![Iain Ball — [Rare Earth Sculptures] Promethium (archival poster I) (1/5 edition)](https://rtwaymdozgnhgluydsys.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/artwork-images/1ECACE27-1B9D-484F-8B7E-F2157347C9BE/FFCA6AC4-3186-4B60-93DB-D1751BA75DC2/7932374F-B909-4849-A9DF-B6B267582808.jpg)
[Rare Earth Sculptures] Promethium (archival poster I) (1/5 edition)
2012
[Rare Earth Sculptures] Promethium (archival poster I, 2012) forms part of the Rare Earth cycle of ENERGY⋮PANGEA. The work fuses surveillance technology, security systems, and speculative theory into a hybrid portal, detector, and attractor. Drawing on the mythology of the Winklevoss twins as symbols of stasis, frustration, and sudden disruptive change, it imagines their collective energy generating an exoplanet rich in Promethium — a rare, unstable element with untapped technological promise. The piece operates as a speculative interface with parallel worlds, invoking Bruno Latour’s multirealism and the many-worlds interpretation of quantum mechanics.
- Medium
- Archival Poster, Documentation Relic, NFT (Ethereum)
- Edition
- 1 of 5
- Signed
- Yes
- Condition
- Excellent
- Provenance
- Original work by Iain Ball / ENERGY⋮PANGEA, 2012. Minted 2025 as 1 of 5 archival posters in the ENERGY⋮PANGEA Legacy Archive (contract: 0x9663df3b9541f882a43dd160396def7846c23749, Token ID: 4156307696). Directly from the artist’s collection. Artist-retained since creation. Full on-chain provenance is publicly verifiable on Manifold and Etherscan.
- Location
- Blockchain (Ethereum) + Arweave
Notes
This piece might be created in 2012
More by Iain Ball
Collectors with works by Iain Ball
Artists in conversation

Simon Denny
New Zealand · b. 1982

Denny similarly fuses surveillance technology, corporate mythology, and digital infrastructure into archival and documentary artworks that critique the speculative energy of tech culture. His work shares the same interrogation of internet era figures and systems as symbolic relics of power and disruption.

Hito Steyerl
German · b. 1966

Steyerl works at the intersection of speculative theory, surveillance systems, and digital materiality, producing hybrid documentary objects that function simultaneously as portals and detectors of cultural energy. Her practice mirrors this work's fusion of mythology, technology, and unstable elemental metaphor.

Trevor Paglen
American · b. 1974

Paglen's practice centers on surveillance infrastructure, hidden technological systems, and speculative cartography rendered through archival and documentary forms. His interest in invisible networks and the material traces of technological power aligns closely with this work's blend of security systems and rare elemental mythology.
![[Rare Earth Sculptures] Promethium (archival poster III) (1/5 edition)](https://rtwaymdozgnhgluydsys.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/artwork-images/1ecace27-1b9d-484f-8b7e-f2157347c9be/31412b83-3ea5-49ee-a2f3-224263f7d2b5/0.jpg)
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