Credits:
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_yC81QhR_xk
- http://www.scribemedia.org/2007/03/19/yochai-benkler/
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nGH5ygIKyT0&feature=related
- http://vodpod.com/watch/2797-danger-mouse-1hr-public-interview-ucla
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KykbPtRb0K4&feature=related
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HQwm1v1R-qM
- http://mastersofmedia.hum.uva.nl/2007/06/08/lol-theorists/
- and more…
So in the last couple of weeks’, we’ve explored mashups through creating examples of how they play out, and to demonstrate throughtheir use. We’d like to wrap up what we’ve learned, and put it in a frame of reference.
Everyone with a computer can be a publisher AND editor.
One of the interesting concepts we came across when evaluating
mashup’s is a complication in the idea that access to computers and
the Internet has given everyone a soapbox/ printing press/publishing
metaphor of your choosing. What we’ve seen is that, while publishing is
essential to the mashup in being able to spread these creations, the
process of editing information is the central skill tied to many of
these mashups.
By taking other peoples expressions, and quoting them, or putting them
in new forms, individuals partaking in mashups are cultural editors.
They recombine, reconfigure and adapt cultural products to their whims
and ideas about how it should be configured.
In this sense, mashups take additional skill and information beyond
the blog model of write then publish. In that instance, writers need
to have a unique thought and put it together coherently. In creating
media mashups, one must also have the technical proficiency to
assemble these products, as well as have a heightened cultural
literacy to draw upon when creating them.
Mashups As transgression
In many ways, mashups can be seen as a transgressive creative force.
Mashups made possible by the way of the Internet almost always use
information or media that one doesn’t possess- be it through copyright
or through even the original physical media. Mashups are made through
the combination of information products that are out there, but not
under these individuals control. The information is then repurposed
in a way that is not cleared through the copyright system, or owners
control and approval.
In many ways, these are a direct affront to the copyright system in
place in America in that it undermines rights-holders from effectively
controlling their works as they intended. However, in many ways, this idea of the creator controlling content is illusory. When we really look at the concept of mashups we understand that it is not a new concept.
Looking at the clips of Lessig’s lecture in our video, we see that the concept of mashups is really just the evolution of all arts and science. It is a borrowing (with or without permission) that results in improvement or adaptation of a previous product. This has been happening since the beginning of history.
When we look at something like Lessig’s creative commons, we are not seeing a new trend necessarily, rather we are seeing the legitimization and formalization of a practice within an institutional space. The mashup culture as it manifests itself in the grey album or anime music videos is simply one aspect of a trend that has been with us since civilizations first began recording information, be it scientific or cultural. The reason that the issue of ownership and creation has become such a big issue today is because more people are participating in the cultural dialogue. Mashup culture as we see it today should thus should be seen as the amplification of a practice that has always taken place. If we really look into it, we realize that cultures across the world are mashups, the difference today is that the internet is just making that much more apparent.
So what does the future hold now that we are all more aware and capable of participating in the cultural dialogue? Some see the apocalypse of mass culture, others see business as usual. Personally I see a more engaged public, one more inclined to do something rather than consume, even if all they are doing is mixing “happy feet” with “walk it out”.
Possibly Relevant Posts:
- Mashup Culture (12) | Franklin
- Mashups Week Two- Maps and More (8) | Franklin
- The Culture Industry on the Internet: Memes and the BK Case Study (6) | Lauren Marie
4 Comments
Very Cool!
(could have been edited down a bit but still…)
So, mashup is super cool, super creative and theoretically backed as “democratic” what else do you want to discuss in this field? What are the terms that allow or prevent a mash-up. Where do we see mushups? where don’t we see them? What is the future of mashups? Where is this all going?
Very cool video. I think you captured the essence of the mashup in your meta mashup. What do you think it will take for mashups to become legitimized in terms of cultural value by the mainstream? Being that hip hop is also largely a configured culture, I kind of see the culture of mashups being looked at the same way. For instance, hip hop wasn’t really accepted as a culture for years after its inception. Now it is, and it definitely makes a splash economically and in pop culture, but people see it till as less authentic than other music cultures (rock or jazz). I see mashups following this arc. Many consider them a parasitic art, but that will eventually change. I’ve enjoyed your travelogue, watching the two of you explore different kinds of mashups instead of sticking to one particular type.
cool mashup video… I really enjoyed it, thanks! I like that you focussed on music mashups this week – very informative.
I was of course reminded of a Ice Ice Baby vs Under Pressure and some of the controversy that started – and there are so many more. can we say that ”remixes” were an early form of mashup? I sometimes remember liking them better than the originals haha.
when I think about music, so many of these things are remixes, covers, mashups, samples… is it our inherent nature to take something and repurpose it? ooooh were ‘recycling’, aren’t we? =)
You guys did such a great job with this video. I think it’s a shame that many people see mashup as stealing or borrowing rather than the creation of something new. I think the exercise of thought or choice involved in putting two different pieces of culture together imbues the final product with new meaning. For example, I think the entire Kala album can be seen as one big mashup of different cultures, sounds, and ideas – what MIA is trying to say with the album is made stronger by the fact that it is built out of so many disparate pieces.