The Spire. A Glimpse Into the Hybrid Promise

Digital participation and direct interaction between artists, the public and collectors, as well as a fair distribution of revenues and a transparent handling of authorships are part of the promises of Non-Fungible Tokens (NFT). On the other hand, there is discussion about the extent to which the newly emerged digital platforms are a copy of the partly feudal structures of the art market. Against the backdrop of the climate catastrophe, urgent questions arise about the energetic expenditure and to what extent the digital contract system leads to a further intensification of hyper-capitalist chains of exploitation.

The Spire puts visitors to the Hybrid Biennale 2022 in an active position by allowing them to design hybrid digital objects on the digital platform, which are then automatically published on the Opensea.io platform. What promises will be fulfilled and to what extent the role relationship between artists, the public and collectors will be transformed into a new, hierarchy-free constellation must now be examined.

The project will be presented online as a digital and exclusive opening of the HYBRID Biennale on 20.10. and until 30.10.2022 via  www.hybrid-biennale.org