Recording and Reproducing Art

With the growing popularity of street art and a renewed discussion on the modern desire to record and reproduce artistic work, we contribute to the discussion with commentary on the sources of this desire and the idea of a "disinterested" approach to appreciating art.

Red Bellow has been challenged with the the task of recording public art performances, and believe the desire to record comes from two sources:  historical consciousness and global reproduction.  By historical consciousness, we refer to the desire for common experience across time as we share and record our experiences with future generations.  By global reproduction, we refer to the desire for common experience across space through instantaneous mechanical reproduction.

What impact do these desires have on the creative process and experience itself?  (See our June 20th Twitter post for more on this.)  On the creative process, we see musicians limiting their songs to under three minutes for radio play, and dancers adapting their choreography for video cameras.  On the creative experience, we have moved from LPs to CDs, increasing ease of use but decreasing quality of sound (analog vs. digital), and watch spoken word poets adapt their vocal work for printable books.

Were predictions of these effects the reason Shaftesbury and Kant encouraged a "disinterested" approach to appreciating art?  Anthony Ashley-Cooper, 3rd Earl of Shaftesbury and Immanuel Kant developed the idea of "disinterestedness," that an accurate evaluation of art is only possible when the observer is uninterested in owning the object of art itself.  The focus should not be on the object but on the pleasurable feelings beauty conjures in the observer.  Trying to transport that feeling across time and space objectifies the art, and distracts from the intended experience of the art.

The ability to record and reproduce gives us instant control and possession of the art object.  We have the pleasure of watching Anna Pavlova dance The Dying Swan, Charlie Chaplin on screen, and listening to Van Cliburn's 1958 performance of Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No. 1.  But we often fumble with our cameras during live concerts, are accustomed to low quality audio renditions, and adjust our art to fit the interests of a global audience.

Red Bellow works with our artists to decide whether recording a performance is the right choice for their event.  While we want to communicate the influence and talents of our artists as far as possible, we understand when artists want to keep their work in the present.

Whether the enjoyment of art is in the past, present, or future, Red Bellow is committed to spreading the adventure of art as far and as deep as our community desires.

Red Bellow.  The world's a stage.