BLOG PROMPT TWO
Prompt Number Two
BLOG PROMPT TWO: Appropriation and Collaboration
In B Flat (2011) by Darren Solomon and Thru-You (2009) by Kutiman
PLEASE ANSWER BY POSTING COMMENTS.
From
A Dictionary of Modern and Contemporary Art, "Appropriation in art is
the use of pre-existing objects or images ... To appropriate
means to adopt, borrow, recycle or sample aspects of (or the
entire form of) human-made visual culture."
Collaboration is when two or more people intentionally work together to create a work of art.
Interact with In B Flat and watch at least one song from Thru-You (I recommend "Mother of All Funk Chords"). Briefly describe these art projects in terms of appropriation and/or collaboration.
In B Flat by artist/composer Darren Solomon: http://www.inbflat.net
THRU-YOU | Kutiman Mixes Youtube by artist/musician Kutiman:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tprMEs-zfQA&ab_channel=kutiman
Both of these collaborative projects have a heavy emphasis on music. How it doesn't matter where music is played from, that music can harmonize with itself from anywhere across the globe thanks to the internet. First of all, B Flat is a collaborative website focusing on the fact that any of the YouTube videos of different instruments and different beats can be played in any order or at any time to create a different song. All the people involved in this project worked together to create videos of their own instruments to be played alongside others they couldn't have known to be working with. Each person involved had a part to play in creating the website and the user experience, and that is what defines a collaborative project. Another example is the "Mother of All Funk Chords" video, where different instruments from videos across the internet were collaboratively put together into one video to create a distinct song. Overall I really enjoyed listening to both B Flat and "Mother of All Funk Chords" as I got to experience the work of many people involved in these projects, and their subsequent talents.
ReplyDeleteBoth projects have heavy emphasis on collaboration more so than appropriation in my opinion. I think the aspects of appropriation may be the fact that the several different collaborators are coming together to create the form of a song. I also feel like the Thru-U Mother of All Funk Chords deals more with appropriation, as most or all of these clips are taken from their original context and morphed into something new, whereas In B Flat is all purposeful collaborators coming together to form a project. I believe the appropriation in that aspect comes from the site user, starting and stopping whatever clips they want to create a completely new entity. I think this is the intent behind these collaborators, so the site user is both a fellow collaborator as well as the appropriator. It is a very interesting line to balance!
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed interacting with 'In B-Flat!' I thought the way that all these small parts came together to form an incredibly beautiful song was quite touching. This project definitely falls into the collaboration category rather than the appropriation category. All these people, from around the world, with varying instruments were able to upload their own videos to form one giant piece.
ReplyDeleteAs for 'Mother of All Funk,' I think this piece falls somewhere between appropriation and collaboration. Kutiman uses preexisting videos uploaded to the internet to create something new, which, by definition, is appropriation. However, through the use of all these different instruments and melodies, he's able to create a collaborative piece between people who otherwise might never have done so.
Between. the two examples, "In B-Flat" leans more towards collaboration and "Mother of All Funk" teeters on appropriation. Although both are centered around music creation, they go about it vastly different. "In B-Flat" required every participant to create their own interpretation on the formula while still adhering to said formula. It's the presentation of being able to play whichever you want that draws in viewer participation, further growing the sense of collaboration. While "Mother of All Funk" sort of does the same thing, it involves a lot more editing and splicing from existing videos to create its effect. It still falls under a collaboration, but it's not one that happens in the moment. Nor does it really involve viewer interaction aside from just watching the video. It's still impressive, but it's perspective and angle are just a little bit different.
ReplyDeleteIn B Flat by artist/composer Darren Solomon is a wonderful example of composition, collaboration, and interactivity. This site includes common instrumentations such as mallets, acoustic and electric guitar, trumpet, clarinet, vocals, banjo, piano, and violin. It also implements unique sounds, such as kaoss synth, balloons, toy saxophone, talking, DS sound effects, omnichord, ebow, and electribe mx. Each of these eccentric sounds gives this website an added digital vibe and inspirational appeal. In contrast, THRU-YOU by artist Kutima is an excellent example of appropriation. I adore when artists utilize pre existing sounds to create something entirely new, innovative, and thematically different. For instance, Lo-Fi songs implement vocals of regular conversation and aesthetically pleasing sounds such as rain and thunder. This video does something similar, including tempo changes, dynamics, and speaking to inspire and energize the watcher.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed exploring these two pieces of art! "In BFlat" was a beautiful display of artistic collaboration. Because each member that was showcased voluntarily put in their snippets of music, the piece became gorgeous representation of the human connection despite life's divisions. Artistic collaboration is characterized by intentionally and consensually working with others to create art, and I feel this was an impeccable example considering the members decided to contribute and portrayed a beautiful moment of unified musicianship. In contrast, "Mother of All Funk Cords" (Thru-You) is an example of artistic appropriation because the piece consisted of music sampled from other musicians who did not intend for their work to be spliced and used elsewhere. These musicians did not consent to their work being implemented in another's piece; it was not a collaboration to create new art. Instead, "Mother of All Funk Cords" exists as a variety of borrowed or pirated music transformed into something different. It can be viewed as a representation of the potential that lives in all artwork for something new! Even though it was a very impressive piece and amazing to see how the slightest beats and variety of musicians/music can build into something beautiful, it is important to note that appropriation applies.
ReplyDeleteIn terms of collaboration and appropriation, the B-Flat project would be collaboration and the Thru-You song would be appropriation. On the website for the B-Flat project, it is stated that all of the videos were submitted with the intention of being in the project. They all play a certain melody on a bunch of different instruments, and they can all be played at different times and still work well together. The Thru-You song is appropriation, and cuts together from a bunch of different videos playing different songs, but editing and clipping them all in a way to make an entirely new song. Both the B-Flat project and the Thru-You song are incredibly well done and show a lot of creativity.
ReplyDeleteBoth projects are extremely interesting as they compile a collection of music clips to create a new unique experience through song. I will say, it was definitely more interesting to be able to interact and help create the art in the B-Flat project. I like its versatility as you can come up with a different product every time and still have a little song that sounds good and makes sense. This project works with collaboration as the artists involved sent in the clips to be used for this purpose. Thru-You is a very interesting concept as well. It is similar to the first project; however, the artist has edited the clips to fit together in a unique song they created. Another difference would also be that this video uses appropriation rather than collaboration. They appear to use different tutorials and personal music videos to create a new product. Both have a very interesting concept, and it was very cool to experience both!
ReplyDeleteBoth of these projects are great examples of how we can surf the web and find media materials to create new art through the digital realm. Honestly, I believe both of these projects lean more towards collaboration rather than appropriation. The B-Flat project is a perfect example of how we can surf what is already on the web and create a new project. The compilation of videos with different sounds and videos is truly intriguing. Each user has a different interaction with this project based on what they play first or simultaneously which makes the project unique. I do not think this is appropriation because the videos are still in their original form, the project just picked multiple videos to create a new experience for users. The Mother of All Funk Chords is also another great example of collaboration. This project took many different videos of artists and musicians to create a new “sound”. I do not believe this is appropriation, because again, the original musicians are still seen in this video, the new project just took bits and pieces of the original art to create a new song. If the sounds were taken and extracted from the original video without any dedication to the original artists then maybe this project would lean more towards appropriation in my opinion.
ReplyDeleteIn “In B Flat” the piece is a combination of different people’s sounds to make an audio experience, this case is a collaboration in which every sound has its own importance, and the piece could not be the same without any of them. The viewer uses the audios as tools to go through the unique experience, so he becomes a part of the collaboration as well.
ReplyDeleteIn “THRU-YOU” is the creator who choses the order of the sounds to create the music, the only implication of the viewer here is to listen and enjoy. These pieces are made by appropriating parts of videos and sounds to make each piece, the owner of each video cut is still collaborating in the final result but not intentionally.
Caden Gunn collaboration vs appropriation
ReplyDeleteB Flat is an example of collaboration while the THRU-YOU is appropriation. B-Flat is a beautiful example of many different composers and creators putting their work together willingly while THRU-YOU is nice yet doesn’t capture the same essence of beauty as it does not reflect the same.
THRU-YOU isn’t completely harmless and shameless, it still credits everyone involved even though it doesn;t ask for permission in the same way the B-Flat website accomplishes. Everyone involved in B-Flat created their pieces with the intention of being utilized in this way.
Appropriation is defined as using someone else’s art, culture, or ideas without asking permission while collaboration is willingly working with others.
B-flat made me tear up a little bit. It shows how impactful it can be when humans collaborate to make something. I like the abstractness of the videos and the instruments and the feeling of nostalgia it gives off. And then "Thru-You 01 "Mother of All Funk Chords" which just blew my mind it's just brilliantly edited. I don't believe this video constitutes appropriation because he credits all the artists featured in it.
ReplyDelete-In B Flat This project is a collaboration where people submitted music clips in the same key and tempo. Viewers can combine them to create their own music. It also uses appropriation by reusing individual performances in a new, interactive way.
ReplyDeleteThru-You Kutiman remixed YouTube videos from different musicians into new songs, like Mother of All Funk Chords. This is appropriation because he transformed existing clips into something new. It’s also an unintentional collaboration since the creators didn’t plan to work together.