Thursday, September 13, 2012

Embrace the Remix

Artists often worry about how someone goes about forming one's own unique and recognizable style? We wonder whether we're being derivative; whether or not we're copying something and to what extent is it ethical? Whether it's from something you draw or invent; either in music or film or software... The saying goes that there are no original things anymore, but rather that everything is borrowed from what came before and then reinvented or remixed... Going from there involves debates about laws concerning copyrights, patents and whether the way things are done now actually stifles creativity and progress for unnecessary reasons.

An interesting documentary is being made about the history of things being remixed. Below you'll find two videos. One to a TED talk by the documentary's creator, and the first part of the documentary. Link to the remaining 3 parts of the documentary are below that. It's thoroughly interesting stuff and something that we will need to reflect on in the future.

Embrace the Remix from Kirby Ferguson on Vimeo.

Everything is a Remix Part 1 from Kirby Ferguson on Vimeo.

Everything is a Remix - Part 2, Part 3 & Part 4

Also for fun...