REMIX and Frank Lewis

Frank Lewis is an instructor at Lawrence University; He is also my instructor for the course , “History of Photography”. Tonight he lectured a group of scholars in the Wriston Auditorium at Lawrence regarding the concept of the history of photography and how early labor was recorded and documented through this new media. Lewis briefly explained how photography was invented in 1839 by L.J . M Daguerre, and since then, it expanded to so many different conventions. Since I am enrolled in Lewis’s History of Photography course the lecture served more of a review for me than it did for others. Nevertheless, I enjoyed the concept and the art gallery showing that followed his presentation.

On a different note, “Remix – Making Art and Commerce Thrive in the Hybrid Economy” by Lawrence Lessig was a very interesting and entertaining article to read. As young artists in the course, Digital Processes, we are in the process of “remixing” video projects reflecting technology and society. Lessig began his argument by describing an old classmate of his. His colleague Ben would always do exceptionally well on his essays because, “every paragraph was constructed through quotes” Lessig said. He went on in his article asking certain questions like why do authors become offended when a student asks to use a quote from their writing. Lessig made it very clear in his article that remixing writing is different than remixing digital. Personally, I agree. Writing is something that is so original that to tap into one’s work with words can make someone a bit sensitive. However, if you are quoting words from other artists and then backing them up with your own facts, well, is that not how almost all scholars write today? We remix almost everything, from songs to papers. I will even argue that most of the time we do it unconsciously.

This is a example of two hit songs collaborating, remixing to expand across two different genres.