The Lesser Evil:

View Original

Ep44. NFT Art -我究竟買咗啲咩

哈囉大家好嗎?上個星期過得幾好,我花咗唔少時間睇文章、思考,度過咗一個非常fruitful嘅週末。掛住我嘅content嘅朋友,我第一次喺其他podcast or IG channel上面講故事!如果想聽聽我講嘅故事同sound curation,可以去StoryTeller嘅podcast or IG!之前第42集講過關於ownership同access嘅概念,都有輕輕帶過NFT Art。今集想講多少少,因為NFT可以衝擊我地對ownership嘅概念。如果想深入啲了解呢個topic,我約埋唔同content creators一齊,希望可以帶俾大家唔同嘅角度。大家可以移玉步到《Madchun講科技》嘅最新一集,同Explainerhk嘅infographics。所有嘅links都會喺description text嗰度!大家多多支持!事先聲明,我唔係專家,所以請大家多多指教!

最近大家不停聽到NFT Art,其中一單不停有人重重複複reference嘅呢就係Mike Winkelmann, also known as Beeple,一個NFT作品名為《Everydays: The First 5000 Days》喺藝術拍賣行Christie’s賣得超過六千九百萬美金[1]。Winkelmann自2007年起,每日都創作and post a brand-new digital picture,然後今年一月七號足足有5000日,如果你去呢條link[2]會見到某幾幅作品。然後佢講呢5000幅作品約略順時序放埋一齊,好似啲百家被咁。作品係正方形嘅 21,069x21,069 pixels,319MB,如果你zoom埋去會見到佢5000日裡面每日嘅作品,時而抽象、時而諷刺時弊,有時又關於日常生活,例如佢送老婆去產房之前用短短5分鐘畫嘅sketch。到底有啲咩咁轟動呢?其實Christie’s 2020年已經有嘗試過拍賣關於有NFT嘅作品[2]。但今年cryptocurrency市場似乎開始成熟,得到消費者嘅注意,blockchain作為crypto背後嘅technology,連同blockchain嘅另外一個應用NFT都得到大家嘅注意。下一步就要明白咩叫NFT。

NFT嘅長寫係non-fungible token,講完應該都唔知咩黎,另外一個講法係一個「unique irreplaceable identifier created by an algorithm」。呢個係我覺得好多文章都寫得比較murky嘅地方,例如有一啲文章寫「任何數位作品都可以制成NFT」,其實NFT唔係作品本身,但大家都好似將NFT當成個jpeg or video clip本身。但其實意思係可以上載到可以用blockchain紀錄交易嘅whatever platform,咁樣就可以知道作品係authentic,係來自於作者本身,可以追根索源,就代表呢個係獨一無二(non-fungible)嘅。大家記住呢個概念,對我地之後講嘅嘢係超級重要嘅。

當一個藝術家想賣佢嘅作品,佢要create or “mint” an NFT去證明呢個作品係來自佢嘅。但係咁樣唔代表世界上只有一個copy of his/her digital work,因為digital,所以佢可以gen 10個、100個copy,而每一件都有佢獨一無二嘅identifier,令每一個作品,即使係同一個jpeg,都有自己獨有嘅號碼。借用Bloomberg Businessweek第219期文章嗰一個比喻Photography market為NFT,我再flesh out下個概念,就係同一條菲林,可以曬10次,每張都一樣,後面每張都有個簽名,每個簽名都少少唔同咁。NFT作為unique identifier就好似係呢個比喻入面嗰個令每張相都有唔同嘅記號,唔係個作品本身。

咁搞清楚咩係NFT以後,究竟NFT Art點解咁紅呢?對digital art嘅創作者嚟講,以前一幅作品可以被無限複製,所以無scarcity,而無scarcity即係個樣嘢唔值錢,亦好難保障版權。NFT俾到佢哋一個方法避免作品被盜用,亦都可以製造scarcity。正因為blockchain可以記錄每一單交易,每一次作品被買賣,Beeple都可以收返10%嘅royalty。相比起以前,好多買賣都係閉門嘅,創作者淨係知道第一次賣咗俾邊個,之後轉手都唔關佢事。呢個特點配合埋smart contract(即係買家同賣家之間可以自己deal,唔駛靠第三方),唔一定要靠art gallery或中介公司,所以間接鼓勵買賣。對買家嚟講,好處係唔需要再擔心作品嘅真偽,收藏作品門欖降低,大家都可以收藏藝術作品,又唔使浪費空間,真係唔錯嘅一個科技應用!當然除咗應用喺我哋傳統認知嘅「藝術」作品,音樂都係。例如WSJ 3月24日嘅podcast《NFT Craze Reaches the Music Industry》:「Music-industry reporter Anne Steele joins host Amanda Lewellyn to discuss how artists are taking advantage of NFTs, and how the assets could help address issues of authenticity and fair pay that have long plagued the industry」都係講緊同樣嘅優點[3]。

但係我始終都對呢個concept有啲保留,原因有5個,大部份都係圍繞住咩叫擁有一樣嘢、咩係ownership:

第一)大家對於NFT有誤解。買咗NFT Art唔代表你買起咗嗰個作品嘅copyright。根據CNBC嘅文章,Beeple話好多人搞唔清楚嘅嘢係「I think that people don't understand that when you buy, you have the token. You can display the token and show you own the token, but, you don't own the copyright... if you buy a [physical] painting, you just bought the painting... you did not buy the copyright to that picture.」即係好似你買咗Andy Warhol幅畫,但係唔代表你可以將佢幅畫亂咁print落你啲衫度。如果你話買實體畫,都仲話可以買返黎擺,但係你話買咗NFT Art,呀豬呀狗都可以喺屋企display啦,咁其實我哋究竟買咗啲咩,擁有咗啲咩呢?用返Beeple《Everydays: The First 5000 Days》嘅例子,喺Christie's投得作品嘅Sundaresan,佢投到嘅係一個好大嘅jpeg file同Ethereum嘅blockchain code,係唔包copyright ownership嘅。Sundaresan唔可以將呢5000幅畫拆開來賣,但係因為blockchain,冇嘢阻止到Beeple永續ownership,佢仍然可以不停賣5000幅畫入面嘅是但一幅畫嚟賺錢。寫到呢到,我真係唔係好知究竟買咗啲咩

第二)正如我上文所講,NFT唔係個作品本身。根據同一個WSJ嘅podcast,其實買到返嚟嘅係一條link,link去嗰個file。你可以永恆擁有呢個file嘅assumption,唔係建基於NFT。NFT只係證明真偽,但係假設有一日個server down咗,或者host個作品嘅web host死咗,blockchain係唔可以host d files...所以你擁有嘅嘢係建基於你assume個web host、server等等永恆存在。咁好似我第42集所講,呢個喺access嚟架咋,依靠不可控制嘅因素而擁有嘅嘢,算唔算擁有呢?NFT最大既misconception係大家以為買咗ownership,其實只係買咗access,同買股票一樣。直至你換到啲錢出嚟買到嘢,一紙股票其實嗰啲都只係access。。

第三)我哋似乎太重視uniqueness。係呢到我要講一個我做咗marketing咁多年而來,其中印象比較深刻嘅一個回憶。有一次我同另外一位marketing director傾究竟我哋嘅產品有啲咩賣點,諗得好辛苦,然後我話:「市面上冇其他酒係咁咁咁,係獨一無二嘅」。呢位前輩停咗一停,話:「everything is unique,uniqueness is not special」。其實所有產品都係unique架啦,咁有咩咁特別?同樣地,假如我哋買NFT art最後得到嘅係一個unique identifier,then I challenge what's so special about being unique?我諗起以前睇過一本書,係Youngme Moon嘅《Different》,入面有講到一個概念叫「heterogeneous homogenity」。Heterogeneous即係唔同,homogenity即係相同,併埋一齊即係話啲商家覺得自己產品同其他人唔同,但對消費者來講,呢啲唔同可能喺太細或者根本無意思,所以個個產品都有少少唔同,到最尾件件其實都一樣。應用返喺NFT Art,uniqueness is not meaningful sometimes,why do you want it to be unique, for what? Uniqueness作為一種currency、交易嘅單位有意思嘅時候只係限於你講緊一個市場,對於一個只係想收藏作品供自己欣賞嘅藝術家,作品獨一無二係咪唯一最重要嘅因素呢?定係當中嘅故事、歷史、工藝、將佢放喺屋企嘅感覺等等?

第四)NFT只係一種技術,冇錯佢令到創作者可以直接得益,但係咁並唔會改變到「the overall landscape of lopsidedness or inequality in the industry」。呢句說話係WSJ個podcast入面一位音樂家同University of Georgia專門研究Record labels, artists rights and public policy, digital technology and copyright, music publishing, quantitative finance嘅Senior Lecturer David Lowery講嘅[4]。「NFTs are just like all crytocurrencies, seem to create efficiencies but these efficiencies are for market manipulations and other scams」,似乎佢對crypto都無咩好感,佢話即係好似如果Taylor Swift聽日決定出個NFT Album,佢一樣會賺到盆滿缽滿。有NFT呢個技術係咪又會令到我哋多啲支持獨立創作家呢?呢個似乎唔係技術嘅問題,係消費者嘅問題、市場飽和度嘅問題、銷售渠道嘅問題。Lowery話咁其實limited edition係咪同NFT差唔多呢。其實我覺得佢講得有道理但係亦有啲too early to say,因為我期望NFT可以令到藝術作品藉住市儈嘅買賣市場普及化,從而鼓勵多啲大眾參與,整大個餅。。。

最後一點,第五)我覺得呢個係一個好機會等我哋重新審視下咩係ownership。隨著科技發展,我覺得我哋嘅ownership嘅spectrum已經唔再係有定係冇。喺有定冇之間,中間有所謂嘅「access」。NFT Art衝擊我哋嘅係,佢好似喺access同ownership之間喎,因為我明明有擁有呢樣獨一無二嘅嘢,但係我又掂唔到佢。所以我認為ownership都有分幾個程度:

最底係咩都冇,上一層係有access(個樣嘢唔屬於你,但係隨便邊個有錢就可以用,例如係Uber嘅車、Netflix上面嘅戲、港台嘅節目),再上一層係digital ownership or paper ownership(或者講得衰啲,係寫咗你個名、你專屬嘅access),即係股票、未供完嘅樓、NFT Art等等;再上一層係physical ownership,即係啲富豪個夾萬入面嘅畫,唔會受外在因素例如電力、internet、web host而唔存在嘅物件;最後嘅一層就係wear & tear ownership,一樣你隨時每日都可以同佢一齊度過日頭夜晚嘅ownership,每一樣陪你渡過每一日嘅物件。

所以我自己覺得NFT Art嘅發明,似係見證科技發展嘅行為藝術多啲。即係好似Jack Dorsey賣自己嘅first tweet as an NFT,買來做乜?如果對你嚟講,藝術等如藝術市場,咁NFT Art的確係好revolutionary。但係如果講嘅係一般人參與藝術嘅程度、鑑賞藝術嘅認知同能力、同作品喺共同空間用時間互相交流,咁就言之尚早嘞!今集比較information heavy,但希望大家可以搵到一啲新嘅角度去appreciate NFT art(欣賞)而唔係去單純appreciate(令佢升值個隻appreciate) NFT Art。

[1] https://www.cnbc.com/2021/03/26/digital-artist-beeple-common-misunderstanding-about-nfts.html

[2] https://www.christies.com/features/Monumental-collage-by-Beeple-is-first-purely-digital-artwork-NFT-to-come-to-auction-11510-7.aspx?sc_lang=en

[3] https://www.wsj.com/podcasts/tech-news-briefing/nft-craze-reaches-the-music-industry/85627118-36e1-4a03-bdf5-767cefd3ea1e

[4] https://www.terry.uga.edu/directory/mbus/david-lowery.html