Aura is a way in which we experience things and events on a personal level. With modern technology, society is moving away further and further from the aura phenomenon. Walter Benjamin defines the aura as "the latter as the unique phenomenon of a distance, however close it may be" [1]. For example, millions of Americans are able to feel the energy of the Egyptian revolution, even though it is taking place thousands of miles away. Even before the internet, mass produced art has further drifted people away from the aura, such as Andy Warhol's pieces. Benjamin explains this concept: "Even the most perfect reproduction of a work of art is lacking in one element: its presence in time and space, its unique existence at the place where it happens to be” [2]. Since the internet has boomed and changed our society in the last 10 or so years, it has become convient for people to simply view events around the globe. Media, movies, radio, television, and especially social networking are all elements that only encourage society to escape from the aura experience. As we continue to develop more into digital and instant communication technology, the idea of the aura will no longer be a mainstream experience.
[1] Benjamin, Walter “The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction”, Illuminations pg. 220
[2] Benjamin, Walter “The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction”, Illuminations pg. 224
I like your connection of aura to news and current events. I had only considered aura as applying to art, and it is interesting and relevant to associate it with news.
ReplyDeleteI have a question in regards to your final statement about digital advances hampering aural experiences. Do you think the abundance of reproductions will increase the aura sensed when the art is seen in person? In other words, if someone were to see a painting online, and then see it in person, would the aura be greater, less, or the same?
If a person were to see a painting online, the aura experience would be less. The viewer loses the experience of seeing the original painting at a museum, and instead only sees it on a mere JPEG or facebook photo
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