Understanding appropriation as a creative practice
An idea pioneered in the theatre by the playwright Bertolt Brecht (probably best known for The Threepenny Opera, and the words to “Mack the Knife” from that work). The idea was to perform the play in an unnaturalistic style or with interruptions, discussions with the audience, and other things that called attention to the artificiality Read More …
“A pastiche is a work of visual art, literature, theatre, or music that imitates the style or character of the work of one or more other artists. Unlike parody, pastiche celebrates, rather than mocks, the work it imitates.” (Wikipedia) Pastiche often involves a formal imitation of style that is focused on showing off the style, Read More …
Parody is a weak form of critique. Its effect is typically to make us laugh off something we might actually think is wrong or bad, releasing our negative emotions in laughter. Parody is actually often welcomed by those it targets, because the parody nevertheless reaffirms them and their positions. Culture jams, on the other hand, Read More …
A general way of referring to creative appropriation techniques that are focussed on removing elements from the original to create a new experience of it. Dub often begins with a subtractive process, removing the lead vocals and various instruments from the mix – often to focus on the drums and bass – before bringing up Read More …
A form of détournement proposed by Dr Jim Nielson in which signage and other public media put out by mainstream dominant culture are modified to use the slick or seductive or publicly prominent platform to send more progressive or disruptive “public service messages.” Dr Nielson explains how this idea came to him: I attended a Read More …
A video or video/audio mashup that combines different source material, often in an attempt to be intentionally annoying and usually in a mood that is more or less parodic, satirical or surreal. The intentions and effects of appropriation as practiced in poops is a matter of controversy – or sometimes indifference – among practitioners, fans, Read More …
Identity appropriation is the appropriation of a (famous) human being’s image and personality after they are dead for uses they have not agreed to. Well known examples involve the use of dead celebrities “reanimated” through digital technology and used to sell products in tv ads or as figures in fictional films. Some ways in which Read More …
The three most common forms of fan-created video can be distinguished as fan movies, fan edits, and fanvids. Fan movies (or fan films) are videos in which fans recreate scenes from movies they are fans of, whether in live action, animation, or stop-motion animation (sometimes using franchise toys). Fan movies/films should not be confused with Read More …
I’m tentatively including memes under the modes and genres of creative appropriation because I adopt Limor Shifman’s definition of a meme in her very lucid and penetrating book, Memes in Digital Culture (2013). The word “meme” was originally coined by Richard Dawkins in the final chapter of his book on sociobiology, The Selfish Gene (1976). Read More …
This is my shorthand way of talking about a phenomenon that has become more prominent with the advent of performance abduction in the late 20th and early 21st century, though decontextualization has always been a part of cultural evolution. There are two ways in which appropriated work may be decontextualized: (1) the appropriaters may be Read More …