And They Say, "It's better than yours." March.02.2004 :: 1500 A few points of catch-up before I continue on with these shenanigans. Firstly, "I <3 Ephemera Films". The Prelinger films shown at Vinegar Hill last Tuesday night were hillarious. I've always enjoyed laughing at the 'wacky world perspectives' of people that lived 50 years ago. There are obviously two ways of looking at this. As a twenty -something pseudo-counter-cultural collegiate-suburbanite I enjoy them because they are so different from today's cultural standards. But, as a "student of media" (as Carrie Dann would say) I enjoy watching them for the obvious construction techniques that I would consider to be leaning toward propaganda. They also have infinite potential for make-over comedy. Just check out this "Your Fire Department" flash movie from Something Awful. I've amassed a number of opinions on Ephemera from Tuesday's short discussion which I feel really hit on the key issues at hand. Part of what I wrote above hits on what Aaron was saying about how we as humans enjoy "placing ourselves in a point of time in relation to the object." It gives us a feeling that we've progressed from another point and can now appreciate what once was the norm. What allows us to do this is the loss and "revisiting" of the object as Ben W pointed out. Something cannot be ephemera the instant it is produced, but all objects have ephemeral potential. As Ben C said, once this potential is reached an object gains a new meaning, different from its original cultural significance, that is based on understanding the original context and how it relates to current viewpoints. Relating to it culturally is the key to its meaning... or else it just appears to be old junk. So where does this all tie in with collage? Well, assuming that collages are assembled forms of various (or homogenous) mediums that take on a new meaning when viewed as a whole, ephemera creates great fodder. Ephemera can express meanings that can't be found in modern objects. Perhaps the person making the collage needs something to draw a comparison or contrast with. Ephemera will stand out as being anachronistic to the rest of the pieces. Read and Post Comments

April 2004

Playing Catch Up and Parting Words 04.27.2004 :: 1630 March 2004 Plunderphonics 03.29.2004 :: 1645 The Best of the Best 03.28.2004 :: 1920 So Much HTML It Makes Your Ass Hurt & Thoughts on Animation 03.24.2004 :: 2150 And They Say, "It's better than yours." 03.02.2004 :: 1500 February 2004 Video Games and Fan Fiction 02.17.04 :: 1610 Constantly Changing Definitions = A Fact of Life 02.03.04 :: 1700 January 2004 Some Responses To My Readings 01.27.04 :: 1600 Testing Out The Blogger 01.26.04 :: 2130