Posts by Kerry Weston
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What's come out of this discussion for me is that a blanket copyright law that does not discriminate between different forms of creative work; or how they function in the market, and, appears to work in favour of copyright holders who are not the originators (ie: publishers, distributors) is not the best model.
The pov's of both robbery and mark make sense to me and I don't see why a decent law can't embrace both. I come from a visual arts perspective - seems ok to me to use bits of other works to build new ones, it's always been part of the process - it's wholesale rip-offs of complete, or altered only in v. small ways, artworks and claiming originality that really has to be protected against. I think it's different for songwriters. They put in all the same sort of creative effort, yet lose control of their work and financial recompense too easily, because they have so little protection.
What I'm picking up most in robbery's posts is the pain of the creative artist who's getting the message from society that they love his work, but it's ok to have it for free because ,hey, he should just get a haircut and a real job and somehow still find the spirit to carry on creating stuff. And if he can't, it doesn't matter because postmodern theory has incinerated the role of artist & writer as unique individuals and replaced us with the notion that it's all endless regurgitation & tinkering with what's gone before. Therefore nothing special and anyone can do it. I don't, of course, believe that.
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I noticed on the English/Cullen interview on 9 to noon this morning, that English was careful to impress that Key had been an Investment Bank Manager, rather than one of those financial wheeler dealers responsible for bringing down capitalism as we know it. "I understand and was successful in international finance" used to carry some clout, it doesn't anymore.
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Speaking of things that get lost and found - I'm getting back my father's old valve radio, restored to working order. It has passed through several family member's hands, currently languishing in a shed. My dad died when I was 6, so I have only memory snapshots. One is of him sitting in his armchair on a Saturday afternoon listening to the races on his old radio.
i do have a pair of great old chairs my grandfather made out of plywood packing cases way back - not terribly comfortable, but rather rustically elegant. My sons never met either man, so the objects and stories have to suffice. For me too - never met any of my grandparents - all snuffed it before i was born - so the objects become kind of mythical.
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Different cultures have their own ways of managing this. That includes non-commercial avenues like the state pension examples mentioned upthread, or social rank systems in places where mana can bring a comfortable life. The Wai262 claim also comes to mind with collective aspects of cultural ownership and kaitiakitanga..
Yes and I think the contemporary Maori art movement has exemplified that - very supportive network that nurtures their own, the forest stronger than the single tree.
That was an excellent post @ 9.01, Sacha. Reminds how the law is such a blunt instrument and in this case can be utilised to OTT degree by powerful corporates, but hardly at all by lone artists who can't afford to monitor use or sue even if they want to. i fully get the meaning/context argument and creative trail - it comes down to the old where to draw the line question. Plenty of influences leave their mark on you, but they may not be explicit or even traceable in your work. And i do think that each form, music, visual arts, writing etc, has its own peculiarities that need addressing for copyright.
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Just today I heard that a piece of historical architecture in my home town of Napier, is in the process of demolition - despite a category 1 listing by the Historical Places Trust. The Anglican church hall is an old gothicky, brick building, 2 storeys from memory, tucked in behind some shops in town. I think they're going to use the space for a carpark.....cue Joni Mitchell.
Of course, the megabucks it would take to restore it and meet earthquake standards is anathema to the church and the mayor. I also remember the art deco buildings that were demolished pre-art deco mania and I wonder if they regret it or have simply erased such foolishness from their memories.
As Giovanni so elegantly relates, it is the history contained in buildings, and the many expressions of culture big and small, that continue to shimmer for us. Little anchors - wonderful for your boy to know.
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It seems ironic at best, that so much lip service is paid to the value of creativity, yet individual creators are valued so little. That their works, whether read, viewed, or played, are only of worth when they have value added, support others in a distribution & transaction chain, are able to be worked over/borrowed/lifted to someone else's benefit. It's like the words creator or artist have been evacuated of human-ness, altogether.
And if only a select few are able to survive as individual creators where will that leave us? A future of endless pastiche? Artists & writers as corporate slaves?
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This in brief is state funding for artists (painters, actors, writers etc) in Denmark.
"Support for the Arts. Artists may join a union from which they receive insurance against unemployment. In this system of employment security, artists must produce input in the form of work, and many artists take menial jobs to maintain their union status. During their training, artists may receive subsidies through the State Education Grant and Loan scheme. A few artists are awarded a civil list pension on the basis of merit and talent. A few excellent artists are fully self-supporting."
[{http://www.everyculture.com/Cr-Ga/Denmark.html}]and this on the actor's place in denmark by Unesco, stuff on copyright 2
[{http://portal.unesco.org/culture/en/files/32771/11698026393Denmark.pdf/Denmark.pdf}] -
<quote<My boy is off to Unlimited next year, a special character school that receives state funding.</quote>
Just had a look at their site - wow! I see there's alot of emphasis on doing - great. It's something that confounds me about many regular schools - plenty of talk about turning out creatives, but not alot of actually doing creative work, unless it's geared to ncea standards. While that may be useful, it hasn't got alot to do with creative thinking and how one goes about being a creative.
It sounds refreshingly unregimented. I knew religious schools get state funding, but I was thinking more of Unlimited,or Steinerish, models which aren't in the pursuit of ncea & sporting glory for their schools, that are inclusive rather than exclusive and going about things differently.
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Our school was one of two state funded alternative secondary schools in the country.
Are there any around now?
I agree with you about secondary school needing to be less about academic achievement. If we stand far enough back, you'd have to ask why we should think the teenage years, with all their angst, hormones & dramas, are a great time to expect high academic achievement.
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Depressions are a time of exciting public works.
The Winston Peters Retirement Village - built in honour of our much-loved Parliamentarian. In fact, MPs super funds could be channelled into this worthy project, investing in their own futures, where they can relive their moments of glory ALL TOGETHER.