Appropriation or Plagiarism
A final-year candidate submits a 12-image portfolio. Six images are high-resolution reproductions of a living photographer's series, cropped and re-coloured, with captions quoting Walter Benjamin. The candidate calls the series 'Appropriation as Mourning' and cites Sherrie Levine. The photographer's website states 'no reproduction without written permission'. The candidate has not signed the school's source-declaration form. The deadline is in five days; EUR 80 has already been spent on printing. The photographer's agent emails to demand removal of the images from the school's public online exhibition, which opens tonight. The teacher must advise on the exam submission, the online exhibition, and the candidate's claim that 'all art is appropriation'.
1. Assess whether the portfolio meets EB Art requirements on originality and ethical use of sources. What should the teacher recommend before submission?
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The portfolio may be using appropriation as a strategy, but the exam requires the candidate's own work and a declared, critical use of sources. Cropping and re-colouring six whole images by one living photographer is weak transformation; it risks reading as derivative rather than as a sustained argument. The missing source declaration is a procedural problem that must be fixed immediately. Before submission the teacher should require: a completed source form naming the photographer and series; reduction to at most two images, each embedded in a larger composition that includes the candidate's own photographs, text, or spatial intervention; a 200-word statement explaining what the appropriation critiques and why the original cannot do that work; and removal of the images from the public online show unless written permission arrives. The remaining four images should be replaced with original work. If the candidate refuses, the teacher should refer the matter to the EB coordinator. The teacher should not promise a grade, but should explain that examiners reward transformation and critical framing, not the mere act of copying.
2. The online exhibition opens tonight. What should happen to the six images, and how should the teacher explain the difference between exam use and public exhibition?
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The six images should come down from the public online exhibition tonight. Internal examination use and public web publication are different: the first is a limited educational context with a declaration; the second is a public communication that the photographer's agent has explicitly opposed. The teacher should replace the images with a neutral placeholder and a short note saying the works are under review, not with a link to the photographer's site. The teacher should reply to the agent confirming removal pending written permission and keep a record of the correspondence. The candidate should be told that this is not a judgement that appropriation is illegal or invalid; it is a judgement about permission, context, and risk. The exam submission can still be assessed internally with the source declaration, but the candidate must understand that public exhibition is a separate decision. If permission is granted, the images can return with full credits; if not, the online show uses the candidate's original replacement work.