WTF are NFT’s?
“WTF are NFT’s?”, you might well ask. In simple terms, a non-fungible token (NFT) is a bit of code that sits on the blockchain (basically, a computerised ledger) which establishes ownership of something. Basically, an immutable digital title deed to that thing. A massively popular area for using NFTs is digital art, some of which is sold for eye-watering amounts, but it can be memorabilia, e,g, Jack Dorsey’s first Tweet ($2.9m). As an example of prices, one piece by Beeple sold for £69 million! Some multi-million works look like something from a vintage video game, exemplified by the CryptoPunks series (below). Like crypto and shares, there’s a roaring trade in these tokens. Whether it’s digital tulips, money laundering, the future of art or mere speculation, you decide.
Shibari NFTs
As far as I know, the ever-innovative Kinoko Hajime was the first to make a splash in the NFT world with shibari in his red rope series on Opensea. Not only do his NFTs include 3D artwork but they also include a private shibari session in Tokyo.
My entry into NFTs
Being invested in crypto, I have am interested in innovations so NFTs came up on my radar quite early. Consequently, I felt that I should test the water for shibari NFTs.
Some years ago, I created some mash-ups of shibari suspensions with classic art for a theme for our Burning Man camp. This seemed a fruitful genre to explore further for some unusual NTFs. The examples below are from the Burning Man series but contained other people’s work. For NFTs, I needed to have new ones with my original work combined with the out of copyright classical art.
The image above features a tie by Kazami Ranki and The Last Supper. My first attempt at an NFT, the header image, was a rehash of that, but using an interpretation of a tie in one of Sugiura Norio’s photo books.
Here is my latest creation, once again featuring Sophie (Ada La Venom), superimposed on The School of Athens. You can see these and any new additions on Opensea. They have yet to be minted. However, contact me via the site if you are interested in acquiring any of the items.
