Genetic Provenance for Beginners

Imagine if every piece of digital art came with its own unique DNA, a genetic fingerprint that told the story of its origin, its creator, and its journey through the virtual world. In a realm where exact copies can be made in an instant, how do we preserve the authenticity and legacy of original creations?

The answer is - through Genetic Provenance.

What is Provenance and Why it’s Important

Digital art collectors frequently field an important question: Why invest in Ordinals or other digital creations? Skeptics may scoff: Can a cartoon ape drawing seriously be considered art, let alone be worth millions?

Let’s take a look at the real world. What do the following paintings have in common -

Salvator Mundi	Number 17
Wasserschlangen II	Les Femmes d'Alger

The answer is - they are all on the list of top ten most expensive paintings ever.

They are all very different in style and content. Indeed, art is subjective, so the form and subject matter don’t always dictate value. But what does?

Most original art pieces are held in museums, private collections, or in Switzerland's top-tier storage facilities. They are considered valued and expensive assets. Why is that?

Because they are rare, unique, and have historical significance. But unlike diamonds, you can't just “know” a painting is rare and unique. You need proof. And it’s the ownership of this ‘proof’ that makes the painting valuable. That proof is called Provenance.

The Solution for Digital World

In the digital world, where exact copies are possible, Provenance is even more critical. As we've seen, value isn't about form or subject. Your Rare Pepes, CryptoPunks, Bored Apes, or other digital artifacts aren't so different from Leonardo. It’s rarity and authenticity that drives value. 

Rare Pepes	CryptoPunks	Bored Ape Yacht Club

So is Provenance possible for digital art?

Before recent wars and pandemics, NFTs existed on different blockchains but not on Bitcoin. Their creation and provenance often relied on smart contracts and addresses, something that does not exist on Bitcoin or is prohibitive when used with proper security measures like key derivation. That's not to say smart contracts are bad, but they have limitations.

Then in 2023, everything changed when Casey Rodarmor introduced Ordinals - a system to inscribe satoshis with metadata, giving us NFTs on Bitcoin (in the common sense). Although let’s not call them that, lest Casey unleashes his wrath upon us. A more appropriate term is digital artifacts.

Pictured: wrath about to be unleashed.

Genetic Provenance and How It Works

Why genetic? Because, like passing down genes from a parent to a child, Genetic Provenance on-chain creates a lineage from the artist to their works. This way, every digital artifact bears the gene of its creator. How?

First, you make a fresh inscription - your digital Avatar or Logo. That's your "Leonardo gene," - the root of future works. Then, when you create a Collection, it will contain data from your Avatar inscription. Now it has your Avatar's gene. Subsequently, all artifacts in that Collection inherit the gene too, from the Collection inscription. Your ‘Leonardo’ gene is now present in all your work. Immutably and Forever.

And there's more. You can have unlimited Avatars and Collections on-chain in complex structures.

If Andy Warhol was alive, he could have his ‘Warhol’ root inscription branch out into an Avatar ‘Andy’ for self-directed art, and a Logo, like ‘Commissioned Andy’ for commercial work. The latter can sprout into additional ‘Corporate Andy’ and ‘Celebrity Andy’ Logos, each having branded or non-branded Collections, like ‘BMW,’ ‘Absolute Vodka,’ and ‘Perrier,’ all with individual inscriptions inside.

All inscriptions in this genealogical tree, down to the very last digital artifact, carry the gene of the initial ‘Root’ inscription.

When the last artifact is created, the Collection root is sent to a locked address so no more can ever be added - capping supply. This matters because...

Genetic Provenance and Counterfeiting

…Genetic Provenance doesn't just verify origins - it solves counterfeiting.

The digital creators’ community spirit implies that Collections should be released and distributed in a decentralized event called ‘Fair Launch.’ It is done to equalize profit opportunities between creators and the rest of the market.

Under the Fair Launch principles, the minting of a collection is done transparently and publicly. The mint itself and the collection size are announced in advance. Also, ideally, the creators hold no say over the rarity of individual artifacts. That’s why, unlike Warhol’s 50 versions of Marilyn Monroe, the variations of an inscription’s attributes in a collection are set algorithmically.

The ones on the bottom are NOT Marilyn Monroe - they are rare due to different attributes set at random by an algorithm.

In the past, anonymity and decentralization risked someone exploiting fair launches and posing as famous or notable artists. But now, anyone can easily inspect ‘genes’ and verify authenticity. You don’t need to worry about frauds acting as Leonardo, Warhol, or Yuga Labs with their Bored Apes. Genetic Provenance exposes the true creator, preventing fakes.

Conclusion

While there can be debates about differences in artistic merits between physical and digital creations, it looks like when it comes to Provenance, Bitcoin, once again, has the upper hand. No need to study brushstrokes or order spectral analysis to get the coveted proof of rarity and uniqueness. You just have to look at the code of any digital artifact and see the immutable and eternal gene of its creator.

Genetic Provenance is not just some new tech fad. It’s the future of digital ownership, where your Frogs, Punks, and Apes stand shoulder to shoulder with the works of Leonard and Warhol. Well, at least when it comes to proving their value. The question was asked - is this art worth collecting? Genetic Provenance can give you the answer.

We recommend reading this article for a more in-depth and technical look at Genetic Provenance.