Cancelled: Cultural influx - bartering ideas-based NFTs

Chun-Yin San

What is your work / project about?
In SE Asia, NFTs are the talk of town. People are rushing to build NFTs, backed with big dollars. They are fast becoming keys to exclusive communities promising fame, growth and riches. Here, you can turn your ideas into a valued NFT through a traditional Asian barter shop, and join us to reflect whether NFT communities are collectives or cults.
English
Off Stage

We envisage this activity to be set up as a physical stall that takes on the semblance of a traditional Chinese-style bartering shop, the likes of which can be found in places like Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong and Vietnam. A "seller" can come in with their bright idea (collateral) and put them forward to be assessed by our shop-keepers (facilitators). If the idea is judged to be of quality, we'll issue the participant an "official" Certificate of Currency (again in traditional receipt form) that proves their idea can be minted as an NFT. We will establish a blockchain in physical form - an interpretation of what it would be like, if the concept was introduced decades or a hundred years ago in the SE/E Asia region.

Other re:publica attendees can then survey the NFTs available and offer to mint them - we will finalise the details of this in the lead-up to re:publica but most likely it'll involve either a low-value or fictional cryptocurrency. That then becomes their token of access to mini Salon style communities where they can network and form connections with other attendees interested in the same idea.

At the conclusion of the activity (e.g. on Day 3), we will invite participants to join us in a deliberative Salon session to discuss and debrief their experiences. In particular, we will ask participants about their judgement of the value of the activity, reflection on whether the proliferation of NFTs across SE Asia is impactful or just a fad, their views on the commodification of ideas, and how tradition can inform future technological developments. 

Photo of Chun-Yin San
Practice Lead - Strategy, Foresight & Futures