library.” But what can you really do about it? Not one really is paranoid enough to plaster their huge logo/name over every photograph they create and publish, lest it end up credit-less on some forum, get snagged up by someone else, boomerang back via MTV and pull you into metaphysical lawsuit on idea copyrighting.
Making a high-budget, A.D.D. video montage of online images and saying “I used the internet” is a little like splicing random literature together and saying “I used the library.” But what can you really do about it? Not one really is paranoid enough to plaster their huge logo/name over every photograph they create and publish, lest it end up credit-less on some forum, get snagged up by someone else, boomerang back via MTV and pull you into metaphysical lawsuit on idea copyrighting.
Schofield responds on antville
Schofield responds on antville
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