How do you secure human trust in a world where virtually everything can be faked?
What are creative ways to combat the looming onslaught of digital artifice? Aesthetically, I feel the allure of analog processes, IRL interactions, wetware and human-centric authenticity – flaws and all – art forms unreachable by computers.
Below is an initial attempt.
10eo, pronounced “teneo”, Latin for “to possess”, is an art form based on an individual, or series of individuals, successfully executing (“performing”) a predefined set of instructions, called an “algo”. It is fundamentally similar to music, dance and other time-based art forms and conceptually akin to works like Sol Lewitt’s instruction-based art.
10eo makes creative use of the act of possession (hence its name). Whomever possesses/owns an algo is responsible for its faithful performance. This owner=performer framework unlocks interesting aesthetic, technical and even economic opportunities.
Equally important, the algo possessor/owner is responsible for providing proof that the algo’s performance did, in fact, accurately occur. This proof is called a Proof-of-Effort or PoE. The PoE requirement is an anti-fake mechanism.
The value of a 10eo piece is directly tied to its PoE(s). For example, if an algo has ten instruction steps and only six of those steps have documented PoE, it would be valued less than the same piece with ten steps of documented PoE.
An algo is a set of human-readable instructions. Each instruction step is called a transient, and must include, at a minimum, the following three elements:
– Time requirements
– Location requirements
– Instructions for performing an action of some kind at the indicated place and time.
The simplest transient example would follow the format –> go here, at this time, and do this. An algo has no other constraints. It could include one step or a limitless number. It could require simple time and place parameters or outrageous ones, such as, go to the moon on April 1st, 2030, stand on your head (and prove you did it!). Furthermore, an algo has no restrictions on the type of action it proscribes in a transient.
An algo author could publicly post their creation on a paper-based, community bulletin board and invite anyone to perform it. Alternatively, they could make ten paper-based copies of the algo and hand them out. The author could include transients that stipulate modifying the algo paper document itself, thereby ensuring that only ten versions of the algo ever get performed. In examples like this, the paper-based algo is like a paper currency (or bearer bond).
This notion of scarcity also works in the digital world. For example, an algo could be embedded in an NFT with a minting limit of 25 copies. These could then be distributed electronically via a model of the author’s choosing, e.g. a lottery. The related instructions and associated PoE could all be required to occur on-chain creating an immutable, public record of a completed algo’s value.
A performance is the responsibility of whomever is in possession of a specific algo. Each performance must start at the place and time designated by the first transient. If it is in the simple form described above, then the performance represents –> going there, at the designated time and doing what is instructed. The crucial additional action/ingredient for each transient performance is the PoE.
Once the first transient is performed, and PoE established, the performance moves to the next transient in the algo (unless there was only one transient defined). Since an algo can include many transients, across a potentially large span of time and distance, it is natural for more than one individual to participate in its completion. The only rule is the fundamental – whomever is in possession of the algo is responsible for its execution.
Both the algo and its subsequent performance are independent works of art and can live separately. The form of the algo could itself be a creative expression. Any form is valid as long as it contains the three required elements.
Anyone can create/author an algo and anyone can perform one. Taking possession of an algo simply means an individual actually performs the first transient + PoE.
How does PoE work and what are some examples?
The concept of PoE stems from its focus on authenticity. A 10eo piece’s ultimate value is based on perceived truth. Whatever the performer can do to remove/reduce any doubt regarding a completed transient’s accuracy and authenticity the more valuable the piece becomes.
One approach to PoE is a human witness (better yet, witnesses). Notarists fill this role specifically and can provide objective verification of any human action. Other forms of proof could include photographs, recordings, etc. It is the performer’s responsibility to provide the required proof. There are no specific requirements for PoE form or content.
Who decides which 10eo pieces are most authentic, most valuable? The quick answer is, the observer. A more general response is the community or market. The more irrefutable a PoE is, by an outside observer, the more authentic and valuable a 10eo piece becomes.
Example of a simple 10eo algo:
• A 10eo author creates an algo with the following instruction sequence:
1 – Transient #1
— Date/Time – April 10, 2025, between the hours of 11AM – Noon EST
— Location – any lat/lon – no restrictions
— Action – Using a #2 graphite pencil, write the letter “A” on an 8.5″ x 11″ piece of normal, white paper
— Provide PoE
2 – Transient #2
— Date/Time – April 10, 2025, between the hours of 2PM – 3PM EST
— Location – any lat/lon – no restrictions
— Action – Take the piece of paper used in Transient #1 and, with a blue colored pencil, draw a circle around the “A” created in Transient #1
— Provide PoE
3 – Complete
10eo potential
10eo artists can focus on creating algos, doing performances or both. Its structure enables some unique outcomes:
- The aesthetic and creative possibilities of “possession” are, to my knowledge, unexplored.
- An algo artist’s control over both time and place opens interesting opportunities:
- Fast vs. slow based on location
- Timelines, deadlines, limits
- No movement vs. frequent location changes
- Long time frames – e.g. an algo that unfolds over the course of ten years
- Community involvement – for some algos, the only way to complete them could be through the participation of multiple people across time and place.
- Scarcity and its influence(s)
- No creative restrictions on how algos are designed and displayed/presented
psemme 
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