Proof of (No) Work

Collect a time card, I’ll be unproductive, and then you’ll receive the proof.

a conceptual art project by Dame

How it Works

In 2022, I mounted a mechanical time clock to my studio wall. I then designed 365 Time Cards to be used with the time clock. Each Time Card represents a block of my time that will be spent unproductively on behalf of the owner of the card. These cards were minted as NFTs on the Ethereum blockchain and are available for collecting.

  1. Each Time Card is initially blank and may be “redeemed” by sending the card to the ponw.eth wallet address.

  2. Once a Time Card has been received at the ponw.eth address, it will be queued up for fulfillment.

  3. When the card's turn has arrived, I will then “punch in” using the physical card and time clock before then spending an unspecified amount of time doing absolutely no work whatsoever. The Time Clock marks the card with the exact time and date.

  4. After the session of “no work’ has been completed, I will “punch out” using the card, scan it, and then update the NFT’s metadata and image before sending it back to the owner. The card will be numbered, signed, and include a brief hand-written description of the “no work” that was rendered. The entire process is done manually by hand. The redeemed appearance of a Time Card NFT will be a scan of the physical card rather than the initial graphical representation of it.

A smart contract will not be used for the redemption process. Instead, the social contract between the artist and the collector will govern over the redemption process.

I will keep back 14 time cards for my personal collection and usage. The total supply represents the 365 days within a year, and the 14 held back represent my 2 weeks of vacation time. The 10 black cards represent 10 paid holidays. The 250 white cards represent the 250 business days within the year 2022. The 105 primary color cards collectively represent the 105 weekend days in the year 2022.

The first time card to be completed occurred directly after the Ethereum Merge event happened in September 2022. The Merge was the moment in which the Ethereum blockchain transitioned from a “proof of work” algorithm to a “proof of stake” algorithm. At roughly the exact moment the Etheruem blockchain “stopped working” for the first time, so did I.

Disclaimer: This is a conceptual art project that will take place over an undetermined period of time and has multiple dynamics, some that are not within the artist’s control and may require improvisation. The final appearance and metadata of each NFT is subject to change.