Squashing creativity

Innovator or pirate? Creator or thieve? Experimenter or cheat?

With seven basic musical notes is it fair to call someone a thief for copying, transforming and/or combining original works with new creative ways?

In my personal opinion, I think not. I believe that music and all art for that matter, should be explored, pushed and prodded. From probing and testing, new and inventive effects and results emerge.

The beauty of art is its ability to evoke emotion from the observer, and I believe no two emotions are the same. The link between music and emotion is extraordinary. Therefore, the sentiments drawn from a piece of music is different for each person. Mashup artists and DJ’s are simply exploring and delivering a unique response from someone else’s work of art.

Take these two songs as an example.






Zimbabwe by New Navy evokes happy, upbeat feelings, whereas Flume’s remix derives a completely different emotional response.

I believe it is unfair to consider Flume’s song as theft. It is a completely different take on concept on the original work. It is work similar to this that will be greatly affected by laws and restrictions on originality.  

I do agree that there are some forms of art and innovation that should be protected from outsider’s interpretation and thus copyright, patent and trademark laws should be in place. However, when it comes to music mashups and remixes, I think diverse versions complement the original work. It is creativity at its finest. It is news ideas stemming from old. It is appreciating someone’s work and helping it grow and expand.

I believe introducing copyright and piracy laws into the music realm would be detrimental to the expressive form of art. It would squash creativity and restrict imagination and vision. It is after all, the observer’s emotional response that makes each piece unique and dissimilar to the other.

“Art is the most intense mode of individualism that the world has known” – Oscar Wilde

Post-colonialist films

What art movement or art genre, type, style or sub-culture has influenced or changed the way you view a culture other than you own? How and why?

My understanding of colonialism has advanced from my recent viewings of post-colonial films set in Africa.

European countries such as, France, Britain and Germany, amongst many others have attempted to colonise African settlements. It is through films like Xala, that African countries bewilderment can be recognised.

European empires have forced their cultures, politics and economies onto independent countries in an effort to expand their nation states and gain natural resources from these lands.

The confusion of African culture is brought to the fore through the method of film. Post-colonial films highlight the muddled lifestyles of these countries. Whilst watching the subtitled films I have noticed an inconsistency of language, a switching between the native tongue of the country and French.

Alongside a confusion of language comes a confusion of economies.

Xala follows an upper-class African family that is struggling with the forthcoming marriage of their father/husband who undergoing his third marriage. He is a polygamous man with three wives, which is considered a normalcy for some African cultures. 

French and German cars such as Renault and Mercedes are driven to and from the wedding. Coco Cola is offered to the two original wives and they accept this beverage in French, “oui”.  

This mix-up of cultures is an obvious detriment to the traditional African family. The African community obviously struggles with its sense of self and understanding of their own ethnicity.

It is through post-colonial film that I have gained a new perception on colonialism. I admit that I was never that knowledgeable on such African cultures before, however the complexity of these cultures has furthered my knowledge on colonialism.

Colonialism has left countries unsure, insecure and confused about their own cultures, languages and religions. Post-colonialism indicates the gradual acceptance of these, now, complex societies, and their now unstable idea of nationality and race.