The Culture of the Copy

In search of a convincing version of authenticity

Fashion Planet Series | Thoughts about the Gucci Spring/Summer 2023 collection | feat. runway video

In the stairwell of reflections sighs inconsolable our culture of the copy, of the duplicate, of the replica and the clone, of the standardized reoccurrence, of the isolated knock-off, of reciprocal quotations, of derivative uniqueness, of virtual reality, of lifelike holograms, of translation, of misinterpretation, of linguistic corruption, of transliteration, of transcription, of adaptation, of digital hieroglyphics, of verisimilitude, of simulation, of facsimiles, of dissimulations, of similes, of metaphors, of echoes, of reverberations, of resonance, of aftershocks, of counterfeits, of fakes, of substitutes and the ersatz, of placebos, of dupes, of fraudulent falsifications and misattributed fabrications, of stolen identities, of counterfeits multiplied, of surrogates, of replays, of playbacks, of reissues, of reruns, of reprints, of repetitions, of reworking, of remixing, of reciting, of recordings, of samples, of filming, of the televised, of projections, of photography, of photocopies, of statues, effigies, masks, dolls, marionettes, puppets, robots, and scarecrows, of the transfigured, of the reimagined, of the disguised, of chameleonic camouflage, of hypocrites, impersonators, mimes, ventriloquists, actors, understudies, pretenders, performers and models, of stand-ins and stunt doubles, of reiterations, of renditions, of repetitions, of recapitulation, of interpretation, of reconstruction, of restructuring, of deconstruction, of renewal, of rennaisance, of restoration, of cover versions, of remixes, of encores, of theatre stages, of parody, of spoofs, of forensic re-enactments, of identical, fraternal or even Siamese twins, of lookalikes, dead-ringers and doppelgängers, of the phony, the falsified, the fabricated and the molded, of the imprint, of impressions, of eroded veracity, of idols, of portraits , of selfies, of credible iconolatry, of mirrored images, of refractions, of namesakes, of synonyms, of the similar, of the reminiscent, of resemblances, of counterparts, of bookends, of the equivalent, of the equal, of the likewise, of the same, of the tantamount, of the analogous, of the selfsame, of the similar, of the interchanceable, of the indistinguishable, of hereditary affinities, of our DNA, of our reproduction

Amidst the perdition of our vital delusions in the century of disappointment, we forget that:

In the exact image and true-to-life likeness of a convincing version of authenticity that is excavated as a primal source (due to its natural presence) from the dark mines of sensocracy, constant they remain and intransigent they endure (even today!)

to exist the parrots, the apes and the mirrors

They are present right here, right now, parodying us, all of those who - though not exiled from paradise like us – still seem to speak as if they’re human, adopting our behaviors without as much as asking us for our own permission, or even a copyright license at that

They resemble us precariously, and we have never been able to overcome this existential proof of our non-existent radical singularity

Yet now,

Since any help can only be final,

Due to all first aid having voluntarily enlisted as paramedics bearing stretchers for the ambulances of morbid conjectures,

The palliative philosophy of Diogenes, i.e. the search for an original human being,

has been transformed into an ubiquitous and all-seeing supervisor of our frustrations

The sun that was once hidden by imperial intruders, the lantern that after all keeps on blindingly glowing off our screens, has now become the electrified window of a factory mass-producing shadows

That is, the constant interrogation of unrepentant darkness is itself the obstacle brazenly standing in the path of speed of light

Shadows that rotate around those whom they follow, tracing as faithfully as possible the elusive outlines of their creators, as they themselves, in due turn, appear in daylight and disappear at night, on a daily basis or once and for all

Copies are dials timing the transience of what is never again to be

A childhood spent cultivating vital delusions in the garden of plausibility before the afternoon of perhaps fades away into the twilight of opportunities

Original Text written by Panagiotis Chatzistefanou, Berlin 2019