Digitally signed art objects and their community-driven infrastructures in the light of Fluxus’ event scores

Abstract

In this article, I will elaborate on the unique aesthetics of digitally signed art objects, exploring their relationship with the infrastructures and communities that support them, as well as the cultural practices they nurture. I will provide historical context by comparing these aspects to the collaborative nature of the Fluxus movement. Many theorists have already drawn parallels between the Fluxus movement’s emphasis on collaboration, distributed authorship, and audience engagement and contemporary digital art practices, e.g., Christiane Paul and Owen Smith. I aim to explore the differences between the communities that emerge from Fluxus’ collaborative practices and those shaped by the infrastructure-driven crypto art scene. My main argument is that the latter fosters a distinct type of community and practice intertwined with market and mass media dynamics, resulting in unique memetic qualities and a shift from distributed to decentralized authorship.

Keywords

• digitally signed art
• non-fungible tokens
• nft
• blockchain
• infrastructure
• community
• internet memes
• mass media
• fluxus movement
• event scores
• collaboration
• decentralized authorship
• iterative art objects