Category Archives: 10/April/2017 – Table Talk – “‘F’ is for Fake”

In the Era of Trump, Anything Goes

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When did the news become fake? In the Era of Trump, anything goes. For news watchers, that means our news is anything Trump declares it is. And we can expect for the next four years, that in the era of Trump, fake news is one of them. There used to be a time in society, when our politicians were head to the highest standard of truth and morality. That simply isn’t the case anymore and we are a time when even the most simple truths are up for debate. While many people are discouraged by this new normal, others are looking for ways to seek the truth.

Like most millennials watching the news has become a struggle. We crave authenticity and news anchors and commentators haven’t always provided the hard hitting answers that we long for. In a world filled with “fake news” who is telling the truth? The short answer is Angela Rye. Unlike most political pundits, she is unapologetic in her nature of truth. In an age of political correctness, many people fear shaming others for their clearly offensive comments, Angela Rye isn’t. Racism, sexism, misogyny and misogynoir, whatever it may be Angela Rye is ready to make sure our news is not only factually correct but  for what it is.

One thing Angela Rye is clear on is that Trump is fake news. In the video posted above, Rye discusses how she finds Donald Trump’s words to have no authority. This is an issue. How can we live in a society, where we can’t trust the words of the leader of the free world. However, Trump shouldn’t be surprised. It seems like a case of boy who cried wolf….

What’s fake

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There’s a fine line between being inspired by another person’s work and intentionally imitating a piece of work. During our table talk, we tried to come up with a definition as to what a ‘fake’ piece of work is.  Ultimately, our definition came down to whether or not the artist’s intentions are to purposely gain credit off of the previous artist. If so, then that is a fake. However, if the artist is inspired by another individual’s work and does not claim to be that original artist in any form, then that is not fake work.

The issue with our definition and why this topic is so interesting is because one’s intensions cannot be truly known. Therefore, we thought that the best way to bring to surface the answer is by looking at previous trends and to what extent how is credit given to the original artist.

What is real and genuine?

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This week’s table talk was with GRF Sara. We watched a video from an artist who discussed what is a fake and what and real. The video was extremely dramatic and strange to watch but made some good points for us to discuss and think about. We discussed who owns works of art, music, and other forms of intellectual property and what a copy of these materials are. For some, a copy might be seen as a form of flattery and recognition, but others see copies as a form of stealing. Another student brought up Drake and how many smaller artists feel ripped off by him. Apparently, he uses certain aspects of music from smaller artists than him, but since only a few people know these artists people generally assume that it is Drake’s original work. I wasn’t aware of this until the table talk and was a little upset by this fact. I feel like Drake should give these smaller artists the recognition they deserve, especially since Drake has already capitalized greatly off his work. I feel like as long as someone is not trying to pass off an imitation as the true form, then copies are not horrible. If someone feels inspired enough by a form of art to channel it into their own art, then the original artist is definitely doing something right. However, if someone copies another person’s art and tries to state that they came up with the original idea, then this isn’t right. They are denying the original artist the recognition they deserve. This concept of what is our and what isn’t is especially important in college. When put in tough situations, taking work that doesn’t belong to you seems like an option. We have to realize that these choices hurt the owner of the material. This table talk helped show me the importance of using original work and content.

Life and Art

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For last week’s table talk, we discussed the documentary “F” is for Fake.  This documentary was directed and starred in by Orson Wells. It was about infamous fakers Elmyr de Hory and Clifford Irving. De Hory made his name by selling forged works of art by painters like Picasso and Matisse. Irving was infamous for writing a fake autobiography of Howard Hughes.  However, we watched a two-minute excerpt from the movie where Orson Wells’ character begins a dialogue. There were certain quotes that I took from the excerpt and explained my interpretation of these in the table talk. 

The first quote was, “There for centuries, created by men with no signature, there for the celebration of God’s glory and the dignity of man.” He was standing in front of what looked to be a castle and the camera was switching back between him and the castle. I thought this meant that what the structure signified was more important than those who created it.  Another was, “Scientists tell us as a universe which is disposable, works in stone and print last a few decades or a millennium.” “Things fall in war or wear away into the ultimate and universal ash, maybe a man’s name doesn’t matter all that much.” This to me meant that the infamous fakers should not have been outcasted because they committed these crimes, instead, they should have been appreciated for the talents that they possessed. Art tends to physically fade away and new art is always being made. The artists that they were imitating were classic artists, and I feel that the fakers were showing their appreciation for them because they stood the test of time.

What does a ‘Fake’ mean with regard to nature of authorship?

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The table talk on “F is for Fake” was based on the ideas presented by Orson Welles in his documentary. Initially released in 1974, “F is for Fake focuses on Elmyr de Hory’s recounting of his career as a professional art forger; de Hory’s story serves as the backdrop for a fast-paced, meandering investigation of the natures of authorship and authenticity, as well as the basis of the value of art. Loosely a documentary, the film operates in several different genres and has been described as a kind of film essay.

When we began discussing the documentary by Welles I was confused by the ideas and the message that he wanted to convey to his audience since I did not understand the model used to define what a fake is as many definitions apply to the term. Yet, as the discussion progressed and we agreed on a model to define what fake really means with regard to authorship it helped me understand the message that Welles was trying to convey through his documentary.

We decided that for something to be fake there has to be an original and that the thing that is “fake” is merely a copy of the original. Thus, unless an original exists a fake cannot exist with regard to authorship. For example, if I were to use my friend’s login credentials and post a blog on her behalf that blog post would not be classified as a fake as I am writing something while stealing her identity, which can be classified as impersonation as opposed to being a fake. Therefore, a fake means the copy or forgery of an original piece of art (music, literature, film, painting, sculpture etc.) and if and only if an original exists to copy off of will it be classified as a fake.