In the year 3075 of the Second Nuclear Age, a laboratory of an unknown race of aliens was discovered on the planet Vtolmr while drilling a well of molecular oil. Its presumed purpose is to study genetic mutations of races from neighboring planets. During the laboratory investigation, 512 silicon impressions with DNA of different alien species were extracted. Modern methods of quantum analysis do not allow the deciphering of the data obtained. At this point, their value is purely aesthetic. But that may change in time.

Press 1 to 9 - change the pixel density
Press "s" - save the image

Alien DNA

## The Concept

Ad Extremum Terrae explores visual storytelling in a form of generative art. The project tells a story of the tragic end of all existence in a distant universe, long since forgotten. Any given individual output depicts a passing moment, captured during the final breath of each dying world. The once peaceful landscapes were torn apart, deforming and reshaping their natural geometries and thus the reality itself in a surrealistic fashion.

Each image is drawn to vaguely mimic a pencil-like texture. Firstly to remind of something familiar and subsequently emitting a peculiar and eerie feeling. Did this event happen and was it witnessed by a carbon-based life-form?

The project invites the viewer to ponder the different scenarios of what might have transpired in the past that lead the universe to its doom. Although one interpretation can be deciphered from the partially corrupted transmission below, it is not necessarily the true explanation.


The only thing that is known, is that all life ceased to exist in this ancient universe long time ago. Its tale lives on, but only as a memory and as a reminder to us all that life can be fragile and fleeting, albeit beautiful and precious.

## The Story

*”If anyone listens .. …. recording …. ….. ….. .. a warning …. …. will happen .. your world. We didn’t …. …. .. our universe, ……. we drained … ….. resource ….. .. couldn’t sustain … life …. any longer. The great collapse .. moments away … this will .. … end .. our story. Do not …… our mistakes. Most importantly … …. prevent ….. …. ……… ….. world .. … ……. ……… at any cost. This is our final transmission.”*

Just as the transmission ends, a sudden flash of dreamlike images flashes through your mind, leaving a vivid imprint. These were the final moments of an ancient, distant and long forgotten universe. The rush is too much to handle and you faint. You wake up and immediately start looking for the recording but it's gone. You remember everything as clear as day, but was it just a dream?

## The Details

There are several main scenes, which depict the specific stage that the end has advanced to. The predominantly or entirely black and white and the muted palettes give a sense of silence and solitude. Meanwhile other palettes disturb that calmness. Some palettes remind of colors in nature, but most are chosen and used in unnatural manner touching the style of expressionism.

Pressing "s" saves a screenshot at any point during the rendering. Pressing "p" pauses and unpauses the rendering. Pressing up or down arrow increases or decreases the drawing animation speed.

Ad Extremum Terrae

**Avalon is a series of generative maps to imaginary places.** 

Visually inspired by vintage textbooks and map collections, Avalon takes a purely aesthetical perspective on the land drop hype and the mythical realm that is the metaverse. 

The practice of mapping the imaginary reaches back to the middle ages and has been particularly popular in the renaissance era. It has always been used as tool to visualize allegories and manifest a sense of longing. In that sense, Avalon can be interpreted as a visualization of a machines wanderlust.

The series is named after the place where, according to legend, King Arthur is buried. Avalon is referred to in literary sources as an island, valley or field.

**Avalon is a dynamic collection.** Each map is positioned on a virtual globe and will go through 12.5 hour tidal cycles based on a virtual moon orbit. Maps will update every two minutes and to reflect the changing tides. 

Map labels show some basic information about each map. They include the map coordinates, maximum elevation and maximum sea depth, a topographic profile of the map and an indication of the current tidal level.

**Avalon is interactive.** Collectors can interact with and customize their maps by using a series of commands that will change some of the basic visual traits of their maps. Maps can be downloaded both as high and low resolution images directly from the art blocks preview.

**Basic commands:**
‘s’ - save image
‘i’ - toggle label on or off
‘m’ - switch between colored and monochrome versions
‘h’ - render high resolution image
'r' - refresh image in its original state

**Please make sure the map is active by clicking it before you interact.**

Avalon is limited to 208 mints, one for every sovereign state (based on [this list](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_sovereign_states))

Avalon

Beautiful bouquets of generative flowers, with fascinating diversity in numbers, shapes and colour combinations. Each one has its own personality, its own character, and is always stunning and surprising, as you can expect with flowers in their natural form.

Flowers

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 #89

Darien Brito

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