Notions Of Originality:

Notions of originality are key concepts in art and design but also questionings for several other of our day to day things: from books, business, electricity, poems, to furniture etc. Making people still question what is original? For an idea to be truly original its has to be born from nothing! Yet no matter how unique a concept may seem it has had to be sourced from somewhere, it has been inspired by something or someone!

This notion has been questioned throughout history, from artists following techniques, recreating and reanalysing masterpieces to create similar pieces but from their points of view. We today also are constantly looking back through history for something or a technique to inspire us.

To me nothing is original; there may be unique styles out there but everything comes from a source of inspiration; from being influenced by the environment, culture and history which is surrounding us.

Lets take an example: The great graffiti artist Banksy’s ‘rat’, has thought have been inspired [stolen as some may say] from the French artist Blek Le Rat. There is a whole documentary which features and questions aspects within Banksy’s graffiti revealing this ‘source of inspiration’.                    http://www.channel4.com/programmes/graffiti-wars

There are also several other pieces of advertising in which I have come across which I feel have has some ‘inspiration’ for there advertising, questioning originality:

Charles Allan Gilbert - All is vanity & Vincent Peters -  Dior advertisement.

Although this advertisement clearly uses a huge concept within Gilberts art I feel, that’s what makes the concept of using the idea in the Dior poison perfume advertisement even better and inspirational for those who know about the original piece.

Hokusai – the great Wave of Kanagawa & Ashanti Beer Advertisement

Again we can clearly see that the concept of this advertisement was inspired by Hokusai, questioning originality of advertisements created today!? As we are all told to create a unique style and push the boundaries for our own work, yet these ‘copied’ [as some may say] advertisements are so inspiring, well known and successful by using this technique!!! Could we use this as a technique ?