ARTeCHÓ Policy Dialogue

  • Digital echoes: art, blockchain and the true cost of digital sustainability 

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    Roundtable on Art, Crypto, and Sustainability

    Together with speakers Marina Otero Verzier and Frank Pagano


    The panel will address, from complementary perspectives, the challenges and opportunities arising from the intersection of art, crypto and NFTs, seeking a balance between creative innovation, environmental sustainability and economic stability.

    The discussion will focus on environmental sustainability, as blockchain, the founding technology of this ecosystem, requires a high consumption of energy and water resources, necessary to power and cool data centers. This direct environmental impact not only raises ethical questions about the respect of natural resources, but represents a threat to the stability of the economic system itself: the unpredictability of energy costs makes it difficult to ensure reliable monetization of NFTs, thus undermining the economic solidity of the market in the long term. 

    Economic sustainability is therefore closely linked to environmental impact and the need to manage costs and the intrinsic volatility of the cryptocurrency market. In the absence of clear regulation and mechanisms to control energy costs, the risk of a speculative bubble is high.

    Alongside environmental and economic issues, an ethical reflection emerges that calls into question collective and individual responsibility in the use of these technologies. The distribution of costs and benefits (and risks) along the NFT supply chain involves, in fact, actors with very different roles and impacts: miners, platforms, artists and collectors. Building a balance between market freedom, social development and economic sustainability becomes a crucial aspect of reflection.

    This panel aims to stimulate a dialogue that goes beyond the utopian charm of technology, proposing a conscious and mature reflection on the different levels of implication of the NFT and cryptoart world. Only a shared and responsible understanding of these challenges can foster a development in which creativity, innovation and sustainability are truly in balance.

    About the speakers
    Marina Otero Verzier is an architect and researcher. She leads the 'Data Mourning' clinic, an educational initiative focused on the intersection between digital infrastructures and climate catastrophe at Columbia University in New York.  In 2022, Otero received Harvard’s Wheelwright Prize for a project on the future of data storage. Otero is the author of En las Profundidades de la Nube (2024). The book proposes new paradigms and aesthetics for data storage, integrating architecture, preservation, and digital culture.  Otero was the Head of the MA Social Design Masters at Design Academy Eindhoven from 2020-2023. From 2015 to 2022, she was the Director of Research at Het Nieuwe Instituut.

    Frank Pagano is a Senior Partner at Jakala, a global MarTech consultancy, and a 'loud' figure in the field of blockchain and exponential technologies in Europe. With over 20 years of experience in marketing, sales, and business development, he has held leadership roles in the corporate world (Barilla, Kraft Foods/Mondelez, Fossil Group) and in several start-ups. He is also an author and contributor for Il Sole 24 Ore, CEO World Magazine, Advertising Week, and Ticino Management (and a few others), writing extensively on leadership, technology, AI and blockchain. 

    The event will be moderated by Luca Baraldi

    About ARTeCHÓ
    ARTeCHÓ, funded by the European Commission, is a project designed to build a peer-learning community where artists explore the intersection of art, Crypto Art, blockchain, and NFTs. It provides emerging artists with technical resources and mentorship from experts to support their artistic and professional growth, promoting new business models, copyright protection, and public engagement with digital arts. The artists explore social, environmental, and economic themes through decentralized technology, examining issues like digital scarcity, resource distribution, and ecosystem balance.

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