4th Week; OLD COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES

The discussion in weeks 4 lecture surrounded the history of communication.

Some of the earlier forms of communication include;

• Rock Art
• Print
• Telegraph & Telephone (Point to point communication)
• Newspaper
• Radio
• Cinema
• Television
• Video

Semiotics: Understanding signs.
20th century saw a massive increase in communication technology.

We spoke about some theorists.
Walter Benjamin. Louis Althusser. Raymond Williams. Stanley Cohen.

The Lecturer then spoke about Walter Benjamin and his history:
During the 1st World War he was a peace activist.
Had a PHD that explored German Drama.
He was always trying to understand society.
Worked at a children radio explaining culture, influenced the minds of the young.
Went to Paris and wrote a book about Arcades.
Studied Jewish Documents.
He wasn’t a straight forward thinker.
He committed suicide when captured, so the others could get away.
TIMELINE - Understand where communication comes from and the new forms of communication.
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Reading for the week was Walter Benjamin; The Work and Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction.

• The Greeks only knew two technical methods of reproducing, founding and stamping. Now we can re-print the same thing over again, and art such as wood sculptures can be mechanically reproduced. No longer unique,
• Photography soon took over sculpting, as the eye is quicker then the hand .
• Manual reproduction example;
• Photography can capture better then what the eye can see, enlarge etc as well.
• Technical reproduction can reach further then what an original could.
• Works of art are received and valued on different plans. Cult value & exhibition value.
• Film industry is trying hard to spur the interest of the masses through illusion-promoting spectacles and dubious speculations.
• Mechanical reproduction of art changes the reaction of the masses toward art.
• Evidently a different nature opens itself to the camera than opens to the naked eye
  

Additional notes on the reading…

• Says, the old forms of communication used to be the domain of the rich and power (ones who could afford to read)
• What is the original work of art in a photo?… The negative? The produced photo?
• Work of art is how society functions
• The article was hidden by a librarian at the library when Benjamin was wanted
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In the tute we then spoke about the lecture to help us gain further understand. We discussed some theorists. However, majority of the tute surrounded research towards our tutorial task scavenger hunt.