Studer / van den Berg

fungible giveaway, 01.05.2022

The Republic of Fungi, an ongoing project by artist duo Studer / van den Berg, is gifting us with one-of-a-kind fungi. Each unique, in real time generated, 3D digital fungible giveaway comes with a numbered HTML certificate when downloaded, allowing it to be viewed on a web browser. Hosts can observe their fungus rotate, be mesmerised by its tireless spin and share or exchange their certificates to build their own networks. In an era of hyper-commercialised networks, the free and exchange-ready fungible giveaway is a commentary on the ongoing discourse on non-fungible tokens (NFTs) and an homage to the culture of fungi. As a metaphor for the symbiotic but equally parasitic co-existence within a network, able to produce substances in exchange with the environment, the mushroom is considered as a role model for a post-human, interconnected society.

Your fungible token can be downloaded via the following link: http://studervandenberg.ch/Rep...

For a real-time generated 3D view of the mushroom, navigate to your download folder and find the gift certificate named «giveawayXXX.html». Open the file in your web browser (Google Chrome or Firefox) and hit the «mushroom» button.

HEK Net Works presented Studer / van den Berg's work fungible giveaway from 01.05.2022 to 31.05.2022.

Studer / van den Berg is a Swiss artist duo that has been shaping Swiss media art for over 30 years. Monica Studer from Zurich and Christoph van den Berg from Basel are considered pioneers of Swiss computer-based art, whilst simultaneously having an international presence with their distinctive practice that explores the relationship between physical and digital space. The artist’s works are characterised by subtle fictional narratives placed in hybrid settings. Through the use of current technologies, Studer / van den Berg question the development of new media and their influence on the physical world.