Art Ecosystems Framework

Nonterritorial and the Future Art Ecosystems Framework

Supporting Evidence from Serpentine R&D Platform Research (2020-2023)

Summary

The Serpentine Galleries R&D Platform's Future Art Ecosystems (FAE) research series represents one of the most rigorous institutional analyses of how art infrastructure must evolve to meet 21st-century demands. Across three comprehensive volumes—Art x Advanced Technologies (2020), Art x Metaverse (2021), and Art x Decentralised Tech (2023)—the research articulates precisely the infrastructural gaps and strategic imperatives that Nonterritorial has been built to address.

This document synthesises the key findings, frameworks, and strategic recommendations from the FAE research that directly support and validate Nonterritorial's approach as a pioneering solution in the emerging landscape of 21st-century cultural infrastructure.

The Crisis of Legacy Cultural Infrastructure

The FAE research identifies a fundamental structural problem in contemporary art infrastructure that Nonterritorial directly addresses.

The White Cube Model Problem

FAE2 articulates that the 'white cube model' (WCM) that has dominated cultural institutions since the 1960s operates on three limiting principles: presented objects are unique and finalised; these objects are presented to a general anonymous viewership; and a specially configured physical space is the hosting environment. The research states that this model relies on 'consecrating art or artefacts as unique (or very scarce) precious objects' with value lying 'in providing access to these objects.' This creates what the research terms a 'sharp contrast between the emphasised uniqueness of the work and the fungible nature of imagined spectators.'

Nonterritorial's model directly inverts this paradigm. By creating a decentralised circulation network where exhibitions can 'land' at diverse host locations—from private homes to hospitals, schools to corporate lobbies—the platform dissolves the artificial scarcity of access while preserving the aesthetic integrity of the artwork through high-quality cinematic documentation.

Separation of Functions

FAE3 describes how '20th-century cultural infrastructure consolidated around the separation of functions and institutional responsibilities over production, distribution and financial support of art.' This 'Legacy Formation' constrains innovation, creates unsustainable competition for resources, and maintains exclusivity models that limit democratic access to art. The research explicitly calls for new 'operational formations' where 'production, distribution and financial support are reconfigured by decentralised technologies.'

Nonterritorial integrates these traditionally separated functions into a unified ecosystem: artists contribute to production, hosts activate distribution, and the fee structure ensures sustainable financial flows that support ongoing circulation and artist compensation.