Arrangements
Arrangements was created in partnership with the Francisco Carolinum Museum in Linz to mark the 200th anniversary of Anton Bruckner’s birth.
The project combines art, history and technology in a touching poetic exploration by Caballero of Bruckner’s marriage proposal to a Miss Josefine. By using Bitcoin Inscriptions (on-chain digital assets recorded on Bitcoin) to connect the old with the new, Caballero’s words and Bruckner’s legacy take on a new meaning.
Anton Bruckner (1824-1896), one of Austria’s most celebrated composers, is known for his symphonies and sacred music, which combine grandeur and introspection. Bruckner’s work reflects his deeply spiritual worldview, profound understanding of harmony, and meticulous approach to composition.
The innovative project sheds light on an often-overlooked aspect of Bruckner: his private life. At its centre is a marriage proposal from the composer that offers a rare glimpse into his emotional and domestic self. Bruckner’s letter serves as the basis for Caballero’s response.
This unusual exchange is more than a tribute to the 200th anniversary of Anton Bruckner’s birth. It is an attempt to explore how art can evolve while honoring its roots. Caballero’s poetic engagement with Bruckner’s letter goes beyond a mere literary interpretation and creates a meaningful dialogue across the centuries.
By using Bitcoin Inscriptions, Arrangements not only reimagines the preservation of art, but also opens a dialogue about the democratization of art in the digital age.
The project was realized with the support of important cooperation partners:
Ancora: A platform that supports artists through their extensive expertise in Bitcoin development and in the field of art (history). Ancora specialises in bringing together artists, collectors and institutions to create meaningful concepts and implementations.
Harto and Studio Harto: Visual artist Harto and his studio created images that enrich the dialogue between Caballero’s poetry and Anton Bruckner’s legacy.
Caballero’s verse was accompanied by an intricate web of interlocking Bitcoin records that are as much a work of art as the works themselves. The team of Ancora, some of the top developers in the Bitcoin ecosystem, carefully mapped out the lineage of the collection, using a protocol called parent-child inscriptions, which verify provenance for artists on this chain.
Unlike blockchains that are still being mined, Bitcoin doesn’t have smart contracts. Rather, artworks are inscribed onto tiny blocks of information called sats. Artistic provenance is established via top-down inscriptions that serve as anchors, rooting an artists’ many collections beneath a “grandparent” that operates like a signature
Ancora helped Caballero establish her Bitcoin provenance, inscribing her signature so it would act as the founding family member for this and any future works she’ll inscribe onto the chain. They also mapped out all the elements of the collection within this lineage, incorporating her reading of the poem, Bruckner’s music, and his original letter.