
The Rant
The Rant is a publication written by the artist Ditte Ejlerskov, edited by Majken Overgaard and published by Aftryk in 2023. It is an artistic reaction to the development of the blockchain technology and it is a lived experience that has been brought about through Ejlerskov’s own practice as an artist working on the blockchain and her following reflections. The book was published both in a traditional book format by the publisher Aftryk and on the blockchain as an NFT in order to honor this format by the publisher Ctrl+Alt+Delete. The NFT is titled The Rant and is a 2D jpeg NFT made available in an edition of 100 copies. The NFT provides you with the book in a digital format plus an access pass to co-write future versions of the book.
The title of the text, The Rant, refers to science fiction writer Ursula K. Le Guin, who in 2004 wrote the famous text A Rant About “Technology”, in which she explains how technology is more than what we currently believe it to be. In Le Guin’s own words: “Technology is the active human interface with the material world.” Ejlerskov continues Le Guin’s trail of thought and challenges the standard idea of blockchain, cryptocurrencies and NFTs. She is not focusing on markets and financial speculation, but she is connecting the development of the technologies with her artistic visions, wherein humans are both spiritual and physical beings.