Remix, Remake, Remodel. A primer on Remix Culture featuring an all star cast: Lessig, The Avalanches, Girl Talk, Andrew Keen (OK forget that last one...) This presentation was presented as part of my Masters in Digital Communications and Culture at the University of Sydney and was a helluva lot of fun to present!

1. REMIX | REMAKE | REMODELREMIX | REMAKE | REMODEL
Allison Jones
Credit: RiP! Manifesto

2. A little activity to start with….A little activity to start with….

3. And now for a video…And now for a video…

4. The Avalanches –The Avalanches –
‘Since I Left You’‘Since I Left You’
1999 Debut album
• Both critically acclaimed and popular with the kids
• An estimated 3,500 separate seemingly
mismatched separate vinyl clips
• ‘Found sounds’ – musical soundtracks, oddball comedy routines,
easy listening 60s and 70s pop, Madonna
• Unique hybrid of hip hop, psychedelia, pop
• Organic process, no intention of clearing samples
Where is the follow up?!! Lost in the copyright clearance process most likely!!

5. Just what is ‘Remix’ ?Just what is ‘Remix’ ?
• You’re probably familiar with these terms:
Meme, bricolage, collage, appropriation, sample, cut-n-paste, ‘found
sounds’, Read-Write, Read-Only, mash-up, ‘culture jamming’
• All of these are in some form a type of Remix
• Remix is the act of taking existing artistic work or anything in a form of
media or an object and altering it to suit your purposes
• A “remix” in the sense of music is usually an artist-sanctioned
re-working of a song
• But based on the above list of terms, it means so much more
• An entire creative movement

6. A veritable feast of media, genres and artworksA veritable feast of media, genres and artworks
• Forms of media, genres, objects and individual works can be remixed
• Music, obviously ;P - mash-ups, sampling, traditional remix
• Films – ‘’re-boot’’ of films (eg. ‘foreign’ films)
• Literature – eg. ‘’intertextuality’’
• Theatre – 160 Characters stage production
• Academic writing – essays utilising the ideas of others
• Internet Memes – constantly mutate. LOLCats, Hitler videos
• ‘Modding’ – modifying/personalising objects
• AND SO ON….

7. Cardon CopyCardon Copy
http://www.cardoncopy.com/
Handwritten flyers on telegraph poles re-worked and then post the new version
back in the original environment
ROOM FOR RENT

8. Cardon CopyCardon Copy
LOST CAT

9. Cardon CopyCardon Copy
MISSING DOG

10. Why Remix? If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it…Why Remix? If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it…
• Curiosity/Experimentation
• Participation/Community
• Remix as protest
• Competition Photograph: Catherine
Shaw
• The embedded meaning of existing work – Lessig
• DIY culture – extension of punk ethic
• Digital media has facilitated an explosion of remix –
formats are remixable, tools are more accessible
• Shifts in the location of production – ‘’Produsage’’ – Axel Bruns

11. Larry Lessig…Larry Lessig…
• Harvard Law Professor
• Prominent Remix scholar
• Main interest: intersection of technology
and the law -- > digital technology
and copyright
• Has published 5 books and countless articles
• Founder of Creative Commons

12. REMIX…LessigREMIX…Lessig
• Main Focus -- > REMIX: TEXT and REMIX: MEDIA
• Why are the two treated differently?
• Outlines the differences and similarities between the two
• Modern use of media and remix is just another way of writing
• Benefits of remix: Community and Education
• Remix is not new, but has been silenced by economics and copyright

13. Creative CommonsCreative Commons
• Est. 2001, not for profit
• To allow people to have their work
used more easily by others
• Mission is to increase the amount of material available in
‘’The Commons’ – for legal use by the public
• Licences are free with different options for level of usage allowance
• Estimated 350 million CC licences in use in 2009 globally
• Used by companies such as Google, Al Jazeera, Flickr

14. Other leading lights…Other leading lights…
• Greg Gillis AKA Girl Talk – mash up muso
• Cory Doctorow – novelist, tech activist, blogger, Boing Boing co-ed
• Henry Jenkins - academic
• Axel Bruns - academic
• Negativland – multimedia collective into ‘culture jamming’
• Hip hop stars
• Other artists

15. Critique : there’s a lot to think about…Critique : there’s a lot to think about…
• Ethics
• Copyright, IP
• Recognising the original source, distortion of meaning
• $$$
• The value of remixed works
• Talent?
• Fragmented experience and culture

16. Can’t stop ‘til you get enough…Can’t stop ‘til you get enough…
• Lawrence Lessig explaining Remix culture and Creative Commons:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TFdcPc-4Ris
• Lessig’s very amusing riposte to Andrew Keen:
http://www.lessig.org/blog/2007/05/keens_the_cult_of_the_amateur.html
• Walking on Eggshells Yale student documentary:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jt0ASo_6Sdg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SYNrVVbfLxw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-kLJND1z52c
• Download Remix legally and for free!
http://www.archive.org/details/LawrenceLessigRemix
• View the RiP! Manifesto film in parts:
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=rip+manifesto&aq=f
• Colbert Report video:
http://www.wired.com/underwire/2009/01/colbert-issues
• Henry Jenkins
http://www.henryjenkins.org/2008/06/interview_with_total_remixs_ow.html

17. We need to talk…We need to talk…
• Is there a generational divide in attitudes towards remix and
the use of others’ work?
• Is a work original if it’s not something completely brand
new? Is it something of lower artistic worth?
• Where is remix going? Is it just a fad or here to stay?

18. Thanks kids….Thanks kids….