Proof Of Destruction
Art Performance
Transformation of a physical painting into a non-fungible token (NFT), January 29, 2019, Hiriketya , Sri Lanka
“Proof of Destruction” is a conceptual art piece about the transformation of a physical „painting“ into a digital original (NFT). A digital original is a tokenized art object secured on the blockchain. The token contains:
a) proof of origin (timestamp)
b) ethereum address
c) proof of ownership (by owership of the private key)
d) access to the original file, which is stored on IFPS
Part 1 — Painting
The painting was created by the artist between between January 17–22 in Hiriketya, Sri Lanka. The frame was built by local craftsmen. Procion colors were being dripped in multiple steps on cotton, then partially washed out with water, until the final stage was reached.
Part 2 — Destruction and Recreation as an NFT
In a public performance, on January 29, 2919 the physical original was destroyed by the artist. Under the the watchful eyes of bystanders and fellow artists and surfers, the artist carried the painting into the sea and had the colors washed out.
Recreation as NFT
Some Random Thoughts
As our lives shift more and more into digital space, #proofofdestruction is a viable option to bring physical art objects into the digital space, not only as a digital copy of the original, but as the original itself. An artist might decide to work with physical tools, but find it more convenient to keep the piece as a digital original. Why? Because the piece was intended for the digital space, but the artist prefers
Instagram turned art pieces into posts. NFT’s are provable unique, tradeable posts.
When we shift our attention to artworks that are created digitally — music, photos, movies, it is obvious that there is not original — each copy of an pdf, mp3 or an tiff is the same. With tokenizing them, ownership is completely separated from the digital file, which is free to circulate and thus enhancing the value of the digital original — the certificate/NFT.
With concpetual art, NFT’s or certificates on a blockchain have yet another meaning. Conceptual art pieces generally consist of the description of an action, a performance that is to be executed by the artist or others. A conceptual art piece is the executable concept.
The concept, whether it is just words or code, can be secured in a smart contract and timestamped. It becomes an immutable proof of the artists conception, and the NFT/certificate becomes a way of owning and trading it.
Looking back, looking ahead
Looking back at the performance, that took place almost 2 1/2 years ago, the concept of #proofof desttruction has been validated by other artists and projects such as Burnt Banksy (https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2021/05/17/burnt-banksys-inflammatory-nft-not-art) and Tom Sachs’ Rocket Factory (https://tomsachsrocketfactory.com/)
Whether #proofofdestruction will go down in nft art history as an early conceptual experiment or as a viable method of bringing physical art onchain and into metaverses, is yet to be seen…
