The most profoundly influential outgrowth of the advances in technology is the creation of the mass media. The proliferation of ideas through television, print, radio and the Internet has initiated a move toward the formation of a mass world-culture. As a result of the mass media, our world is in a matter of speaking, shrinking.
Within the realm of the Arts, artists now have access to an extraordinary variety of "new" approaches to their art. Easy access to tools, philosophies, and techniques of other cultures has facilitated at least the superficial absorption of many of these ideas into mainstream culture. Often in the process, however, much of the original is abused, corrupted or diluted in an inappropriate manner. If the observer is from the school of thought that argues that authenticity is central to the validity of Art, then these works lose their legitimacy and/or authenticity.
This is a difficult point to ascertain, however, because it is difficult to determine what legitimacy and authenticity are, and who is qualified to make these judgements. For the sake of discussion we will assume that the natives from the culture in question will be the authority, because they are the people affected the most directly. For example, in Japan an ancient flute called a shakuhachi, which has spiritual significance, is currently the subject of a debate. Many people in Japan say "that traditional musical instruments like the shakuhachi should not be treated as a tool of computer music." They believe the "shakuhachi should be understood together with its tradition and the culture in which it has developed" (Seyama 60). One must understand that this instrument has been linked with relatively static spiritual and cultural practices for thousands of years. Yet only since the advent of recording technology have these ancient practices been called into question.
Japan is only one of many places where instruments have spiritual significance. Around the world and throughout history, the production of art has been linked intimately with spiritual and traditional practices. Specifically musical instruments have been a "privileged site for retaining cultural memory" because they are a "cultural product and also a tool to articulate cultural meaning through repeated sound" (Neuenfeldt 6). One only needs to be reminded of the various gypsy cultures of Eastern Europe to see how music can function as a medium for the transmission of history, ideas and cultural themes. Particularly as minorities without a “home base”, music becomes the meeting ground and the mode of expression for their cultural uniqueness. But now, the integration of gypsy music into mainstream music threatens to rob the gitanos of the one thing that they could lay claim to, music, which has helped them define their precarious existence. To them, the use of their music outside the context of their culture is senseless and perhaps insulting.
Consider the authenticity of a tool, technique, instrument or style that is taken out of its cultural context and used, in whole or part. In his essay "Art and Technical Reproducibility," Benjamin argues that "The uniqueness of a work of art is inseparable from its being imbedded in the fabric of tradition" (529). Although they may not be "inseparable" per-say, they are certainly linked. Likewise, tradition and culturally linked folk art possess qualities and symbolic value that can only be fully appreciated by the individuals whose culture it is from. It is debatable if even the most sensitive and well-informed observer could ever accomplish the same level of appreciation as the native to whom it belongs. In some ways the observer may be more sensitive to certain aspects of the art because of his distance from it, but the experience is distinctly different than it is for the native. Furthermore, the experience is substantially different when the art form has been taken out of its original context and changed.
For example, we can observe in pop art the adoption of foreign cultural elements. However, many artists only glean a superficial understanding of such things before they integrate them into their artistic product. More often than not, the result is only a shallow representation of the original. Examples abound within the contemporary new age genre of music. Pseudo-ethnic, pseudo-spiritual performers such as Enya and Yanni lack credibility in the recording industry for this very reason. But perhaps they find it necessary to borrow from other cultures because they have perceived how their own native music has been stripped of its cultural elements. Perhaps these artists are attempting to fill the proverbial void. Regardless of their intent, the Billboard charts attest their success. They are giving their audiences exactly what they want. This reflects Benjamin's claim that the desire of the contemporary masses is "to bring things 'closer' spatially and humanly, which is just as ardent as their bent toward overcoming the uniqueness of every reality by accepting its reproduction" (528). Whether or not this is precisely accurate, we can ponder the outcome assuming it is true.
First we can consider the affect this trend has had on the observer. Adorno claims that "contemporary listening" has regressed. He says "Regressive listening is tied to production by machinery of distribution" (543). In other words, the mass media has facilitated and fostered a decline in people's ability to be discerning about what they will accept as art. A wholesale acceptance of whatever is played on the airwaves prevails. The assumption is made by most that if something is played on the Top 40, then it must be worth listening to. (The question of value and worth is another discussion for which there is neither time nor space to talk about.) Briefly, I agree with Benjamin's contention that reproduction and the lack of "authenticity" of art clearly "changes the reaction of the masses toward art". People no longer have to make choices about their artistic preferences because pop culture spoon-feeds it to them. Only the small minority within the art community is discerning enough to develop their own individual aesthetic.
Second, we can consider the affect on the culture into which these new ideas are infused. This is the one area in which I believe the results are the most positive. Innovations and exciting insights are bound to occur when a new idea is introduced. Sometimes a small idea can stimulate a dialogue in the art world, which will have far-reaching consequences. For example, the composer Claude Debussy attended the World's Fair at the end of the 19th century and encountered Asian music there. This exposure profoundly affected him and his distinct compositional style. This experience coupled with other influences resulted in the birth of the Impressionist school of composition, of which Debussy is considered the father. It is unlikely that anyone could sustain the argument that this was an unfavorable event. On the contrary, Debussy is acknowledged as one of the most influential composers of all time. It is clear that foreign techniques and perspectives "carry cultural baggage with them into the new cultural contexts” which they are introduced, but the results are most often positive (Neuenfeldt 6).
Finally, we must reflect upon the impact upon the native traditions and culture from which is being borrowed. What effect will the new environ have on them? This is the area of the most uncertainty. The results can be profoundly positive, negative or somewhere in the middle. Benjamin notes that "for the first time in world history, mechanical reproduction emancipates the work of art from its parasitical dependence on ritual" (529). It is unclear, however, if this emancipation is a good thing. Many cultures depend on ritual for their very existence. The introduction of this concept may corrupt the aesthetic and worldview of the native population. The resulting damage is potentially irreparable. In a collection of essays about the use of primitive instruments in contemporary music, Neuenfeldt notes that in a short time such instruments may have "disappeared or changed beyond recognition" (6). On the surface, this may not seem negative in the context of our rapidly changing world. Consider however, primitive cultures where change comes slowly and can have an incredibly disruptive effective when it occurs too quickly.
It is true that all cultures have borrowed, misunderstood and transformed ideas from other cultures. Many times throughout the course of history, ideas have been adopted before they were fully understood. In fact, often this has had a significantly destructive force, such as the introduction of Christianity into primitive cultures without consideration for the impact. Conversely however, the transmission of ideas has also resulted in culture-rich societies, which have flourished as a result. For example, long after the Moors were expelled from Spain their influence is still felt in music, art, architecture and cuisine. The infusion of Moorish ideas has left an indelible imprint on Spanish culture. The result is stunning and it is hard to imagine Spain any other way. From this perspective it is evident that interchange of ideas at cultural crossroad can be equally as constructive as it is destructive.
It is apparent that the trend of cross-cultural borrowing of ideas in the arts and other realms will continue as it has for eons with no regard for the constructive or destructive power such interplay brings. It just happens. There is no goal, no end in sight, just the process of evolution of cultures and ideas. As members of an emerging world culture, we must be prepared to embrace new ideas and change, but we must also be sensitive to the rights of other cultures to continue in their traditions if it is their desire. We must be mindful of the impact of our actions, for it would be a shame if in the process we prematurely force out of existence the very cultures from which we seek to imitate.
Works Cited:
Adorno, Theodor W. "On the Fetish-Character of Music and the Regression of Listening." Art and Its Significance: an Anthology of Aesthetic Theory Ed.
Stephen David Ross. Albany, New York: State University of New York Press,1994. 539-547.
Benjamin, Walter. "The Work of Art in the Age of its Technical Reproducibility." Art and Its Significance: an Anthology of Aesthetic Theory Ed. Stephen David Ross. Albany, New York: State University of New York Press,1994. 526-538.
Neuenfeldt, Karl. "Notes on Old Instruments in New Contexts." The World of Music Feb 1999: 1+.
Seyama, Toru. "The Re-contextualisation of the Shakuhchi (Syakuhati) and its Music from Traditional/Classical into Modern/Popular" The World of Music Feb 1999: 60+.
Disclaimer:
I in no way, shape or form claim to be an expert on this topic. This essay was written for a college aesthetics class.
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