A chain of padlocks, each with an individual key, is placed across the entranceway to Proof of Stake. The inspiration for the work comes from a real Chinese compound; here the chain acts as a material analogue to the cryptographic keys required to access the blockchain. It also alludes to restrictive access to cultural spaces. Padlocks are symbols of security (cf. computer privacy icons) but as technologies of ownership they’re also tools of exclusion.
Yuri Pattison is an Irish artist who explores how the virtual world permeates material reality.