Annotation on The work of art in the age of digital recombination

The work of art in the age of digital recombination
Joe de Mul
In the essay “The work of art in the age of digital recombination” Joe de Mul examined “The work of art in the age of mechanical reproduction” written by Walter Benjamin. Therefore de Mul investigates the transformation of mechanical age into the age of digital recombination, or the shift of the cult value of work of Art into an exhibition value to so called manipulation value in the present digital age.
"The art is here and now”. In the past the work of art was characterized with uniqueness, certain historical value of the time and space it was created. Moreover it was subject of ritual cult. According to Benjamin’s theory in the age of mechanical reproduction the cult value of the art work gradually vanished replaced by the exhibition value. With the introduction of print, photography and film the work of art become accessible – copied – reproduced, spread –expanded, shared – cultivate. All of which leaded to certain lost of the authenticity of the work or the “aura“.
”To an ever greater degree the work of art reproduced becomes the work of art designed for reproducibility.”
However in the present digital age Joe de Mul shares a belief that the work of Art is a subject on vast on-going databases, where elements are combined, recombined, transformed and manipulated. Database is simply defined as collection of items that is ordered in one way or another then in computing context – database is presented as a structured collection of data records, stored in a computer, so that it can be consulted to answer queries. Databases apply certain flexibility, which enable the work of Art of being constantly and infinitely modified/recombined. Consequently this bring back to revival of the aura of work of Art, lost in the mechanical epoch but reshaped in more transient and unstable form
In political matter de Mul raises an awareness of the over floated media present. Digital present who ceased to be targeted blackout, where we might become the ultimate object of digital manipulation by constantly been feeding upon highly manipulated and multi-interpreted data.