James Blog post Digital divide

HWDue – Blog 08: Quote a passage from the reading that captures your attention and write a 300-word response explaining why that concept is of interest.

The quote that stood out to me was “If you borrow am artist DVD from a gallery, it usually arrives in a white slip, with VIEWING COPY ON IT marked clearly on the label; When a collector buys the same DVD in a limited edition, he or she receives a carefully crafted container signed and numbered by the Artist”

For me this provoked a lot of thought on the business, sales and value of digital art. Digital art primarily has no physical form. It is projected onto walls/objects and viewed on screens. To my knowledge there cannot be a original or first unless you consider the saved project on your computer the original. But what happens when you transfer it to a USB or DVD to show people? Does that copy/ mode of art transportation become worth-less then the original? Do you have to bring your computer to a gallery for it to be perceived as the original? If you make DVD’s to sell are they better quality then the wide circulation YouTube video? What prevents one from buying a DVD that is signed /numbered, copying it on to other DVD’s and selling it for cheaper? How to you value a DVD copy?

The only rationality I could think of is that Videos are similar to Music. Music is sold on platforms like ITunes, Google Play, Albums, ect… Videos can be treated in the same way such as music videos being sold on the same platforms. And while music and music videos can b purchased in copy form they can also be viewed online and other platforms. The most similar concept between new media art and music is the signing of album covers. But album signings are mostly worth money because of the artists signature not nessisarly because of the work or content of the CD. A music artist could sign a pice of computer paper and it would hold more value then just the artists work alone.

 

-James Birkenholz

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