Now that we have looked into the concrete aspects of our process, we invite you to look abstractly at our 3D-model-making through a special theory.
There are a few theories that are relevant to the digitization process of My Little Pony toy. One of them is ‘aura’, proposed by Walter Benjamin in his seminal works on mechanical reproduction (1936). He argues that reproductions are devoid of aura and that the materiality of the original is tightly connected to the historical and cultural backgrounds. Although the author was discussing mechanical reproductions, his discussion of aura is still debatable today, disputing its applicability to the function of digital representations and technology. In this digital context, this debate is extendable to the digitization process of our toy in two circumstances. Firstly, re-producing the My Little Pony in the single 3D form is an evident deviation from its original mediated existence. The ponies, depicted to be social beings by nature in animated television shows and merchandise, are represented as isolated - stripped of their interactive environment and social relations. To balance the tension of the universe’s general context as the communal and cooperative environment and the physical reality of one toy, in ‘Portrayal of Friendship’ article we included more 3D models of other ponies to illustrate after all the interactive environment.
Secondly, after all, we changed the function of the toy; they are not anymore intended to be played with physically, but rather as digital artifact as part of the scholarly edition, shifting to something to be examined and archived. This leads us to question authenticity and aura, as the pony's original function - interactive, imaginative play - is replaced by a more contemplative and archival function in the digital realm.