A Blind Consensus (2026)

A Blind Consensus is a kinetic and computational sculpture that explores the intangible nature of modern value. The work generates “real-world” financial assets out of thin air through the process of Bitcoin mining, highlighting the shift from tangible commodities—such as gold or labor—to a value system based entirely on collective agreement and computational proof.

The physical structure is an industrial-grade aluminum frame, hand-assembled using brazing techniques. It houses two high-performance ASIC miners, a professional workstation motherboard, and a repurposed laptop display. The machine is a fully autonomous “node” on the Bitcoin network, meaning it maintains its own independent copy of the global transaction ledger (the blockchain).

Functionality

The artwork operates as a high-stakes “number guessing game.” To secure the network and create new currency, the machine performs 28 trillion operations per second. It takes current transaction data and attempts to find a specific, rare mathematical result that falls below a target threshold set by the network.

Real-Time Data: The integrated screen displays the current “network difficulty” alongside the lowest number the machine has successfully calculated in real-time.

The Reward: If the machine discovers a valid number, the Bitcoin network automatically grants a reward (currently 3.125 BTC).

The Transaction: Upon a successful “win,” the machine generates a unique digital wallet to receive the funds. The private seed phrase—the key required to claim the money—is displayed on the screen for 30 seconds, offering the reward to whoever is physically present.

Erasure: After 30 seconds, the key is permanently deleted from the machine’s memory. If no one claims the funds, they are locked away forever, and the cycle begins anew.

Conceptual Framework

By making the invisible process of “Proof of Work” visible and audible, A Blind Consensus confronts the viewer with the heat, noise, and energy consumption required to sustain digital value. The work suggests that the trillions of dollars circulating in the global economy are not backed by physical objects, but by a shared, “blind” belief in the mathematics of the machine. The viewer’s presence—watching and waiting for a number to change—serves as a metaphor for our collective participation in these abstract systems of wealth.