This collection is a study of identity in the modern digital era, increasingly dominated by NFT profile pictures. We all construct complex identities to project out into the world, perhaps to distract ourselves from facing the real question that is gnawing at our subconscious. "Who am I?" The moment we feel ourselves begin to grasp an answer it recedes further out of reach leaving us in free fall. The good news is there is no ground.

We pay homage to Ukrainian-born artist Kazimir Malevich, founder Suprematism, an avant garde art movement focused on the fundamentals of geometry and the essence of experience. In the same way that artists from this movement explored the supremacy of pure artistic feeling, we explore the pure essence of identity and self-expression. Can we express an identity using  long form generative art with nothing but math and code? What is considered beautiful and desirable?

Taking this further we then explore the concept of Ego Death. Each piece represents not just the aesthetic combination of geometry and faceless human energies, but can be used as a meditation object that will remind the collector of the illusion of self. We have created a new type of pfp project that doesn’t just represent the egoic desire to fulfill ambitions and own scarce luxury goods, but rather is a true expression of one’s soul on the journey to enlightenment. 

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# Interactivity
This artwork contains one important interaction. The viewer is invited to click on the image, at which point it comes to life allowing the viewer to explore his or her identity by moving the mouse. We liken this to sitting down to meditate and asking the question “who am I?”. As the exploration continues, the viewer realizes that the decorative and outwardly expressed aspects of identity are but an illusion and they begin to dissolve.  Eventually the viewer experiences ego death, arriving at a pure black square illuminated by a sliver of light. The light of pure awareness. The viewer realizes he or she is nothing more, and nothing less, than consciousness itself.

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# Features
The algorithm maps color palette variations and meta-structures of the geometries to different human archetypes. The code playfully generates characters for each collector based on a unique moment in time, and the collector’s unique wallet address, which we hope will establish a personal connection with the piece.

Some of the most rare pieces are the most undecorated, representing the highest version of enlightenment that is hardest to achieve through practice. When you dissolve into the absolute there is no more decoration but only the feeling of oneness.

personality

identity

energy

symmetry

marking1

marking2

This descending auction has a start time of {start_time} at the price of {start_price} Ξ and will exponentially decrease until the resting price of {base_price} Ξ is met.

Ego Death

Maya Man is an artist whose work considers the computer screen a space for intimacy and performance, focusing on the phenomenon of translating our offline selves into on-screen content. Working primarily with custom software, she comments on internet culture by algorithmically remixing and collaging it into her own websites, generative systems, and installations. I had the pleasure of speaking with Maya in advance of her upcoming Art Blocks project FAKE IT TILL YOU MAKE IT.

In Conversation with Maya Man

It's Miami Art Week and we can’t wait for you to join us!

Art Blocks × Miami Art Week 2022

Art Blocks Curation Board members are responsible for reviewing, critiquing, and selecting Art Blocks projects to be included in Art Blocks’ Curated Collection. The Curated Collection comprises a group of projects that have been recognized for significant accomplishment in aesthetics, conceptual rigor, technical quality, and innovation.

Meet the Art Blocks Curation Board

Since founding Art Blocks in 2020, artist Erick Calderon (a.k.a. Snowfro) has been intrigued by the idea of representing digital artwork in the physical world in the form of an ephemeral physical object with meaning, but with no inherent value. 

Donald Judd has long been an inspiration for Art Blocks. One aspect we admire most about Judd’s artistic practice is the elegance of design he effortlessly paired with the accessibility of materials that could be found at a hardware store. With Judd as inspiration, we hatched a plan to create a unique generative art friendship bracelet that includes instructions to make, in minutes, a simple bracelet using a few dollars’ worth of embroidery floss. Donald Judd believed that what surrounds us in our day-to-day life is already so beautiful, and that ultimately the experience of creating art is as important as owning it.

Erick was incredibly excited to collaborate with renowned artist Alexis André (a.k.a. MacTuitui) to bring generative art and ephemeral physical objects together in the form of friendship bracelets. Conceptualized by Erick and aesthetically and programmatically designed by Alexis, this project pairs creative coding with a beautiful spectrum of embroidery floss colors. The project was a true team effort, as each member of the Art Blocks team designed and named their own color palette!

The project is a token of our appreciation to the creators, makers, builders, and collectors who have all contributed to making the Art Blocks community what it is today. Participating in this project is a signal, both online and IRL, that you’re a participant in this evolution of art + community. You are pushing the best ideas forward. You are the reason all of these imaginative projects come to life. Our community is what makes all of this possible. So, to say it plainly, we appreciate you, and we hope that you’ll accept this bracelet as a token of our special friendship!

The owner of any wallet with an Art Blocks piece at the time of snapshot (October 26, 2022, at 3pm US Central time) is eligible to claim two mints from this special generative art project. We would love to see you keep one bracelet and share your love for generative art by gifting your second mint! These mints are free to claim (you pay only the gas) and exist on L1 Ethereum. Please note that we may in the future release additional modified iterations of the Friendship Bracelets project, ideally on an L2 scaling solution, that may substantially increase the total supply of tokens related to the project, with the intent of being a more accessible entry point to a larger audience. But this version is what we're here to celebrate today, and this gift is for you in gratitude for your support along the way. Please enjoy this token of our friendship and explore the wonderful artwork created by Alexis André. Then, let's all make bracelets together! 

Warmly,
Alexis + Erick + the Art Blocks team



The claim window expires on January 10, 2023, at noon US Central time.

Click into the Display Notes for information about making your bracelet.

Friendship Bracelets

inward 🌹 outward
shrinking 🌹 growing
splitting 🌹 merging
suggesting 🌹 negating

Intersections

Drifting apart as the little islands that we are, you may ask yourself
_What is bigger - the inner space or the outer?_

This project was inspired by the multitudes we keep within us. The harsh shadows and the combination of pure 2d rendering with a 3d effect mimic feelings of separation from the rest of the world. Their undetermined scale reflects the seemingly unlimited depths of consciousness.

_The Inner World_ starts its rendering from one or more circular cores representing the centers of our personalities. Each of these cores spawns various thoughts and emotions, flowing as tendrils through the scene, making connections among themselves or reaching for the outside. Their movement ranges from straight and orderly to (seemingly) chaotic, sometimes twisting the clean underlying personality center into a completely different shape. Two rendering styles (illustrative and shaded) with palettes ranging from cool, gloomy and serious to cheerful or dramatic reflect the variety of predispositions.

While waiting for the rendering to complete, look at the focus animation highlighting the circular cores of your piece. You're invited to spend this time pondering how everything you know, everything you have or will ever experience, and even the most majestic sights from stars to microbes fit into the space between your ears.

The Inner World

*3 Minute Meditations* is a set of audio/visual generative-art NFTs designed to provide the listener with a short, meditative experience.  Each *3MM* starts with a **unique fundamental frequency** and composes harmonics on top of it. One of these harmonics is a **binaural beat** that ends in the **delta** or **theta** band (associated with **mediation**, **deep** and **REM sleep**).  The others take shape as a combination of **constant and arpeggiated tones** to form an entrancing soundscape that moves through **temporary dissonance** into **climactic harmony**.  The associated visuals are representative of the sound, and follow a journey that mirrors the **sonic meditation**.

** ***The focus of this piece is the audio, which must be enjoyed with headphones in order to properly realize its effects***. **

Listeners can watch the visuals as well, or close their eyes and **sink fully into the auditory experience**.

Ego Death

electralina

12/2/2022, 6:00 PM UTC

Edition of 222

Art Blocks is dedicated to bringing compelling works of contemporary generative art to life. We unite artists, collectors, and blockchain technology in service of groundbreaking artwork and remarkable experiences.

In Conversation with Maya Man

Art Blocks × Miami Art Week 2022

It's Miami Art Week and we can’t wait for you to join us!

Open Projects

Friendship Bracelets

Alexis André

Free

Open algorithmic edition

Intersections

Rafaël Rozendaal

0.2 Ξ

44 / 300 remaining

The Inner World

Dominikus

0.1 Ξ

106 / 400 remaining

3 Minute Meditations

thetechnocratic

0.1 Ξ

236 / 333 remaining

Meet the Art Blocks Curation Board

Want more? Read Spectrum, the journal of Art Blocks

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Want more? Read Spectrum, the journal of Art Blocks

Want more? Read Spectrum, the journal of Art Blocks

Want more? Read Spectrum, the journal of Art Blocks

Want more? Read Spectrum, the journal of Art Blocks

Want more? Read Spectrum, the journal of Art Blocks

Want more? Read Spectrum, the journal of Art Blocks

Want more? Read Spectrum, the journal of Art Blocks

Want more? Read Spectrum, the journal of Art Blocks

Want more? Read Spectrum, the journal of Art Blocks

Want more? Read Spectrum, the journal of Art Blocks

Want more? Read Spectrum, the journal of Art Blocks

Want more? Read Spectrum, the journal of Art Blocks

Want more? Read Spectrum, the journal of Art Blocks

Want more? Read Spectrum, the journal of Art Blocks

Want more? Read Spectrum, the journal of Art Blocks

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