By Heather Duncan

While reading The Rhetoric of Remix by Virginia Kuhn, I began to think deeply about the origins of the “remix”, the originality of content and about the human brain’s characteristic of being “plastic” known as Neuroplasticity. 

What stood out in this article as well as in the discussion from our last session was the idea that I have long pondered, the notion that nothing is original. In The Rhetoric of Remix Article article, Kuhn highlights some of the oldest epic tales, Homer’s The Iliad and Odyssey, which are of course credited to Homer, yet it is thought and suggested that they are not the original product of his own mind but rather the compilation or “remix” of ancient oral tales that have been passed on.

Is anything original?

Throughout history there are many others who take from ancient orated tales and legends and remix them into concrete narratives using innovative methods of recording and archiving. As recalled in last session, even Shakespeare did not create stories of complete originality.  

It is not only our history but our human nature to remix knowledge and narrative to create new meaning using the tools that we have as storytellers, activists and people. In today’s digital world we have an abundance of tools and resources available to the “remixers” who wish to reconstruct the media of the past into something entirely new. 

Abstractly I began to draw comparisons between the idea of a plastic brain and the collective knowledge or ideas in existence. Kuhn argues the ideas of Kress, that we must not simply critique but we must actively engage in shaping culture. 

…but scholars must do more than simply act as critics. They must actively engage in shaping and transforming culture. When one rips, edits, and renders video, one is transformed into a speaker of that discourse who can intervene and contest its truth claims.

The idea the the "Brain of the World" is plastic, has the ability to be molded and NEEDS to be molded is motivation for the continued remix of the archives. The question remains...How can we "remix" the archives to enhance their message or bring out new meaning while still staying true to the heart of the original work?