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The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction:
A new version of something old
The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction:
A new version of something old
Introduction
Introduction
How might we re-imagine content beyond a static page?
This question guided my exploration of Walter Benjamin’s seminal essay, The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction, one of the most influential texts on art, authenticity, and technology.
The goal of this project was to transform a traditional essay into a dynamic, multi-format experience rethinking not just how we read, but how meaning evolves through the act of reproduction itself.
The Project
The Project
I approached the brief by creating two versions of the same text: one physical and one digital, each designed to reflect and challenge Benjamin’s ideas in different ways.
Benjamin wrote about how the mechanical reproduction of art erodes its aura, the sense of uniqueness and authenticity tied to an original work. I wanted my reinterpretation to visualise this loss and ask:
“In a world of AI and infinite replication, what happens to the aura today?”
The Physical Version
The Physical Version
For the physical piece, I extracted key passages from each section of Benjamin’s essay (from Preface to Epilogue) and printed them on separate pages, paired with images of postage stamps from different countries.
Each stamp served as a metaphor: a small, mass-produced artwork that once held both aesthetic and political significance.
Across the pages, the stamps progressively deteriorated — their clarity fading, edges blurring, and stains appearing, symbolising the gradual loss of aura through repetition and reproduction.
To highlight the use of imagery for propaganda, I overlaid some stamps with others that appeared more traditional or ideologically “correct.” This visual layering became a commentary on how power and reproduction shape what we see and what we remember.
The Digital Version
The Digital Version
The digital version reinterpreted the same concept through an online lens.
Instead of deterioration, I introduced AI-generated imagery, using artificial visuals as a contemporary echo of Benjamin’s argument.
Each AI-generated image acted as both a reproduction and a distortion — convincing at first glance, yet subtly uncanny upon inspection. These imperfections were deliberate clues, reminding viewers that while machines can replicate style, they cannot replicate intent, emotion, or aura.
This evolving visual sequence illustrated how mechanical reproduction has transformed into algorithmic generation, extending Benjamin’s ideas into the age of artificial intelligence.
Design Exploration & Process
Design Exploration & Process
I experimented with:
Visual hierarchy: separating excerpts to slow down the act of reading and make the viewer aware of fragmentation.
Image degradation and noise: to make reproduction visible, not invisible.
Contrast between tactile and digital: reflecting how context changes perception.
The dual-format approach allowed me to design not only for the reader’s eye, but also for their awareness, transforming the essay into an experience that unfolds through interaction and observation.
Reflection
Reflection
This project challenged me to think of publishing as interaction design. It wasn’t about reformatting text, but about reinterpreting meaning through medium, texture, and transformation.
Benjamin’s ideas became the foundation for a conversation about how design can make theory experiential: how the medium itself can become part of the message.
By juxtaposing physical decay with digital simulation, the project explores the same tension we face as designers today:
How can technology help us preserve meaning — without erasing its human essence?
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