Ersatz is an adjective used to describe something that is an artificial, usually disgenuine, imitation of something. We imitate because we want to replicate something we value: usually something functional, sometimes something aesthetic. Yet, in the process of imitation/replication, so often we tend to focus on what we want from that thing and disregard everything else that makes it that particular thing. Is the result then artificial because it is representational of something from reality? Can the product of imitation exist on its own, or only in the context of its source-material? When does something cease being a representation and become a reinvention? Keeping these questions in mind, I set out to document the process of imitation/replication and its products.
