Don't fight it. Just respect it. Made by Dmitri Cherniak with Javascript and GLSL.

The Eternal Pump

_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

All maps are presented as-is with no guarantee of accuracy or completeness, and are provided without any warranty whatsoever, either express or implied. In no event shall The Artist be held liable for any damages or loss of profits arising from use of the maps, which may not be suitable for legal, engineering, financial, or navigational purposes.

Any resemblance to real locations is purely coincidental, and nothing perceived by the viewer is to be construed as a "legal description". All markings, sections, symbols, patterns, and other visual elements are purely aesthetic devices; they should not be interpreted as geographical, topographical, meteorological, biological, economic, sociological, or political phenomena. Furthermore, all perceived textures, imperfections, shadows, and marks of damage are mere simulations of an analog printing process, and in no way imply the or existence of, or ownership over, a corresponding physical paper map or anything the map may appear to depict.

The maps are not intended to provide any utility to the buyer. All sales are final, and refunds will not be given for any misprints, discolorations, inaccuracies, imprecisions, or unintended features of any kind.

All maps are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 License.

Maps of Nothing

Inspired by Max Tegmark's book Life 3.0, we envisioned what it is going to look like when a general AI starts a media company for the first time. An AI able to create and stream unique content to every human watching. 

Soon though, we realized that there was something else going on.

As the work progressed it became clear that Supermental is a way to question and express much of the friction that we see in NFTs and Web3. Especially around mental health.

While we are firm believers in this new world we do have questions. And we do see red flags.

We often complain that some Web2 companies are causing depression and online addiction. And they are. But while the data and the assets might be free in Web3, are we better off when it comes to our mental health?

In the land of NFTs our online identity now consumes. Not only time, but money and assets. The mimetic status games are no longer confined to likes and followers. Now we deal in tangible value. This expansion of the mimetic scoreboard does not make it easier to live a balanced life. The benefit of being online has just increased dramatically for a lot of people. But it comes at a cost.

How do we ensure that we don’t recreate our mistakes of the past? How do we make sure that online addiction does not become worse? How do we make sure that our mental health is not sacrificed once again.

If we really do own the platforms, the assets, and the memes, it should be in our best interest to create an online environment where proactive mental health is the default UX. 

With Supermental we hope to draw attention to mental health issues in the Web3 and NFT space.

Supermental is made by a duo. My partner wants to stay anon.

Take care,
Jarl Rosenlykke

---------

Controls

- Click on the animation to change your mental state

- Press space to pause and take a deep breath

Supermental

Where The Wind Blows explores gradient maps and patterns on an unconventional canvas. It features the international maritime signal flags and a wild mix of color palettes and shapes. Some are high-contrast and playful while others are subdued and calm. Some are more realistic, staying true  to the nautical theme.

Art Blocks Presents

The Eternal Pump #10

Dmitri Cherniak

More in Art Blocks Presents

Glass

Eric De Giuli

Maps of Nothing

Steve Pikelny

Supermental

Rosenlykke

Where The Wind Blows

MODNAR WOLF

Art

Company

Learn