Philosophy of NFTs at OxBAT

in crypto •  2 years ago 

A bit of fun, for a change, although academics seem adept as squeezing the fun out of the juiciest fruit.

'Time Is Now a Medium': Academics Ponder NFTs at Oxford University Conference

Oxford University opened its doors to NFTs last week with its inaugural OxBAT (Oxford Blockchain, Art & Technology) Conference.

I can't seem to find any videos, apart from very short snippets on Twattr.

Gentilli went on to discuss the philosophical implications of blockchain. “Block time is not future time; it’s firmly rooted in the past,” he said, since, “on the blockchain the future extends only to the time in which a new block is open.” That means that, “for the first time in history, time is now a medium.”

He pointed to the example of Sarah Friend’s NFT series Lifeforms, which have to be passed among wallets within a 90-day limit or they expire. “Time here is a key ingredient in a highly performative work,” Gentilli said. “It’s also a critical example of how artists can use game theory and smart contracts to undermine blockchain’s instinct to commoditize things.”

That last point is more interesting: how to use the tech to undermine the tech. Mind you, Lifeforms behaves somewhat like Tamagotchi on a chain. But this may inspire others to look more closely at the art+code consequences of NFTs.

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  ·  2 years ago  ·  

I thought the water-clock had already turned time into a medium.
;-)