Blockchain technology, foundations, protocols and aesthetic considerations
What is it about?
This article aims to outline the fundamental concepts which characterize Blockchain technology in order to allow for a better understanding of how it is structured within the protocols which govern the internet, but also to portray the devices which allow its re-appropriation by capitalist culture. The theoretical foundations of this article are supported by a medio-archaeological position that allows us to acquire a technical look at the blockchain, but also to weave historical and aesthetic parallels in order to understand the NFT phenomenon, at the core of current economic issues and speculations.
Why is it important?
To explore blockchain, I rely on explaining the technology that allows it to exist. The aim is to understand how blockchain technology works in order to understand the possibilities of its ecosystem, but also its limits. This preparatory analysis allows me to highlight the aesthetic and structural issues that are specific to it. This work aims to shed light on blockchain beyond the speculative and ecological considerations that are often put forward when it comes to understanding this technology.