Museums Demonstrate the Early Stages of Blockchain Technology Adoption
Diane DRUBAY, one of the pioneers in art and technology, shared insights about experimenting with blockchain technology in the museum world.
by Aida Dzhanhirova
Museums Demonstrate the Early Stages of Blockchain Technology Adoption
Diane DRUBAY, one of the pioneers in art and technology, shared insights about experimenting with blockchain technology in the museum world.
CS: We are meeting with you regarding the recently announced 3rd Cohort of the educational project We Are Museums. The ideology of this project is close to the Cultural Singularity project, so I am organizing this conversation with great pleasure and enthusiasm.
You can be called a missionary in the digital transformation of society. Share insights, please, on how ready society is to embrace fundamental changes in the era of the digital economy. Tell us about your project and its partners as well, please.
DD:
It's interesting to see how museums have embraced technology, even going back to 2015 when the Museum of Applied Arts Vienna acquired "Event Listeners" by Dutch artist Harm van den Dorpela, displayed on Cointemporary.com. But the real surge happened in 2021. The British Museum, alongside others like the Uffizi Gallery and the Belvedere Museum, began selling digital replicas and fractionalizing artworks, showing a significant commitment of time and budget to these projects.
Comparing this to the slower uptake of Web 2.0, like when the Palace of Versailles launched its YouTube channel, shows a clear shift. Now, with Web 3.0, museums are eager to understand and utilize the potential of this technology to serve their missions. Initially focusing on fundraising in 2021, museums have since become more experimental, which is promising.
This led to the creation of the WAC Lab, a seasonal program aimed at helping museums adapt and experiment with blockchain technology. The program includes WAC Weekly discussions and a fellowship program offering training, mentoring, and coaching. The emphasis this year is on fostering critical thinking around blockchain in cultural contexts and understanding its legal, social, and ethical implications.
Practical examples of blockchain applications for museums, such as fundraising and audience engagement, are provided, along with the WAC Factory, an accelerator for developing Web3 projects in collaboration with museum teams and tech integrators over four weeks.
CS: What projects have been launched as a result of the first two sessions?
DD: In Season One, we collaborated with the LAS Art Foundation in Berlin. Working alongside artist Ian Cheng and a Tezos-based company (formerly known as TZ Connect), we created an immersive visitor experience integrated with an NFT project. This was part of Ian Cheng's exhibition "Life After BOB." Visitors embarked on a journey that began with providing their birth date and name on a tablet, receiving a personalized printed wristband, and culminating in the minting of a unique NFT artwork crafted by Ian Cheng.
Now, let's talk about two projects from last year. First up, HEK (House of Electronic Arts) in Basel launched their NFT shop, allowing commissioned artists to produce and sell new artworks as NFTs through their platform, collaborating with Leander Herzog and fxhash[1].
The second project involved the Musée d'Orsay, which developed a comprehensive Web3 strategy. They started with a simple yet impactful digital souvenir—a new product in the museum's shop, essentially a digital postcard available for purchase as an NFT of the exhibition. This initiative, with low setup costs and easy comprehension by museum staff, was well-received. Visitors could choose between two NFT options: a 3D object, which was the more popular choice, and an AI-generated picture of the Musée d'Orsay in the style of Van Gogh.
I want to highlight separately the Lumina project, showcased at the Musée d'Orsay in March. Created by digital artist Agoria, this interactive project allowed museum visitors to breathe life into digital objects on the blockchain using their breath. By scanning a barcode cast by the shadow of a physical object and blowing it on their phone, visitors created their digital artworks based on fragments of the museum's collection. The project resulted in the creation of 2,770 NFTs on the Tezos blockchain, which was a fantastic outcome.
Diane Drubay and Agoria at the stage of NFT Paris 2024
CS: Despite the French government motivating the culture to create immersive projects and explore the possibilities of blockchain technology, in my opinion, despite the recently announced 54 billion euros to support initiatives in this field, the most activity is still observed in the business environment, not in the culture sector. What do you think about this?
DD: Cultural institutions and businesses have distinct objectives, primarily focusing on impact, education, and preservation for museums, unlike the profit-driven goals of businesses. The French government and the Ministry of Culture have played a significant role in supporting museums and the arts through events, debates, and funding.
Compared to fifteen years ago, museum teams today are more supportive and proactive in adopting new technologies, benefiting the cultural landscape in France. This support has led to the adoption of innovative technologies, such as immersive VR experiences like the one launched at the Musée d'Orsay's exhibition "Paris 1874: Inventer l’impressionnisme", and similar initiatives like "Le Monde Disparu" at the Natural History Museum in Paris.
This technology is not only groundbreaking but also gaining international recognition, with other museums and institutions globally following suit. France, in particular, has seen significant adoption of Web3 technologies, with projects at institutions like the Centre Pompidou, Opéra national de Paris, and Musée Granet in Aix-en-Provence being identified as iconic examples.
French museums are at the forefront of Web3 adoption, evident during events like NFT Paris, where the city transforms into a hub of Web3 and NFT art. The abundance of galleries, exhibitions, artist talks, and fairs showcases the thriving activity in the city.
CS: Tell us about the third session of your project We Are Museums. When it starts and how many museums are participating this time?
DD: While it started in November with our weekly discussions, the third season of our fellowship program ran from February to March. We are about to start our project development phase called WAC Factory, where cultural institutions will collaborate with tech partners to build Web3 projects. What was truly remarkable this year was the diversity of our cohort. 24 museums coming from so many different countries - Columbia, Egypt, Ukraine, Canada, and so many countries in Europe as well. It is quite impressive in terms of diversity and different types of museums. We had the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, the Château de Chambord, and Palais de Tokyo in France, the Science Museum in Columbia, the National Gallery in Ukraine, etc.
CS: What advice would you give to a museum, library, or archive general manager for digital projects on blockchain launching? And do you believe that every cultural institution should experiment in this direction?
DD: My advice is to address common misconceptions about blockchain by encouraging open dialogue within the team. Many believe it's environmentally harmful and overly speculative, or that NFTs are dead. These preconceptions hinder progress. Instead, managers should foster discussion, allowing team members to voice their concerns and critiques. Through dialogue and knowledge sharing, a shared understanding can emerge.
Despite headlines declaring the death of NFTs, practical applications like the digital souvenir at the Musée d'Orsay demonstrate the early stages of blockchain technology adoption. Starting with simple, understandable projects is key to overcoming fears and uncertainties. Experimentation leads to new challenges and opportunities, gradually building confidence and ambition.
Not every cultural institution needs to embrace blockchain technology. If current methods work efficiently, there's no need for complexity. The challenge lies in identifying how blockchain can add value without adding unnecessary complexity. Technology should simplify processes, not complicate them further. Thus, the focus should be on finding practical use cases where blockchain can truly enhance operations.
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