Simulacrum or Simulacra (plural)

A diverse (seemingly dystopian) term I had never heard of let alone attempt it’s pronunciation.   It is a historically ingrained term based around the theory of Jean Baudrillard where representations imitate reality.  It is broken up into orders by Baudrillard:

  1. Pre-modern period where false reality is just an image- an illusion
  2. The industrial revolution where mass production of technology is introduced and the imitation of the original threatens reality
  3. Post-modern period where the simulacrum has become the real

Some simple examples of simulacra:

  • Disneyland- a copy of a copy.  A representation of something that was only ever a representation.
  • Advertising- we want to wear Kendall Kardashians clothes even though these advertisements for her are only a representation and we as average people cannot connect with the original.

It’s a very complex idea that I am sure I have not grasped, but scraping the edges of simulacra, it is the idea where the original is no longer known.  A copy without an original. A simulation of a reality which never existed.  But I would like to delve deeper into the idea where the industrial revolution impacts the idea.  With the mass production of commercialism and materialism we have been manipulated into a world where a copy is more common than an original.  The world’s reliance on economy has created a reality where simulacra can flourish.  With the mass production of furniture, art and culture in the 19th century, the desire for copies as opposed to originals was rancid.  Society was living in identical homes with identical furniture and identical lives.  However, I feel that in today’s society we are moving back towards appreciating original art and culture.  We don’t necessarily want to lose the reality and hard work of originality, regardless of the simulation of technology as a virtual life.  Especially in Melbourne, a culturally and artistic based city, originality has it’s own life.  Graffiti masks the drab walls all around the city and the suburbs.  Artists line the street playing music.  Small markets are set up selling original, hand-made goods.   I feel that there is a reliance on original work in Melbourne where the city is described as a cultural hot spot and represents itself in this way.

However, is this representation of Melbourne simulacra or is it reality?