Launched into crypto-space for the first time, I present my genesis project, a limited series of interactive 3D structures, rotating endlessly from their self-gravitational force. Each token minted is the result of a complex set of rules, an algorithm that processes the transaction hash and generates a unique piece of crypto-art. Purely written in JavaScript, using no external libraries or dependencies of any sort, these voyagers will forever be the testimony of hardcoded workmanship, a heritage of the old times. Deep space, do you copy?

Ignition

CENTURY is my homage to paintings and drawings from the twentieth century and the countless hours I’ve spent looking at them. The references span the origins of concrete and non-objective art to color-field painting and minimalism. The strongest direct reference is a series of pictures created by Ellsworth Kelly in the 1950s where he cut his paintings into pieces and reassembled them in different orders. CENTURY creates a distinct picture for each unique transaction hash, and you can “cut” and “reassemble” it in different ways by pressing ‘1’ on your keyboard. Press ‘2’ to put the slices in the original order. These are landscapes; they look best large and in motion running as live code.

CENTURY

Ways of knowing...
Ways of seeing…

I can trace the origin of *Pre-Process* back to a Saturday afternoon in 2003 when I was sketching—first on paper, and then with code. I began by drawing circles, then connecting their center points, and then placing the circles in motion as coded animation. At that time, I was focused on *ideas* and not *images*—specifically, on dynamic systems and the ways a set of elements relate to each other within an imagined environment. I was working through questions about how to experience these systems and what might be an ideal (or interesting) way to engage with them. 

The ideas and code from this session later became the core of much of my subsequent work: including the foundation for the *Process* series of software, prints, and installations and the more recent *Process Compendium* works. *Pre-Process* pulls these origin points back into focus, develops them with what I’ve learned in the intervening years, and puts them on the blockchain to be archived. I consider the project a Rosetta Stone for my practice. It asks fundamental questions about the relationships between process and end result, including: Where is the aesthetic focus of a generative system? Is it deep within the code or within the picture the system creates?

Ultimately, *Pre-Process* emphasizes experiencing the origin of the system and then transitioning with it as it seeks, but never finds, equilibrium. The system is built around Element 1, the first that I created for the *Process* series:

*Element 1: Form 1 + Behavior 1 + Behavior 2 + Behavior 3 + Behavior 4
Form 1: Circle
Behavior 1: Move in a straight line
Behavior 2: Constrain to surface
Behavior 3: Change direction while touching another Element
Behavior 4: Move away from an overlapping Element*

*Pre-Process* is the origin of a long journey that I’m still on. It continues to ask essential questions and to encourage me to explore possibilities. Through it, I came to realize that I was ultimately more a picture-maker than a conceptual artist, or, the way I like to think about it,  I’m a “conceptual artist” with a small ‘c.’ I want the energy to be with the system (the ideas) *and* the surface (the picture) in equal measure. More directly, the work exists *between* the instructions, the performance and interpretation of the instructions, and the resulting images.

Pre-Process

▶
CS/TR-86 Bootstrap Loader. . .

Starting COLORSPACE v1.0
=
╔══════════════════════════╗
1.      View Fullscreen
1.     Click **[X]** w/ mouse to hide UI
1.     CRITICAL ERROR!

╚══════════════════════════╝

    loading...
▓░░░░░░░░░ - 10%

Colorspace is a tribute to creating on the computer.
An animated painting with programed brushes, erasers, and accents.
Based on the gestures of classic screensavers and operating system UI elements.

▓▓▓▓░░░░░░ -40%

I was inspired by the file size limits of storing on Ethereum.
Cutting edge technology meets a floppy disc.
It reminded me of my original software tools: 
MacPaint, Kid Pix, HyperCard, on a black and white Mac Classic II.
Colliding with a decked out gaming computer, running an arsenal of software, in millions of colors.

▓▓▓▓▓▓░░░░ -60%

I hope Colorspace evokes the fun of learning new software, 
the trance like state of a late night coding session, 
and the anxiety of a HDD failure at a critical deadline.

▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓░ -99%
 

**`C:\> start selfPromotion.exe`**
==
 > Hi, my name is Tabor Robak.
 > I've been making art on the computer my whole life.
 > My work is collected by institutions like The MET, MoMA, and the Whitney.
 > I'm a Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree.
 > I've collabed with brands like Balenciaga and Microsoft.
 > I've taught at NYU and lectured at Yale.
 > 
 > This is my first NFT project.

  
╔════════════════════════╗

    Controls
=
1.    **[ESC]** to shutdown*
1.    Click **[X]** w/ mouse to hide UI
1.    **[SHIFT]** to restore UI
1.    **[◄ or ►]** adjust speed
1.    Draw with **[Mouse 1]**

 Shutdown only while UI is active.
 Keyboard controls will activate
 after clicking once within canvas.

╚════════════════════════╝
  

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Colorspace

Simple and easily identifiable, each squiggle embodies the soul of the Art Blocks platform. Consider each my personal signature as an artist, developer, and tinkerer. Public minting of the Chromie Squiggle is permanently paused. They are now reserved for manual distribution to collectors and community members over a longer period of time. Please visit OpenSea to explore Squiggles available on the secondary market. 

Art Blocks Curated

Chromie Squiggle #23

Snowfro

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Snowfro

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