Inspired by Dutch artist Piet Mondrian. Made with an interest in color theory and a love for color in general.

Dot Grid

Aragnation questions preconceived notions of what AI art can be. Does AI art have to be powered by giant neural networks? Do the aesthetics have to be that of photos or paintings or collages of pieces thereof?

Aragnation uses tiny AI models and constructs abstract imagery in the vocabulary of abstract blobs and organic textures rather than pixels. It is playful with colors. It has a hint of a watercolor and art paper aesthetic. 

The training data includes photographs taken by one of the artists, Abhishek.  The generated pieces thus capture, in broad strokes, Abhishek’s photography – nature, landscapes and urban settings.

In a refreshing contrast to the gravity of the role AI technology is playing in content creation and creative expression, Aragnation brings a light and joyful touch to generative AI art. 

No GPUs were harmed in the making of Aragnation. All AI models are entirely different architectures than those commonly used, and have been designed and trained from scratch by the artists.

Aragnation

*“As we paint we move along step by step. 
We realize that we are guided in our work by awareness of life.”* 
― Agnes Martin, 1979

Steps is an invitation to slow down in order to explore a subtler dimension of reality,
where we can transcend our human nature,
where two successive moments are never exactly the same,
where we continually feel held and supported,
and where each step, even if insignificant in appearance, can reveal unbounded peace.

**Interaction**
Click or Tap or Space key: Pause / Unpause animation

**Prints**
The first 50 editions minted will come with a free signed print of the token at the size you choose among the 3 available (8.5” x 11”, 13” x 17” or 17” x 22”).
All token holders will be able to purchase a signed print of the Steps mint they currently own. 
For non-holders, a curated selection of unsigned prints outside of the minted set will be available.
More information on prints can be found [here](https://johan.studio/work/steps-prints).

**Thanks**
To my dear mother Colette, for taking me to art exhibitions at a young age and developing my enthusiasm & curiosity for visual art.
To my friend Patricio, for sharing his talent, experience and knowledge with such generosity.
To the Art Blocks team, for believing in this project and creating community & opportunities for artists.

Steps

Gravity Grid is heavily inspired by Go, a 2,500 year old board game. The game of Go is played on a 19x19 grid, which is how every Gravity Grid invocation begins. A psychedelic "gameboard" is drawn and pulled apart by gravity, as if slowly orbiting a black hole in space. Each Gravity Grid starts at a different stage of this process. Don't forget to click and hold - you *might* find an additional effect.

Gravity Grid

**Gels** is a science-inspired generative piece. Our algorithm simulates *gel electrophoresis*, a powerful experimental method in molecular biology used daily by thousands of scientists worldwide. In the lab, scientists "run a gel" to separate and visualize molecules such as DNA, RNA, and proteins. These molecules appear as patterns of bands when photographed, and those patterns can be used to interpret the results of experiments. 

The DNA band patterns in this work derive from combinations of a simulated experimental data and real-world data, including DNA sequences that encode several variants of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, and the corresponding mRNA vaccines. Our algorithm first generates plausible sample tubes that typically contain one or more DNA fragments. Then, each sample is distributed and "run" on a simulated gel to create the characteristic band patterns that might be observed on real gels.

Our simulations also take into account human error — mistakes are common in the lab, especially for novice researchers, but they can also lead to visually interesting results. For example, uneven salt concentrations or applying excess voltage can cause warping effects.

Finally, we aim to leverage proceeds of this project to support future scientific research! We invite interested collectors to follow along with our future work.

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