Performance on the Blockchain: Zhang Huan and EchoX

In 2002, Chinese artist Zhang Huan crossed through New York’s streets wearing a bodysuit made of raw meat that shaped him with bulging contours and expanded his presence to into humanoid, Hulk-like figure. By this time, it had been four years since left China. He previously studied at the Central Academy Fine Arts in Beijing, where he graduated 1993. With personal identity existential survival being most pressing topics was able exercise radical, self-exploitative practice as performance artist. 2021, part collaboration Taipei-based tech platform EchoX, created Celestial Burial an Artist, digital project revisited Zhang’s meat-suit intervention My York, earlier work now holds firm position canon art turn century. The two decades original have seen trend towards score-based, multi-scale practices, depending less on artists’ physical presence, departing from extreme actions. artistic trajectory relates conceptualization performative, too, even though has focused creation object-based works.The artist’s return China, words, marked “point no return,” separating past productions future work. stopped performing repertoire interventions because conscious desire “not repeat himself,” considered reached “the maximum results” by then. Reflecting sentiment, 2021 York stayed away notion reenactment. Artist conceptualized for online audiences participate one-on-one performative interaction avatar virtual game room. reference rendered be dressed golden suit. During period several weeks November audience members (or users) could engage game-room setting vulture-headed avatar, picking parts figure, their mouse clicks simulating hungry bird’s beak. This rewarded symbolically, small amount cryptocurrency Ethereum (ETH). A few later, participants were then transform ETH, generated interaction, NFT (non-fungible token). EchoX minted collection is hosted NFT-platform OpenSea, displaying total five hundred ten avatar-NFTs metaverse suits, six different colors.NFTs are used mainly media artists seem very little do performance—or they? question arises boom NFTs sparked conversations around collecting intangible forms social monetary value. Entering public awareness 2017 experiencing peak during pandemic 2020 institutions shown great dedication exploring technology’s potential.1 Genre-defining figures such Marina Abramović Robert Wilson entered “global” market tokenize documents iconic, works sell them NFTs, thereby solidifying links between live form reliance (sellable) documents.The conceptual grounds pegged out envisioned singularity, which, first, seemingly (and only seemingly) recalls how concept unique, non-exchangeable body commonly addressed studies. From theoretical perspective, these approaches demand upholding regarding event. yearning described Amelia Jones dilemma cultures Precisely claims both ’art’ ’live’ […], and/or presses together modes being, meaning value historically incompatible.”2 To carve territories project, first necessary delve bit further crypto language. short, non- interchangeable unit data stored ledger called blockchain. recorded blockchains: decentralized, distributed ledgers build records, blocks.Blockchains function track transaction records across many computers, creating system which block chain can altered retrospectively without altering subsequent blocks same time. chain, token simply describes sequence related characters may associated files those containing images, video, audio, or text. theory, immutability—the ability remain unaltered—leads permanent indelible history transactions, praised specific quality blockchain systems. ways blockchains store information encrypted peer-to-peer computer networks thus, technological make useful keepers important proof ownership. context, asset characteristic non-fungibility. They deployed given file asset. Designed represent unique claim “thingness,” they introduce artificial scarcity vast landscapes data.Drawing parallels analog setting, owning compared photographic print signed artist, while multiple other individuals simultaneously own identical unsigned prints. art, after all, relies consensus much reality, current largely way. Countering early adopter prophecies democratization decentralization, “social factor” fact plays equally role themselves within platform-settings market. As China officially banned non-state currencies trade September benefitted infrastructure resources Taiwan-based company order reach international market, using OpenSea.The resembles games, defined use avatars, clear set rules, resulting quantifiable outcome.3 For Huan, built simple-to-navigate “live-site” limited but directives supposed interact. performance/game organized three rounds took place over ten-day period. its social-technical casino, gaming room one one, vulture-head mine pieces avatar. Blending meta-environment, referenced character Celestial, inspired fictional name appear iconic series American comic books published Marvel Comics. Visually, best voxelized version bulky statue gold ingots. connection spiritual beliefs, drew praxis sky burial, human corpse exposed mountainous areas eaten scavenging animals, especially carrion birds.In Tibetan tradition, believed procedure serves wish deceased go heaven. It bad omen if number birds come down eat corpse, leave untouched. good rebirth, complete destruction remains practice’s goal. According Ellen Pearlman, himself Ju Shi, “householder” Buddhist about eight ago, “taking ci ren Sky Human. also Chán Buddhism, precursor Zen, Master Sheng Yen Queens, York.”4 bird already featured York. moved busy metropolis, released single white dove channel Christian symbolism peace-bringing well ancient fangsheng, animal-release rituals practiced until day. While served rather tangible metaphor Seeds Hamburg, back appropriated symbolic tool ignite exchange audiences.In performance, thirty seconds, “pick” remove cubes After period, automatically ended, ETH interaction. Presented framework, games experienced instance playing. Therefore, each “play-through” constituted key moment participant (as player) interact Huan’s Moreover, invitation provided itself opportunity enter game’s experiential setting. An audience’s meeting delegated however, did not mark status co-authors whose would impact situation potential developing. Instead, fully preprogrammed commodify algorithmically “interactivity.” audiences’ players’) interactions relied terms. Playing digital) setting—according logic, abstracted audiences/players interacting with.EchoX introduced slightly terms, proclaiming game, waits players burial ground Each player cut off [from] will Players choose whether mint remainder [remains] collectible.5This announcement suggested actually “be present,” ready encounter project’s temporal logic. Promoting exclusive experience promoted claimed ephemerality envisioning special encounter, elements constitutive happenings.6“Liveness” highly contested term studies, often discussed ephemeral qualities impossibility repe­tition. upon express situated contingent, uncertain terrain ruled chance affect. Matthew Reason Anja Mølle Lindelof convincingly argue emphasis here continual fabrication newness event what happening might wrong: dancer fall, equipment fail actor miss line. Often hypothetical, stress difference than analysis actual differences.”7 fact, experimentation visceral experience, bodily endurance, pain core themes explored performance. Works including America (Hard Acclimatize), Pilgrimage—Wind Water probe capacities limits corporeal (co-)presence, norms behavioral patterns, provoking judgment (public) sphere.Focusing aspect liveness, contingent shared audiences, Thomas Berghuis, influential book conditions recognized expressions contemporary art. Writing against political discursive marginalization Berghuis need “judge basis perception” “embodied sensibility individual performance.”8 Liveness, then, relation establishes practitioner audience. Understood relational manner, instead ontological proposes live. Through unruliness, parties allow “to caught out, affected, relocated transported.”9In times, we see liveness expand realm, unfold degrees, co-performance non-human entities. Yet stripping flawed factor, states particular case stands apart performances “transported” realm live-stream interactively addresses (users) network. Unlike tech-based include possibilities mutual condition unfolding, made. Accordingly, attempt reproduce creative team came up kind stopgap. addition game-based offline global metropolises. Demonstrating well-staged synchronization popular culture, IRL (“in real life”) Shanghai, Qingdao, St. Petersburg, London. purpose drawing attention volunteers strolled cities costumes printed motifs. truth, performed dress-up parades thin substance, more consonant folkloristic Renaissance fairs Christmas markets philosophical expression cryptofuturism. Their activity, all media, geared promotion crypto-performative, purposed draw engagement technology.A enters Web3, “new,” decentralized token-based internet called, monetarized form, “crypto” prefix manifests vision leans prophetic. 1997 titled Sovereign Individual, authors William Rees-Mogg James Dale Davidson predicted currency age rely “mathematical algorithms existence.”10 Early theirs imaginary promise eliminate traditional hierarchies economic system, exploited context stimulating rush new era sales. bears aesthetics must, like science fiction, regarded breeding attempts crypto-fantasies.To take part, needed register website. asked provide basic contact link MetaMask wallet—a software wallet interacts blockchain— newly membership account. Optionally, priority pass required sharing whole lot submission “proof following” screenshots, document followed Discord Twitter accounts EchoX. who completed granted “whitelist entry.” registration had, arguably, designed evoke sense competition, try squeeze overcrowded gallery, capitalism. one’s DeFi (decentralized finance) does usually require data, principle disproved playful enforcement networking. formalism framed terms suggest restricted revealing ritualism dimension gatherings.The artist-audience aimed blockchain-based assets: sculptural fragmentary renderings NFTs. accords how, development Web 2.0 technologies, Web3 settings generally idea users generate information-based interactive content, structures. December 15, results game/performance tokens verifiable reliable ownership technical process (forced) MetaMask. Minting cost 0.025 additional gas fee compensate computational effort execute operation Participation was, therefore, asserted factor corresponding attributed transaction. staged gathering perform meditated representation tectonics.Zhang’s revisiting alienable fundamental prerequisite any artwork, collected sold. replacement performer demonstrates self-identification labor type capital extracting it. self-proclaimed holistic enacted commodification. Collaboratively, put efforts participation set-up design, metaphorically literally asking people join game. experimental all-encompassing monetarization economy, anyone wishes investor) mints contract). What relevant retain copyright work, equal underlying piece sold, offered collectible participants’ exploiting investment dynamics. understood on-site longer depend geographic location. (a)live shifted code-based space avatars’ time-based coordinates. promises blockchain-backed assetization traceable impinge ephemeral.In costume covered body, leaving persona clearly identifiable. Addressing belonging, hand, connected larger discourse questioning “Chineseness” protagonists China’s post-socialist scene busying 1990s 2000s. Further, Mary Jane Jacob notes, approach aspects stand examples she calls “Buddhism-inspired before marketisation 1990s.”11 Developed alongside globalization, points possible strategic employment home region’s mercantile skills. employs similar China-globalist scale strategy. support reach, navigated technology level. word “my” significant respect, suggests ownership, transforming “locations space,” Christina Yu argued.12After returning larger-than-life career—indeed, effectively—by outsourcing concepts Western avant-gardes bringing realization under His appearance faceless echoes image known radical commercial tech-savvy materialist. historic legacy anchor purposes, participatory consolidation enabled capitalization. recent essay Assetization: Turning Things Assets Technoscientific Capitalism, Kean Birch Fabian Muniesa explain “thing” world per se, almost anything turned light protean grabs capitalism play, consider questions “owns” something “how end means everyone else” central study assetization, our societies large.13 wonder double appears gold-nugget pointing self-reflexively cynically) professional credentials acquired time