Who is Peter Stenbæk?
Behind any great success in the entertainment industry is a mastermind pulling the strings in the shadows. Peter Stenbæk has long been that shadow figure in his role as Creative Director for Universal Music and as the Visual Designer for the multi-platinum euro-pop group Aqua, the most profitable Danish band of all time.
Born in a small Danish town in 1969, Stenbæk has evolved into a bit of a modern renaissance man over the years, taking on jobs as a music video director, soundtrack composer, brand designer, agency boss, and much more within mixed media. You’ll even find Stenbæk’s name appearing numerous times on Discogs where, for example, he’s credited as a percussionist for a band led by beat-making virtuoso Kaidi Tatham–the so-called “Herbie Hancock of the UK.”
Ultimately, the long and winding road to the Vulnerable Robot Prototypes NFT release started when Stenbæk worked long days in the studio as a cartoonist in advertising. This was in the pre-computer era, a time when Stenbæk would sketch cartoon characters with markers and brushes–and relied on slow tactile techniques and repro cameras to bring his creations to life.
“Magic,” Stenbæk calls it.
In recent years, the great Dane started to investigate the question: “If I didn’t have a successful career in advertising, what would I do?” Stenbæk’s mind returned to his 19-year-old self, the young cartoonist who let his imagination run wild on paper.
“Then I got to work on designing without any brief, working from a childhood memory of Jules Verne (French Sci-Fi writer) and a longtime obsession for Victorian gardening,” said Stenbæk, reflecting on the process. “What came from this is a series of artworks that embody this feeling of nostalgic futurism. It’s warm, peaceful art that sort of has this spirit of saudade, that melancholic feeling that something is missing.”
Peter’s robotic universe is the antithesis to dystopian worlds depicted by films like I, Robot. Each robot is a prototype–as the NFT collection’s name implies–a mishmash of makeshift parts, unarmed and curious, designed for presence, musicality and very special forms of services. By centering his work around prototypes, Peter is making a subtle call-to-action to the beholders of his work–especially those who long to do more personal artistic work.
“When I first got into advertising we were mainly just cartoonists with nowhere to go. We would sketch all day to make a single prototype that we could show clients to convince them that something was a good idea. Today, you can make as many prototypes as you want using just a phone. You can do more than just, let’s say, create advertising. With all the tools we have available today, I think people should be prototyping their own shit as much as possible.”
What will VINCI’s Peter Stenbæk NFT include?
Following the successful June release of house music legend Todd Terry’s NFT, VINCI’s second-ever release continues the platform’s quest to bring fans closer to the creative minds behind the music and art we cherish today. VINCI does this by working closely with its artists. We give them the power to curate collectibles that pay homage to their truest form of artistic expression–all while unlocking a whole range of benefits for collectors.
Before we get into Peter’s collection, know that this release is just the foreplay to a wider Vulnerable Robots universe that will include a game, an exclusive toy collection, and a musical written alongside a prominent Danish composer, featuring the robots from these artworks. Considering the kind of success magnet Peter is, this first drop is a shining opportunity to invest at the beginning of the Vulnerable Robots universe.
As part of the Vulnerable Robots Prototype collection, VINCI will begin by dropping 4 (+1) selected digital art pieces. No matter which piece is purchased, the collector will enjoy the following utility:
Exclusive access to premium Discord Channel where new drops are announced in advance
Entry into raffle to have a private AMA with Peter Stenbæk
Preferred priority option to buy next release
Limited Edition Pieces
The first drop of Stenbæk’s collection will feature two “limited edition’ digital artworks.
The first ‘Limited Edition’ piece — VulnerableRobotsPrototype#1 — comes at a price of $350 USDC. There will be 10 editions (NFTs) available.
Features:
Music file composed by Peter Stenbæk
Raffle (1:10) to receive VulnerableRobotsPrototype#5, including a personal presentation of how this NFT was designed, and a printed copy signed by Peter Stenbæk
Access to exclusive Discord channel
Preferred option to buy next release
