Olivia Schoenfeld
Electronic Media Review, Volume Eight: 2023-2024
This thesis research – “The Landscape of Blockchain-based Art Preservation: Risk Assessment of 81 Horizons by Rafaël Rozendaal” – written by Olivia Schoenfeld (University of Amsterdam) in June of 2023 aims to pinpoint the vulnerabilities and future prospects of blockchain-based art (also known as non-fungible tokens or NFTs), including its conservation. Blockchain-based artworks are still considered to be in new and relatively uncharted territory in terms of conservation. While it may seem soon to be worrying about the obsolescence or deterioration of a technology that is so new, it is an inevitable truth. There are misunderstandings by the public and professionals who believe that simply adding artworks to the blockchain preserves them for the future. This misconception exists due to the narrative referring to blockchain as an omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent entity. A correct understanding of the technology is essential and gives the basis required for conservators to become knowledgeable advocates that push for further preservation strategies to be implemented.
This is especially true since well-known artists such as Beeple, Damien Hirst, Erik Calderon, and Rafaël Rozendaal use this technology and have been acquired by museums, institutions, and private collectors more often. Unfortunately, blockchains have a plethora of failure points. It is essential to conduct risk assessments and have protocols set in place to help mitigate not only any loss of information about an artwork but also its significance and authenticity. Since blockchain-based artworks likely do not completely fit the mold of existing methodologies—whether it be risk assessment, preservation strategies, or institutional documentation protocols—they necessitate more research into where the bottlenecks are in the conservation of these artworks.
The research is conducted according to the Brokerhof risk assessment methodology for the case study of the blockchain-based artwork series 81 Horizons (2021) by Rafaël Rozendaal. The risk assessment methodology begins by compiling documentation of 81 Horizons’ making, history, and context. The series’ intricate anatomy, character, and identity are described using various research methods including interviews. After establishing the artwork’s meaning and values, the pertinent risks to 81 Horizons are identified and described. These risks are deemed applicable to many other blockchain-based artworks as well. The last portion of the assessment pinpoints the biggest threat to the artwork, where technological obsolescence is found to be the front-runner. This greatest risk is discussed in terms of existing preservation strategies drawn from the conservation of variable media artworks—storage, migration, emulation, and reinterpretation—and is analyzed in the context of 81 Horizons. The ensuing obstacles and ethical dilemmas that arise from such strategies are reflected upon, followed by the legal and sustainable issues that still remain and are in need of more research.
As more and more artworks using blockchain technology find their way into institutions, there will be increasing pressure to have possible future preservation protocols put into place for their battle against obsolescence, among other risk factors. Thus, the research on the use of an existing risk assessment approach to help identify vulnerabilities and diagnose preservation solutions is well-timed and much needed.