Copyright and Remixing

Lawrence Lessig brings up an interesting take on the idea of copyright, and does a good job of highlighting why permission is largely unnecessary and illogical nowadays in the digital world.  Remixing old works allows the artist to bring in meaning that would not be present if the material was not borrowed.  I think remixing can be a wonderful way to create art, and there is simply so much stuff out there, that there is no shortage of materials for inspiration.

I think when people say that remixed material is not original or not as much the actual work of the artist, that they are missing the point of it.  It is most certainly original and creative.  Non-remixing artists take material and ideas from their lives and filter them through some medium in the form of their art.  The only difference is that remixers use the actual physical material in creating their work.  It allows the observer a unique opportunity to see something that they have likely seen before mixed up into a completely different work.  It affords them the opportunity to look at a familiar idea in a novel way, and for that reason I think it is a very effective art form.  Obviously the remixer must do some actual remixing.  One cannot simply steal art, but any time that any change is made, that is the artist taking another stroke.

It is nice that in the digital age, so much material is at our fingertips which we can take and do whatever we want with.  It allows people so much more in terms of artistic ideas, inspiration, and tools.