Mothership

2013. video (color, sound), media player, screen or projector, 15 min loop. Edition of 3, 1AP. Music by Evan Samek.

Conflating references from sci-fi, video games, German Romanticism, and pop culture, Mothership is a journey through fantastical, corporate-branded landscapes. Both playful and ominous, Mothership satirizes systems of power, wealth, and technology, inviting viewers into a seductive yet hollow simulation where meaning is constantly deferred.

Humorous scene with pop-culture reference showing Iron Man dancing
Contemporary art video installation showing pop culture references.
Dream-like still showing the financial center of London on the back of a mythical cow
Still showing a luxury high-end operating room
Pop-culture references abound in this surreal video installation by artist Jonathan Monaghan

Relationship to Blockchain

A limited of edition of 3, 1AP, Mothership was the first artwork registered and authenticated through the Keidom SPOOL (Secure, Public, Online Ownership Ledger) in 2013 making it the first digital artwork to use a blockchain as a decentralized ledger; a prototype for modern NFTs.

Collector's case of Mothership showing key hash derived from bitcoin blockchain transaction making this work an important prototype for modern NFTs