Departing from generative art’s focus on the size and variety of algorithmic outputs, Coalition contains just 36 geometric creations. Every mint is composed of unique combinations of line, shape, and color, making them artworks unto themselves. However, just as significant as the individual mints is the larger series of which they are each a part. When viewed collectively as a 6x6 grid, the 36 tokens make up a larger, single artwork, the titular Coalition. Patterns and palettes that exist across different tokens come together seamlessly in the Coalition, allowing users to recognize their mint as an indispensable element of the coherent whole.

By highlighting the inextricable relationship between the single set and its 36 components, Coalition suggests that storytelling must play a vital role in the future of generative art. The medium’s current emphasis on long-form algorithmic exploration has come at the expense of narrative craft. While long-form algorithmic exploration has produced groundbreaking artwork and will continue to do so, our project urges practitioners and collectors to consider generative art’s capabilities outside of replicating the look of analog media. Instead of attempting a mimesis of old modes of production, Coalition foregrounds the stories about human experience that emerge when artists free their code from the burden of replicating paint and paper. We ask, does the “art” in generative art refer to the algorithm, or the outputs?

To encourage artists and collectors to value storytelling and limitation in their NFTs, Coalition doubles as performance art. While the set is limited to 36 mints, a 37th is available for purchase. The collector who buys the final token will find only an error message. The algorithm self-destructs after mint #35. Read about why we chose to do this [here](https://medium.com/@generativeartworks/from-reservation-to-coalition-the-stories-that-generative-art-can-tell-d5466e7ba15b).

There can be no avant-garde because everything has been done.
—Pedro Friedeberg

Coalition

_There are no artifacts. There are only interpretations._

Glass is about the illusion of simplicity that cocoons us in our everyday existence. A glance at Glass may suggest a foam of bubbles or pebbles under clear water. But on inspection, these simple pictures dissolve. Instead of disks one finds stacked panes of translucent glass, intersecting and overlapping. There is dissonance between fine-scale chaos and the harmony of the aggregate. In Glass, two levels of reality -- panes of glass and the foam of bubbles -- are brought close together in scale, so that our oversimplified impression yields a palpable disquiet.

What appears simple is often anything but. Consider a standard wooden desk. To our eyes, it looks solid and continuous, but we know that it is made of atoms, tiny electrons orbiting nuclei. And these subatomic particles are themselves not like miniature solar systems, but creatures of quantum mechanics, stranger than we can imagine. The vast difference in scale between the atomic and the macroscopic hides this complex reality, but fundamentally it is the same phenomenon shown here.

Glass continues my exploration of emergence. While in previous work I explored how simple systems can create complex, emergent forms, here the interest is in the converse: how coherence is often deceptive, masking a complex underlying reality.

Glass draws on the aesthetic of Shin Hanga artists Hiroshi Yoshida and Kawase Hasui, and abstract expressionist Sonja Sekula. In live view, Glass has ambient motion: the shadows evolve, imperceptibly slowly.

The following variations & controls are possible. You may need to click on the canvas before they are active. For a high-resolution output, use the pixel density controls. For example, on a standard laptop, an image saved at pixel density 5 will be approximately 3200 x 4000 pixels, and therefore suitable for printing at ~ 11" x 13" at 300 dpi.

Variations (require redrawing):

f -- fit-to-screen on/off
o -- outline on/off

Controls:

s   -- save as png
spacebar  -- pause/unpause ( useful to reduce CPU load in Live mode )
b -- border on/off ( useful for printing )
1-9  -- set pixel density (default=2 on retina displays)
+/-  -- increase/decrease pixel density

Glass

Synesthesia is the audiovisual creation of electronic dance musician, PLS&TY.  PLS&TY is burgeoning into the electronic dance music scene with his unique sound: languid bass, captivating vocals and enough upbeat melodies to make anybody feel good. His music has amassed over 100 million listens across streaming platforms, and has been placed in nationally airing television commercials, including a Hershey's Chocolate campaign which has been viewed over 1 BILLION times. Synesthesia visually proffers a mandala-like effect, in sequence with blissful audio notes & tones over fluctuating scales & octaves, generated entirely at random.  

Secret tip: Scale the artwork to become larger or smaller to affect the visual output. 

Synesthesia

***Ingress*** is an immersive, interactive virtual space filled with color and lights. A visitor stands in the middle of the synthetic space with nothing to define their orientation or the interior scale. Sight direction might be an initial clue to the positioning, but as it turns out, it would be misleading. Floating, pulsating, and blending lights either close the surroundings or open it to infinity. Even though there are no restrictions in viewing direction, the visitor's position is bonded to the center. 

The feeling might be calming, or disturbing. One might find it a beautiful and peaceful surrounding for contemplation, while others will recognize reminiscences of dark video games. Some spaces might be perceived as energetic music clubs, while others will resemble temples' interiors.

Mobile rendering brings an even more powerful experience. When the device is moved, the visuals change accordingly. A small screen held in the viewer's hand turns into a discrete window allowing for some augmented voyeurism. The urge to see the hidden space makes the visitor move around, reach out and discover the ambiance. It's an opportunity of experiencing the second world, located in an unknown dimension.

Mobile devices are recommended for the most augmented and immersive experience. 
*Use a chromium-based browser for the best experience (e.g. Chrome, Opera). iOS devices need orientation data permission.*

On desktop devices, a fullscreen display is suggested.

***navigation:***
mouse: `LMB + drag, scroll`
keyboard: `arrows, +, -`
mobile: `interactive, pinch`
view presets: `[1]` – still camera, `[2]` – predefined camera movement
save image: `[s]`

Ingress

Paths is an animated journey across various subterranean and aboveground environments. To fully experience the project, you need to see it in high resolution with a capable GPU. Make sure that your browser uses your dedicated graphics card if any, and that you get a good frame rate. Control keys: 1-4 (change speed), 9 (fill aspect ratio), 0 (original aspect ratio), space-bar (play/pause)

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Paths #64

Darien Brito

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