Updated WRD 103

The podcast explores the concept of mechanical reproduction in art, film, and cinema. Walter Benjamin, a philosopher, believed that mechanical reproduction diminishes the value and uniqueness of original artworks. This can also apply to films. While it has negative effects, such as loss of aura, it also encourages innovation and accessibility. Benjamin's views highlight the relationship between art, technology, film, and society. Hi, my name is Rod Chaudhary, and have you ever looked at a painting, or went to any museum, and you thought to yourself that, oh wow, this painting seems cool or interesting? Well, chances are, it might be a replica, or it might be the original. If you're interested in art, or film, or cinema, then this might be the podcast for you, because we're going to take an in-depth look into mechanical reproduction regarding artwork. So mechanical reproduction is basically the duplication of original art throughout many years or centuries, often leading to a loss of aura, loss of value, or something along those lines. So the whole idea that mechanical reproduction came to be was created by a man named Walter Benjamin. He was a German-Jewish philosopher and a critical theorist. He considered film a lot more than just reproduction of storytelling, but also social significance. And he actually wrote an article called The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction. So basically what this says is that original art, let's say for example the Mona Lisa, it was an incredibly famous piece that has undergone mechanical reproduction many times. And the result of that is it being lost in value, right? Original aura or its uniqueness it had before the time of reproduction is essentially gone, right? So we can take a look into more of these things, more of the art aspect of it. This can also be created with film, cinema. Let's say you have a really good film that you watched that was created in the 1950s. Similar ideas or topics of that movie can be recreated, also called mechanical reproduction. And that can basically make the art or the movie lose its uniqueness or the aura as I mentioned before. Mechanical reproduction not only has negatively affected society, but there also have been positive effects for it as well. For example, it has constructed innovation and creativity, giving individuals and industries to explore more with the help of replications. But in conclusion, all in all, mechanical reproduction through the human eye can be seen as a thread that weaves preservation, innovation, and accessibility. Although Benjamin's views are contradictory at times, they show the relationship between all the art, technology, film, and society all together.