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In a series of now-deleted posts on Instagram and Twitter, David Bowie’s Legacy announced the September 13 launch of an NFT series celebrating the rock icon’s storied career known for exploring gender and acting. The NFT series, titled “Bowie On The Blockchain,” will feature work by nine NFT artists whose work will reflect some of Bowie’s superb life work. The series features crypto artist FEWOCiOUS and Pussy Riot co-founder Nadya Tolokonnikova, among others. Proceeds from the sale will be donated to the non-profit organization CARE.
Why it matters:
Unfortunately, as with previous projects bearing the names of late pop culture icons, the buzz surrounding this upcoming NFT project has been largely negative among Bowie’s core fan base. A particularly sharp criticism of the project is that it allegedly betrays a core part of Bowie’s legacy — namely, his futuristic leanings.
Do not do this. DB was ahead of his time in many things, not just music – the early days of the internet and so on.
This is neither new nor new. Not even fun. – Wilson (@WilsonsWorld) September 6, 2022
Notably, among the disappointed members of Bowie’s fan base was a self-proclaimed “Enthusiast web3/nft” – If even Web3 optimists aren’t too excited about the announcement, who would be happy to hear it? Might be worth checking out by socializing with the artists planned to be included in the project. Among the negative Twitter comments on Bowie’s account were messages of congratulations to the artists involved who were understandably excited to honor the life and career of the late rock legend through their work. Adding to the prestige of this committee is how Bowie’s legacy allows artists to use objects from Bowie’s personal archives in their work. For example, FEWOCiOUS prepare a sculpture The collection will feature one of Bowie’s “original outfits.”
👀👀👀 AHHHH I AM SO EXCITED @DavidBowieReal Manor wears one of his original costumes to help CARE 😭❤️ I can’t wait to show the rest of the piece this Thursday 💛🕺 pic.twitter.com/mJK40g1sA5— FEWOCiOUS (@fewocious) September 6, 2022
What’s next:
Whether or not this upcoming project is popular, one thing is certain: if it succeeds, it will further demonstrate the power of NFTs in fundraising efforts. For now, the proceeds from the upcoming sale of these NFTs will benefit CARE, an anti-poverty nonprofit that has Bowie’s widow Iman as its first global advocate. Will Bowie himself endorse the series? Or even the whole Web3? Some of Bowie’s closest colleagues believed it.In an interview with Billboard, Bowie’s business manager Bill Zysblat said: “Anyone who knew him knew he would be one of the first adopters [Web3]. Given Bowie’s status as one of the internet’s earliest advocates, such an assessment may not be very reasonable. Let’s hope more of his followers open up in a similar fashion. But wait, there’s more:
