113, the artist from the future behind Terraforms by Matcastles, has sometimes called Ethereum a sculpture garden.
In his often difficult-to-understand mind, smart contracts on Ethereum are entities, even art, floating in the ether - pun intended - and he uses this way of thinking to develop genuinely revolutionary, boundary-pushing art pieces onchain.
But how does one wrap their mind around this abstract way of thinking? Why is this way of thinking even helpful in understanding blockchain as a medium?
Well, I happen to share a similar abstract way of viewing the world, specifically blockchains. I find it helpful to seek patterns and draw comparisons to other things I understand to truly grasp the complex concepts presented in this space.
But what in the world could be analogous to blockchains? Isn't it just software? And what's all this art talk? Am I referring to NFTs? Aren't they just collectibles and links to images hosted off-chain?
Oh, no, no, no, no, no, my friends. What has been unlocked here is far greater than we can even imagine. Let me walk you through a new way of understanding Ethereum: a Universe in and of itself.
What is Ethereum, actually?
It surprises me that many still view blockchains as primarily economic or financial innovations. While Bitcoin certainly fits this mold, having proven itself as an alternative monetary system, Ethereum was conceived with a different, more expansive vision: to be the blockchain for "everything else." (Yes, I'm aware of the ultrasound-money meme from previous cycles, but that’s not the focus here.)
Let’s take a deeper look at Ethereum. At its core, Ethereum is composed of several interrelated components:
The Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM): Ethereum’s decentralized computing platform, where smart contracts are deployed, executed, and maintained.
Ethereum, the blockchain ledger: This is a decentralized, immutable record that tracks all transactions and the state of smart contracts across the network.
Ether (ETH): The native cryptocurrency of Ethereum, used to pay for transaction fees (gas) and to power the execution of smart contracts on the network.
Yes, more goes into making this system work, including Externally Owned Accounts (aka Wallets) and validator nodes, but bear with me.
The EVM: Empty Space
One of my favorite ways to visualize the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) is to compare it to a classic episode of Looney Tunes called "Duck Amuck."
In the cartoon, Daffy Duck is at the mercy of an unseen, mischievous animator who constantly changes his surroundings, clothing, voice, physical appearance, and even shape. The blank canvas on which the animator works is much like how I imagine the EVM.
The EVM is a dynamic environment where developers can deploy computer programs, known on Ethereum as smart contracts. While the term "smart contract" might suggest a connection to legal agreements, it actually refers to a set of programmed instructions stored within this virtual space. Once deployed, these programs gain several unique and powerful properties:
Immutability: Once a smart contract is deployed, its code cannot be altered. No one can change it, ensuring the program runs exactly as intended.
Autonomy: Smart contracts are self-executing. They can automatically carry out their programmed tasks without requiring any intermediaries.
Interoperability: These programs can interact seamlessly with one another. Any developer on the Ethereum platform can access and utilize the data and functions of existing smart contracts to build new applications.
Unstoppability: As long as the Ethereum network exists, these smart contracts continue to exist and run. They are not reliant on any single entity, making them resilient and enduring.
The Blockchain: Time
The "Duck Amuck" episode of Looney Tunes lasts around 7 minutes, but those few minutes consist of over 10,000 meticulously hand-drawn frames, a process that likely took months to complete. For animators, measuring time in seconds and minutes isn't particularly useful when it comes to their craft. Instead, they focus on the number of frames. When delegating tasks among teams of animators, it's more effective to assign work based on frame count. Each frame subtly alters the animation, and when these frames are displayed in rapid succession, they create the illusion of a living, breathing motion picture. To the viewer, Daffy Duck isn't just a collection of thousands of frames—he's a vibrant character with a recognizable personality that we can relate to.
Similarly, in the world of blockchain, the most meaningful unit of time is the block. Each block represents a change in the Ethereum Virtual Machine's (EVM) state. Transactions within the EVM are like events unfolding in the virtual environment, and each of these events is recorded on the Ethereum blockchain ledger in the form of a block. Just as each frame in an animation represents a subtle shift in the story, each block on the blockchain encapsulates a collection of state changes in the EVM.
Ethereum's Space-Time
I think you can see where I'm going with this by now. This isn't just normal software that we're building on our computers or hosting on a centralized cloud provider. Computer programs deployed onchain exist in a completely different realm altogether—a universe with its own space-time and programmable physics. In the "Duck Amuck" analogy, Daffy Duck is the autonomous smart contract, and we - the developers and users - are the mischievous animators.
These programs are not just software; they possess the permanence and reliability of hardware. Unlike the temporary structures hosted on platforms burdened by counterparty risk, potential censorship, de-platforming, or exorbitant hosting costs, on-chain digital property is truly owned—immutable and everlasting. Digital property on today's web isn't owned; it is leased. Digital property onchain is forever.
Smart contracts are the steel and concrete of a new Internet era, the foundation upon which we can build sculpture gardens on a plane of existence separate from our own untouchable by outside forces. This is the power we wield, and we can do much more with it than make memecoins and casino games. Use this power wisely.
