Blockchain Art Activism: Examining Four Blockchain-Based Artworks for Social, Political, and Environmental Good
Author
Skoro, Ivana Emily
Term
4. term
Education
Publication year
2024
Submitted on
2024-06-06
Pages
109
Abstract
As Web3 expands, activist art projects using NFTs and DAOs have drawn attention for fundraising success but also criticism for financialization, environmental impact, and entrenched inequalities. This thesis asks how blockchain-based artworks can be mobilized for social, political, and environmental good while engaging the technology beyond fundraising. It examines four case studies — The Balot NFT (decolonial activism), Forkonomy() (ownership and occupation), Terra0 (environment), and Voices of April (anti-censorship) — and contrasts them with copy-and-paste fundraising NFT collections popularized in 2021–2022. Grounded in a literature review on blockchain, philosophy of technology, technological determinism, ethics, and activist art, the analysis focuses on aesthetic merit, technological engagement, and the social and political implications of blockchain and NFTs. While detailed results are not provided in this excerpt, the study offers insights into both the promise and risks of Blockchain for Good, highlighting how fundraising-centric approaches can commodify marginalized communities and lack transparency, and advocating for art practices that critically use blockchain to benefit society rather than entrench existing power structures.
Web3 har muliggjort nye former for aktivistisk kunst med NFT'er og DAO'er, men opmærksomheden har ofte samlet sig om fundraising, markedsværdi og hype, ledsaget af kritik af finansialisering, miljøpåvirkning og uligheder. Dette speciale spørger, hvordan blockchain-baserede kunstværker kan mobiliseres til socialt, politisk og miljømæssigt gode, samtidig med at de engagerer sig i selve teknologien ud over fundraising. Det analyserer fire casestudier – The Balot NFT (dekolonial aktivisme), Forkonomy() (ejerskab og besatte territorier), Terra0 (miljø) og Voices of April (anti-censur) – og kontrasterer dem med copy-and-paste fundraising-NFT-kollektioner fra 2021–2022. Med udgangspunkt i en litteraturgennemgang af blockchain, teknologifilosofi, teknologisk determinisme, etik og aktivistisk kunst fokuserer analysen på æstetisk kvalitet, teknologisk engagement og de sociale og politiske implikationer ved blockchain og NFT'er. Selvom detaljerede resultater ikke fremgår af dette uddrag, peger studiet på både muligheder og risici ved Blockchain for Good, understreger hvordan fundraising-fokuserede tilgange kan kommodificere marginaliserede grupper og mangle transparens, og argumenterer for kunstpraksisser der bruger blockchain kritisk og til samfundets bedste frem for at fastholde eksisterende magtstrukturer.
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Keywords