3 research outputs found
Unruly objects: NFTs, blockchain technologies and bio-conservation
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 artistâs documentation encapsulating their intentions and of the conservatorâs
records required for the artworkâs ongoing care. The exploration is done through a case study of an art project called âUnruly Objects and Biological Conservationâ created by Anna Dumitriu with support from Alex May. The artwork consists of three items containing RFID tags
sealed in resin â which point to the location of the artistâs 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