<nettime> Can an on-chain record become artistic material?

[Robert Cline via nettime-l <nettime-l@lists.nettime.org>]

Hi all,

I'd be interested in hearing some critical perspectives on Catch-22, an on-chain conceptual artwork built around 22/2/22.

Its Ethereum deployment has a single immutable timestamp, yet the same instant was February 22 in Los Angeles and February 23 in New York.

The work interprets this tension between technical consensus and the human conventions through which time becomes meaningful.

What I find interesting is how something as seemingly objective as a blockchain timestamp can acquire layers of meaning beyond its technical function when viewed through different frames of reference.

I'm curious whether this holds up as a meaningful piece of conceptual art, and to what extent the blockchain itself contributes something artistically essential that a conventional timestamp wouldn't.

I'd be interested in both skeptical and sympathetic readings.

Best,
Robert Cline
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