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Our new friend photographer Gary holds occasional gatherings for photographers to practice shooting (for free) at various Sydney studios… Continue Reading

Firstly let me say that attending this show is by far the most memorable concert I have ever been to. Continue Reading

For many things, dancing, emceeing, general comedic material as well, I haven’t been very up to date.  Since not having a computer at home stunts the amount of time I spend watching other people do things, I’ve generally been out doing things instead.

Internet Dancers?

In fact, I don’t really watch many videos these days because I find that I take something away from it without thinking, and usually bring it up later as my own.  I used to catch myself doing this with punchlines, dance moves and jokes, but haven’t seen it happen very often since I stopped watching many other people.

The last time I discussed this, I remember hanging out with Jojo (Zealous) and Kat (Shady Ladies) and talking about how none of us watch very many videos these days, specifically because of those reasons.  Which brings me to my main subject of discussion:  Cryptomnesia.

“Cryptomnesia, or inadvertent plagiarism, is a memory bias whereby a person falsely recalls generating a thought, an idea, a song, or a joke, when the thought was actually generated by someone else.^[1] In these cases, the person is not deliberately engaging in plagiarism, but is rather experiencing a memory as if it were a new inspiration.
The second type of cryptomnesia results from an error of authorship whereby the ideas of others are remembered as one’s own. In this case, the plagiarizer correctly recognizes that the idea is from an earlier time, but falsely remembers having been the origin for the idea.”
- Wikipedia (I know, I’m the laziest researcher in the world.)

When I’d found a name for what it was, it was much easier to identify what was happening when I’d watch videos and catch myself dancing like people from recently viewed works of dance.  And you’ll notice it too, if you’ve got a keen eye for styles and knowing what dancers people are keeping their eyes on.

“Cryptomnesia is more likely to occur when the ability to properly monitor sources is impaired. For example, people are more likely to falsely claim ideas as their own when they were under high cognitive load at the time they first considered the idea.”
So if, hypothetically, you’ve been watching a bunch of dance videos, multiple at a time, you’re much more likely to end up bringing those same movements, feelings and styles again when you train or choreograph.

This happens particularly often in the choreographed hip hop environment, when people watch more famous dancers make a set to a song, and end up making their own set to the song.  If you watch closely, they often hit the same beats and accentuate the same parts of the music as the original “inspiration”, and do it without conscious knowledge of their actions.

But this isn’t limited to routine dancers.

I know a ridiculous amount of freestyle dancers who see sets by well-known freestylers, in shows or battles, and then practice to that song, also unwittingly using the same parts of the music and planning their efforts on certain parts of the music.  It’s a lot easier to dance to a song when somebody else has mapped it out for you, and you don’t have to analyse.  You just have to remember.

The problem with this twofold in creative art forms such as dance and music.
The first is creative integrity of the original artist.  If there is an influence on your style and on your own creativity, then the originator(s) deserve the respect for that, even if it is just acknowledgement of your sources of inspiration.
The second is creative integrity of the artist who draws inspiration.  The artists own interpretation is altered, changed or even hidden underneath the interpretation of the original artist.  Also, without the awareness of this, the artist doesn’t have the ability to alter the form of the original work to suit themselves rather than the original artist.

You might see this:
Which becomes this:
Which then becomes this:
Which somebody makes into this:
Look at those fucking biters. Just look at them.

But is this inspiration, or theft?  And by the action being unintentional, is it acceptable or not?
The most important question in my opinion is, now that you know it’s happening, what do you do about it?

I remember bringing this up with Rush (Fresh Sox) one time, and his response was,
“We just call that biting, bro.”.
And in all honesty, I agree.
Also, so does the United States Copyright Law.

“In a famous case, George Harrison was sued over royalties for his first solo song “My Sweet Lord“, a song that sounded too similar to the Chiffons’ “He’s So Fine”. Harrison lost the case when a judge said he “subconsciously plagiarized”, and was ordered to pay $587,000 to Bright Tunes Music, who owned the copyright. Plagiarism of this sort is a kind of sleeper effect whereby old ideas come to feel new.”
- Wikipedia (again).

Pay attention to your choice of entertainment and your viewing material, lest your creations be revealed to not be your own.

Discussion in the comments welcomed.

La Petit Mort – Photo and video exhibition ft. bboys and trickers

La Petit Mort is a major photographic exhibition opening in December 2009. Continue Reading