Lecture by Michelle Kasprzak, Sept 14th – 6PM – 7.30PM
The possibilities afforded by blockchain seem to lead us into new territory and offer a unique language for describing interaction: trustless, decentralized, self-sovereign, and so on. Despite this veneer of the new, the basic aims behind many of the communities formed around blockchain technologies strive to meet timeless human needs for connection, mutual aid, and creative expression. Technology is once again summoned to regulate, temper and de-risk human behaviour, which is far too simplistic.
This talk will explore our possible ethical dispositions towards blockchain technologies, and reflect on the value of moving forward with them as an integral part of creative endeavour. We will also examine which aspirations are better reflected in older and less technological models and methods, including lessons from past technological revolutions which continue to hold relevance.
Michelle Kasprzak is an established contributor to the fields of digital cultures and speculative futures as an academic, curator, and artist. She is currently a postdoctoral researcher at the Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences. Recently, she received the support of the Stimuleringsfonds Creatieve Industrie to develop a body of research on non-fungible tokens (NFTs).
The Longue Durée of Economic Media: A Prehistory of Crypto
Lecture by Max Grünberg, Thu, May 4th – 6PM – 7.30PM
In this session, we want to explore the long durée of crypto by grounding it in the history of money and accounting technologies. By situating both its anarchocapitalist and mutualist current in our material past, we will obtain a better understanding where it might lead us if the hypothesis crypto advances were ever to be delivered on a technical level. In view of this, we will interrogate the functions of money and competing explanations of its origin to demonstrate how monetary order and property relations have always been intertwined with statehood. Money might have been haunted by a central authority since its very conception. By analysing seemingly banal microtechnologies such as double-entry bookkeeping as an accounting revolution – constituting today the base layer of our capitalist present – we will then unveil the disruptive potential that has always slumbered in our economic media: technological infrastructure co-writes history.
Cryptoart & Blockchain 101
Lecture by Marc Anders, Thu, Apr 20th – 6PM – 7.30PM
The emergence of blockchain technology has created new opportunities for artists, creators, and collectors. Non-fungible tokens (NFTs) have revolutionized the way we think about ownership and provenance in the digital world, allowing for the creation and trade of unique digital assets that are verifiably scarce and authentic.
After the NFT Grazie: Utopia, Speculation and Then What?
Lecture by Domenico Quaranta, Thu, Apr 6th – 6PM – 7.30PM
Now that the bubble has burst, many questions arise about the whole techno-social infrastructure and the artistic practices emerging from it. Is speculation somehow intrinsic to the NFT environment? Is it possible to use blockchains as a means of authentication and to creatively experiment with smart contracts without indulging in the speculative behaviours typically associated with crypto? Is there a future for NFTs without WAGMI? How can art and artists have a role in criticising and reshaping the Web3 scenario?