The new era of art & entertainment?

The jaded consumers of art occasionally like to make the cynical observation that "it's all been done," and that there's nothing fundamentally new in terms of themes or representations. I won't take the bait on arguing that either way.

Instead, I'd like to throw another variable in the mix: the mashup.

This is an approach to art that doesn't focus on generating new content; it focuses on the re-use of items in novel ways to produce an effect that is unique from the individual elements that contribute to it. The lexicon of mashup includes terms like hack, mix, bend, blend, hybrid, layer, and tweak. Let's look at some examples:

One of my favorite practitioners is the video mashup artists Eclectic Method. Here's one example of a film mashup - in this case, the works of Quentin Tarantino.

Eclectic Method - The Tarantino Mixtape from Eclectic Method on Vimeo.

In that example, clips from different Tarantino films were juxtaposed in a way to illustrate themes and parallels. The mashup effectively serves to showcase the Tarantino feel: the bold use of music, stylized violence, pop cultural references, and clever dialogue. Yet, this synthesis is interesting and fun to watch - not just a dry analysis like my previous two sentences.

Here's another example from Eclectic Method that illustrates the more abstract application of the mashup. Rather than using whole sequences or even several seconds of "sample" to create something - only very small pieces of video+sound are used to create a rhythm. The esoteric group of video clips are used like instruments in a complex sequence.

Eclectic Method - Just A Micro Sample Test from Eclectic Method on Vimeo.

But not all mashup is done via editing media. Consider "circuit bending" - the hacking of electronics (often toys) to produce unexpected results. "Music" is often a result but anything is possible.



From there, things get even more abstract. For instance, the hijacking of computer hardware to make music. In this case, the geek classic "Imperial March" from the Star Wars saga.



Continuing in this theme is the following piece of performance art(?) that combines a Tesla coil, a "Faraday suit" and again... the Imperial March.



Perhaps even more "meta" is the use of a laser cutter to perform the famous "Super Mario Brothers" video game theme:

lazzor music! from hypatia on Vimeo.

Does this constitute a true mashup? Who knows? I'd argue that anything that produces an interesting result from a non-obvious juxtaposition is a mashup.

And to contradict my earlier statement, I'd like to assert that no, it hasn't all been done.