Copies, coincidences and replicas

“Representation is… To refer, not from language to allusion, but from one code to another. Then realism wouldn’t consist of copying reality, but of copying a copy… Through the use of mimesis, realism copies that which already was a copy”  

— Roland Barthes

This analysis portrays some of the values, such as mimesis –within and throughout the creative process of Design– and reinterpretation as the foundations of learning. Reflecting on authenticity as the only value of an object and how it is questioned when confronted to a copy are both argued subjects.

We live surrounded by thousands of objects that come as the result of the evolution of former models and, sometimes, understanding or finding the original is impossible. Imitation comes as a part of bestowing knowledge and creating culture. For example, a part of learning is based on imitation, making the act of copying a part of the process. It is important to think about any creative process as essentially mimetic. The copy is imbued in the inventive and, in the end, every new proposal results in the evolution of a former version. Copying causes innovation, a reinterpretation of the meaning of objects. That is the magic of it.

The creative process, many times, derives from the desire to recover forms in order to build them with different materials or even manufacture them with a new process. However, this new object has qualities of its own that turn it into a unique piece, as well as a copy. It turns into another object with a different personality; generally, the user doesn’t know it’s a copy and takes it for the original.

In Industrial Design, it is not easy to know which one is the original, since the products are designed to be mass produced and they multiply in order to reach lots of people. Rolf Fehlbaum, Director of Vitra, says that an original design is that which is manufactured by the company with most rights over said design, respecting the spirit of the designer. These are elements that guarantee authenticity. Does a mass produced piece lose its identity?

What happens when an object –a chair, for example– was copied into a cheaper and more commercial version? Which is the original? When is it that a copy can become an original? What happens when somebody makes a copy just for the sake of experimenting with new results?

This project isn’t about telling on the copies and all their negative connotations; it’s the other way round. It looks to understand the phenomenon, research it, trace the originals, series and serial copies and, throughout the process, create more gestures that induce further appropriation and quotation of the objects we all love and are intrigued by. For as long as there is a creative process in arts and Design, allusions and similitudes between things will prevail.

We can outline the subject of our debate through some examples that emerged throughout this research. One of these processes allowed us to examine some pieces that display traces of imitation based on homage or emulation. We’re not talking about plagiarism nor unjustified imitation, on the contrary. We are looking to appreciate the author of the original and thus be able to honor his work. Such is the case of the equipal chair of Architect Pedro Ramírez Vázquez, manufactured during the 60s and inspired in the traditional seats of the state of Jalisco. What Ramírez Vázquez is looking for is synthesizing the forms of the original by giving them a modern treatment. [FIG. 1 & FIG. 2]

Another branch of Design we researched was that of coincident copies. This becomes evident when objects, materials and similar forms emerge in two different places around the same time. We should look, for example, at the Pack Sweet Pack collection, presented by Big Game in Switzerland, 2006. All the objects in this collection alluded to different types of packages. The disassembled box carpet is a great example. At the same time, 2006, in Mexico City though, Mob introduced the Box carpet, inspired in the use given to them by construction workers. [FIG. 3 & FIG. 4]

The copy as a part of the creative process is also included in the discourse outlined by this research. As mentioned before, evolution through copying is part of any developing inventive. Such is the case of Oscar Hagerman’s chairs, weaved with safety belts, which were used by Alvar Aalto almost seventy years before him. During the 40s, Jens Risom also employed a very similar technique. [FIG. 5, FIG. 6 & FIG. 7]

We treat copies as plagiarism and, though we’re not looking to tell on anyone, this research merges some of the examples in which the copy is created when parted from the original’s authenticity. Sometimes, this happens when trying to lower prices, due to ignorance, or even mere negligence. [FIG. 8 & FIG. 9]