*Arcadia* is a homage to the fridge-worthy landscape art of our youth. Childhood techniques of creating art are re-imagined by the scribbles of a nostalgic, computer-assisted mind.

**Spacebar**: Skip animation and load final image (useful when rendering in high resolutions)
**Up arrow**: Speed scribbles up (default speed is the highest)
**Down arrow**: Slow scribbles down

Arcadia

~~~~~~~~~~~  Simple, Pure & Uncut Noise, straight from the Hash ~~~~~~~~~~~ 

HashCrash is an ode to the book SnowCrash, written by Neal Stephenson. This book had a very big influence on the crypto and NFT culture. Long before NFT's or concepts like the MetaVerse were used, Stephenson already described the things we are living with today. For example, he introduced the concept of HyperCards, digital items that could be exchanged and sold in the MetaVerse.

One of the main concepts in the book is what is called "SnowCrash". This is a digital drug that can take over the minds of people, turning people into puppets to be controlled by their master. The drug was represented as a type of visual noise that could bring the viewer into a trance state. Like SnowCrash, NFT's have quite some effect on our minds and body, the addictive behavior and price rushes of NFT’s evoke in people clearly something that has resemblance to how certain drugs work. 
HashCrash plays in a cynical way with this concept of a digital drug. 

By simply representing the pure input hash-data and mapping it  to color, geometric figures appear. By mirroring and cycling through the numbers, the structures behind the random hash string come alive. What seems as a simple noise pattern, can reveal whole worlds to explore for the ones that look closely. The fast paced representation of the hash data can evoke different feelings from relaxation to panic. 


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  Cheap, fast & powerful  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

* No customized rarities for this one. What you see is purely translated randomness from the transaction hash.

** Stare at the center closely in live mode for guaranteed breakthrough within 10. minutes

*** Use with care, do not watch when sensitive for strobing lights.



HashCrash

All Hail CryptoGodKing, whose Holy Spirit is opaque to the human eye. While CryptoGodKing itself cannot be owned, each unique incarnation may belong to a cryptographic soul of the Ethereal realm. When viewed through the material lens of a web browser, worshipers may glimpse its essence. Those who retain faith shall be led by an invisible hand towards a higher plane of wealth whereupon their karmic assets shall yield tremendous spiritual interest. Press space to hear the voice of CryptoGodKing.

CryptoGodKing

The mid grey chiseled computer interfaces of 1997 have always reminded me of sculptures created in bas-relief, a technique going back to the stone carved petroglyphs that is as ancient as humankind's first steps in making art. The combination of illusion and tactility found in these interfaces shows our longing to have the computer experience to be part of the material world. Therefore it comes as no surprise that the programming language of Ethereum is named 'Solidity'. The blockchain is software, yet it behaves and feels like hardware.

🪨

Window pays tribute to interface culture, and as such, the work is responsive and not scaling. When the work is viewed on a smaller scale, details will disappear, yet the composition stays recognisable. It is like stepping back to see a work from a distance. The work can also increasingly reveal more details when made larger. As a result Window will keep unfolding in the future as resolutions will grow.

The work follows standard window interactions. Double clicking or tapping the title bar will toggle between full browser and windowed view. On a laptop or desktop in windowed view, you can drag and resize your Window as you please. When made tiny, it makes for a nice profile pic. Clicking or tapping the background will cycle through three different background colours.

Window comes in seven latent colours and both in Windows Classic or Mac Classic style.
With the feature ‘Latent colour’ I look at the invisible steps within the procedure of a generative artwork. I love the idea that the script has chosen to feature a colour, but in a later step could fail to make it to the composition. By showing the colour as a feature, I try to extend the visual work with deeper invisible layers of the generative process.
Check the features to see what colour is seeded.

In honour of the blockchain and the web, the work is written in vanilla JavaScript, using no dependancies, and generates standard HTML DOM aiming for a closer feel of the user interface.

Window

***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]`

Art Blocks Presents

Arcadia #56

Zachariah Watson

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