Corporate Art for Inter-Planetary Collectors

Please excuse this thread if the subject matter has already been covered or is in the wrong location. I'm a newbie.

As Crystal Skull demonstrated that the probability of alien visitor's throughout mankind's evolution is likely - and our earth having formed over many aeons suggests that we may very well have been visited. What would attract the attention of such supernatural beings so as to enthuse them enough to study the odd creatures and it's co-habitees that inhabit this planet?

What would be the initial draw? Environmental science projects? Human behaviour/psychology? Welfare programs? Educational facilities? Tribal culture? Military weapons technology? Medical Research? etc.,

Who knows??

If these extra terrestrials were interested in human advancements on a cultural level and were indeed collectors, and assuming they may very well have been avid universal relic hunters - and had a passion for archaeology themselves - what items of interest would they collect?

And would they be aware of the evaluation processes that human beings apply when valuing items or goods such as arts, crafts etc.?

Would they be aware of or consider the human wanton thought process, and it's powers of supposed reasoning when applying such value to a desired piece. Or the complex nature of human concepts such as 'art' that human beings inexplicably identify with.

I wonder if such sentient beings would collect, say, corporate art - knowing full well most of it appears to be vanity projects that fall into favour with financial institutions and leading educational councils and their known affiliates.

Therefore my question is this, and hypothetical at that; Would an alien race be able to draw distinctions between a priceless artifact and a worthless piece of random corporate 'art'? As, let's be fair, even curators and collectors do not necessarily know how to gauge the true value of trinkets and treasures of antiquity - even modern collectibles such as oil on canvas can command fees that could pay for an entire cancer research unit on a hospital wing.

Still, something is only ever worth what someone is prepared to pay for it. Or sacrifice.

Assuming they, the alien race, are of a higher intellect. And I, for one, anticipate they must be smarter than the likes of us, were to visit again do you think they would try to understand the diversity of human culture - how humans themselves, even in the pursuit of global peace and developing their nations have aspirations that fall foul of anything resembling a working model of eutopia. We have distinct cultural differences, cultures that reverberate throughout our history and have shaped us into who we are today.

The impacts of which demonstrate an imperfect world and an imbalance of equality and justice. Yes. Even today.

Would our inter stellar guests perhaps learn from the past, and the monumental errors we have exacted on others..?

Or would they, like as is in our own human nature, nonchalantly take whatever they could for their own gain, call it theirs, and then spirit it away..?

They would be no less cavalier than, say, our global leaders.

Conversely who is to say that they are our guests? They could be native resident aliens for all we know?

Welcome to the Raven, chocolate*fish!

I think the value of the artifacts to the aliens depends on when they died... millennia ago they weren't artifacts yet. I think the novelization's prologue conflicts with some of the art. I've never been too clear on the back story. Either way, it became one big alien insurance write off when they departed like a startled bear exiting a cave.

Moedred said:

Either way, it became one big alien insurance write off when they departed like a startled bear exiting a cave.

Click to expand...

I don't think I ever noticed those pictures before. If you post them in reverse order they tell a funnier 'what happened to his head?' story!

chocolate*fish said:

Therefore my question is this, and hypothetical at that; Would an alien race be able to draw distinctions between a priceless artifact and a worthless piece of random corporate 'art'? As, let's be fair, even curators and collectors do not necessarily know how to gauge the true value of trinkets and treasures of antiquity - even modern collectibles such as oil on canvas can command fees that could pay for an entire cancer research unit on a hospital wing.

Click to expand...

I think everything alien would at first be of interest and value to a visitor. Any old common 'alien' tat would be a valuable souvenir for those back home (wherever that is), until the market is flooded with identical items.

Sooner or later they would see the distinction between common items and rarities. However, there's no telling how they would ascribe aesthetic or artistic value to an object. Though, from the collection in the temple, it would appear they have similar tastes to a human's.

I was driving towards the notion, whether or not, it would be an acceptable practice for our alien visitors to follow our example of harvesting such treasures, and taking it one direction further, by liberating our planets resources (if they felt the compulsion) without consent and irrespective of the consequences.

I should also expect that their would be no such moral compass to address, if they have been keeping a watchful gaze over those who display an unhealthy appetite for destruction whilst squabbling over land, property, mineral interests and market prices.

Therefore it's doubtful they would feel any obligation to make any such reparations to those who are affected by losses or collateral damage.

Must also be hard to keep them under lock and key - especially when you consider how advanced they are

..and even more elusive.

What they would want with all that I couldn't possibly say. Or justify.

And I know very few aliens who uphold a demographic that relates to me or my kin. ?

I would suppose that it depends on their on planetary history. If they progressed in a society that believes in our concept of Darwinism, survival of the fittest, to the extreme, then it is only likely that they also would believe that the strong have the right to take what they want, when they want it.
If, on the other hand, they have a more Communistic/Capitalistic Utopia, then they might see it as they take what we have to make copies, and give us back the originals, or leave something in payment for the item, i.e. pyramids, bagdad battery, art of their own, etc. etc.
But, according to Occum's Razor, what is more likely, if aliens exist, then they most likely adhere to Gene Roddenberry's Prime Directive, but just like on the show, the captian doesn't always follow the law, and this would account for a little less than .01% of all "sightings."
And of course, just like any scale, they could be any combination of these, or be at lesser or greater extremes.