– How did Benjamin view the importance and role of ‘the collector’?
He views the role of ‘the collector’ as someone who sees the hidden value of an object. While another person may choose to disregard an object, the collector views it as a key piece in a history collection. The collector brings new objects and highlights the importance rather than simply its function. Its relationship with the object allows them to “access into origin but also into the future, into prospective worlds and future modes of dealing with objects” (70).
– What is a ‘flaneur’? What is its significance?
As described by Benjamin, a ‘flaneur’ is someone who is a daily observer. They are their own self by spectating the world with a unique perspective.
– How do objects and the spaces they inhabit help us to see more closely and anew? How do they shape our idea of memory and collective histories?
Collective memory allows humans to assign specific memories and experiences to everyday objects. Schema theory – a term used in psychology is another explanation as to how the memories in our brain are associated with physical space. The physical space (environment, surroundings) of an object can reveal information about the object’s story. When we shape our idea of memory and collective histories, we allow associations made with the object to trigger an experience or an imaginative setting. We use objects to see the world through a deeper lens.
– In what ways did Benjamin identify with the Surrealists and their anti-commodity, poetical strategy of data collection from everyday life, dreams, street life, and from the banalest environments?
Benjamin identified with the Surrealists because he understood the philosophy of that Surrealists “focused on the everyday not in order to smother everything with a blanket of boredom, but to rediscover the eccentricity of the humdrum” (72). Just like the Surrealists, Benjamin discovers the history and facts that tell a story from an object. Both chooses to dig deep in order to reveal the object’s background.
– When photography and film were emerging visual technologies, Benjamin introduced the term ‘optical unconscious’. What did he mean by this? How does photography and film reflect and construct the world around us?
Benjamin describes the ‘optical unconscious’ as the ability to perceive the world in a raw form. Because of its raw form, the viewer must now take the context of the image and apply it in a moment of real time. Photography and film limits us as third-party viewers’ perspective. It creates a boundary for where we can see the truth behind it.