Description:

When Walter Benjiman wrote his ground breaking essay "The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction", he recognized the political imperative art combined with the evolving technologies of replication. In this essay, cultural theorist Stephen Janis updates the Benjamin thesis, exploring the political significance of the MP3. The paper, the basis for his ground breaking class "MP3 Culture" - dissects the MP3 as an instrument of human proclivity for control, at once embracing and reinventing Benjiman's instrumental take of duplication technology and it's affect upon art.