Unruly objects: NFTs, blockchain technologies and bio-conservation

Anna Dumitriu, Alex May, Athanasios Velios, Zoi Sakki, Veroniki Korakidou, Hélia Marçal, Georgios Panagiaris

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

2 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

This article explores and challenges notions and methodologies of conservation, including the use of blockchain technologies as a means of establishing provenance of a physical BioArtwork, of the artist's documentation encapsulating their intentions and of the conservator's records required for the artwork's ongoing care. The exploration is done through a case study of an art project called 'Unruly Objects and Biological Conservation' created by Anna Dumitriu with support from Alex May. The artwork consists of three items containing RFID tags sealed in resin - which point to the location of the artist's documentation. Therefore, the works physically include instructions for maintaining their inherent concepts and materiality for the benefit of the conservators. Such instructions can often be difficult to track down, or become disassociated from the artwork while the digital preservation of this storage method also poses its own set of questions. The works also include biological material including mud from a bacterial ecosystem known as a Winogradsky Column, living plant material and SARS-CoV-2 (coronavirus) RNA from a plasmid construct.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)383-397
Number of pages15
JournalTechnoetic Arts
Volume19
Issue number3
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Nov 2021

Keywords

  • Bacterial sublime
  • Bio-digital
  • Bio-digital art
  • BioArt
  • Conservation
  • Documentation
  • Mineral agency
  • Museum

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