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appropriation
- To take possession of another's imagery (or sounds),
often without permission, reusing it in a context
which differs from its original
context, most often in order to examine issues concerning originality
or to reveal meaning not
previously seen in the original. This is far more aggressive than
allusion or quotation,
it is not the same as plagiarism
however. An image reused
in collage is an example, but
more complete are the photographs
that Sherri Levine (American) made of photographs by earlier photographers.
Examples of works involving
appropriation:
Krzysztof Wodiczko (American, born Poland, 1943-), The Tijuana Projection, 2001, public projection at the Centro Cultural de Tijuana, Mexico (as part of In-Site 2000). Krzysztof Wodiczko creates large-scale slide and video projections of politically-charged images on architecturalfaçades and monuments worldwide. By appropriating public buildings and monuments as backdrops for projections, Wodiczko focusesattention on ways in which architecture and monuments reflect collective memory and history.
Dara Birnbaum (American, 1946-), Technology/Transformation:
Wonder Woman, 1978-79, videotape, color, sound, 5.5 minutes,
Electronic Arts Intermix, NY. This piece is one of the first
examples of appropriating imagery from mainstream television,
a practice that has become widespread. Wonder Woman, the main
character of a prime-time program based on an action-adventure
comic book of the same name, is captured in her twirling metamorphosis
from "real" woman to super-hero. Birnbaum manipulated
this and other scenes in a variety of ways. Birnbaum has written
about "plunging the viewer headlong into the
very experience of TV-unveiling TV's stereotypical gestures of power and submission, of male and female egos." See video.
Richard Prince (American, 1949-), Untitled
(Cowboy), 1984, Ektacolor print, artist's proof from
edition of 2, 40 x 27 inches (101.6 x 68.5 cm), collection of
Mr. and Mrs. James R. Hedges IV. This is a picture "rephotographed"
(as Prince called it) of the "Marlboro Man" -- a character
recurring for many years in advertisements for Marlboro cigarettes.
See photography
and tattoo.
appropriation
- To take possession of another's imagery (or sounds),
often without permission, reusing it in a context
which differs from its original
context, most often in order to examine issues concerning originality
or to reveal meaning not
previously seen in the original. This is far more aggressive than
allusion or quotation,
it is not the same as plagiarism
however. An image reused
in collage is an example, but
more complete are the photographs
that Sherri Levine (American) made of photographs by earlier photographers.Krzysztof Wodiczko (American, born Poland, 1943-), The Tijuana Projection, 2001, public projection at the Centro Cultural de Tijuana, Mexico (as part of In-Site 2000). Krzysztof Wodiczko creates large-scale slide and video projections of politically-charged images on architectural façades and monuments worldwide. By appropriating public buildings and monuments as backdrops for projections, Wodiczko focuses attention on ways in which architecture and monuments reflect collective memory and history.
Dara Birnbaum (American, 1946-), Technology/Transformation: Wonder Woman, 1978-79, videotape, color, sound, 5.5 minutes, Electronic Arts Intermix, NY. This piece is one of the first examples of appropriating imagery from mainstream television, a practice that has become widespread. Wonder Woman, the main character of a prime-time program based on an action-adventure comic book of the same name, is captured in her twirling metamorphosis from "real" woman to super-hero. Birnbaum manipulated this and other scenes in a variety of ways. Birnbaum has written about "plunging the viewer headlong into the very experience of TV-unveiling TV's stereotypical gestures of power and submission, of male and female egos." See video.
