Auratic consumption: classical music in the age of technology

While technological reproduction has largely been viewed as a barrier to the experience of aura (Benjamin, 1936), technological advances have the potential to offer modern consumers various ways of engaging with the arts. Recognising that aura is not necessarily inherent in art itself but must be attained by the consumers, this thesis looks at how audiences gain auratic experiences with the aid of technology. This thesis is grounded in a real-life project in which young consumers interacted with music and technology in order to develop a technological platform that would help young audiences engage with classical music. Data were collected from participants in a collaborative project between IBM, the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, and students of the University of Birmingham. By adopting an art-based method, this ethnographic study first proposes an alternative conceptualisation of aura as related to classical music. It then suggests a new practice of “musicking”. Using music composition theory as the methodological lens, this thesis demonstrates that a creative process can offer an interlocking sphere that unites two contrasting elements: technology and classical music. A grid of relations essential to auratic engagement with classical music is further presented. In order to reach this point, the learning process of auratic qualities and the technological-journey into classical music is examined. In so doing, it extends and expands our understanding of the concept of aura in the technological age