Well, copyright is a 17th century legal concept, so I don't see why "extremely provincial and 19th century view" is necessarily wrong?
Artists are welcome to do all kinds of things, such as "given creative control to random elements and processes". But they shouldn't be surprised if copyright law doesn't fully apply to the result.
The principles and rationale underlying copyright were not superseded. The only things that changed are various technical details, like copyright terms, and applicability across borders.
Artists are welcome to do all kinds of things, such as "given creative control to random elements and processes". But they shouldn't be surprised if copyright law doesn't fully apply to the result.