A new era: we are what we consume

30.08.2022

NFT collecting and not only. Text: Marina Alvitr

A new era: we are what we consume

Why even collect?

The question should start with understanding why people collect in general. A friend of mine says: "Satisfaction of pathological needs." In a book, I read that collectors tend to surround themselves with a lot of things, so they feel safe.

However, collecting can be different. Social: this is how a person shows his aesthetic taste and finds like-minded people with whom he's interested. Status: a painting by a famous artist in the office of the company speaks about its reliability, stability, and money they have. Aesthetic: I want to wake up and admire the art of certain artists, it gives me energy and joy. All of this is quite understandable, and collecting has been in existence since the time of Ancient Greece for sure, maybe even earlier. If you don't go into details, then this is part of human nature. Irrational, perhaps, but quite pleasant.

From Object to Digital Art

Since NFT is not an art form, but a technology that indicates ownership of a digital object (Marina is a bore: this moment is a key one, you must understand it), we will first talk about collecting digital art. If everything is clear with the picture: I woke up in the morning and look at a beautiful object in the bedroom, then with a digital world, this option doesn't seem to be very suitable.

At first glance, video art or digital art doesn't work as part of the interior, so many people who look for art to place at home reject it. Although for a long time there has been a concept of "digital sculpture" in art, where the video appears inside a certain object. Or an artist can simply give recommendations on reproduction. Today, digital art is shown on the screen, on electronic watches, in video frames, and in many other places that you have enough imagination for. Digital environments created by artists and which resemble computer games, since they require the participation of the viewer, can become the entertainment of the evening for you and your guests. Famous collectors Zabuldovich came up with the idea to create streams of digital art that can be shown by private people or by public spaces. For large collections, video art and digital art are opportunities to diversify their presentation at an exhibition in the collector's fund or in a museum, as well as to show the collector's interests in different formats.

And where are NFTs here?

Again, NFT is a technology that connects the owner's wallet and a digital object, which may be art, but not necessarily. In fact, NFT is a code that indicates that this video, picture, 3d object, or digital document belongs to you. NFT does not affect the quality and content of art in any way but allows you to own it more officially. Therefore, the answer to the question "Why even buy NFT?" from the art point of view is to conduct the transaction more formally. And …


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