INFINITE | 無限 invites an exploration of the dichotomy between vastness and singularity, encapsulating the essence of spatial and dimensional dynamics. Moving from clearly delineated boundaries of color and shape to more nebulous and subjective, like the edges of a thought or feeling. It is an allusion to the ever-expanding nature of our universe, the inconceivable borders that define our cosmic reality.

The project alludes to the exploration of the minutiae, the absolute singular, the elemental. It invites us to broaden our perceptions of both the physical and metaphysical dimensions, as well as our understanding of the world and our place within it. The AI model, once trained, endlessly produces new visuals. The metaphorical ebb and flow of these AI-generated images, their birth, and their subsequent journey into the universe, encourage a meditative state, as if taking part in a digital transcendental journey into the heart of the cosmos.

Visuals are created with Javascript code and custom GAN model, trained by artist. Outputs are generated live with model and code hosted on Blockchain/IPFS.
Training data of the artist’s custom AI model includes paint close ups, abstract photographs and original images by ESA/Hubble (esahubble.org)

Ivona Tau
2023

INFINITE | 無限

'Metabolic Metropolis' is a generative art collection that depicts 100 unique views of Tokyo through which A.A.Murakami’s signature fog rings flow across the cityscape. 

Utilizing open source data acquired based on aerial surveys, the data set represents the real urban landscape of Tokyo as a 3D Model in the game engine Unity. On this architectural base, custom outline shaders were developed that overlay a luminous grid of lights creating geometric patterns that glide and glitch on the surface of the city. 

These shaders draw inspiration from highly patterned woodblock prints of the ‘Floating World’ during the Edo period and the ‘Metabolism Architecture’ movement of 1960's Japan. 

A.A.Murakami's artistic practice in merging art, technology and nature continues in the digital realm. The ethereal quality conveyed in the iconic fog rings is transferred in the web3 space capturing the fleeting moment of nature and the transience of life which lies inside the 'Metabolic Metropolis'.

Metabolic Metropolis

I have been long interested in education and generative art, approaching them separately most of the time. This artwork tries to get them closer in my practice, by letting the experiencer of the piece finish it by creating a part of it with a rule-based system, to mimic what the system does but at a smaller scale. This little game is not just a playful addition, but a fundamental part of the artwork, without which the piece is not complete.  The title is drawn from the idea that generative art can take you to explore every corner of a given space of possibilities, finding the strange things (extrañezas) along the way. Also, exploring the what ifs when some rules are broken. And experiencing it in first person.

The piece aims to show various parts of how I create my pieces, by showing the different layers it is composed of and letting the experiencer finalise the artwork by having to recreate step by step what the algorithm has done to create the intermediate work. Art has this tremendous power to engage, to attract, to let the observer get carried away in their own inner world as a reaction to what the piece proposes. I believe the positive impact of a piece in the experiencer can be then increased if they can understand better the process that creates the piece.

The piece creates a base layer of colour shapes, rather informal and basic. It then uses vertical lines to add rhythm to it, and a distortion layer to generate a more intricate canvas. The lines layer is then used again to act as a mask, effectively creating windows into the layer with the simple shapes. The experiencer then has to find the way to ask the piece to play a game (hint: most of my pieces accept written commands). When they are rewarded with this possibility, the piece writes in the browser console (press cmd+shift+i / ctrl+shift+i  to see it in most browsers) a set of instructions of what to to next. The experiencer can then finish the piece with their own intent. In a way, it's a performance of the piece. A way to make it more personal. Or to just wander around with no intention. Relaxing our thoughts with pure play is something we seldom do as adults, yet it is the source of new thoughts, ideas, or a way to find inner equilibrium.

Aesthetically, it is furthering the exploration of colour that I have been doing in most of my pieces. A clear reference to me is František Kupka series of paintings made of vertical lines, of which "The cathedral" is one of the best known. While I had this in mind, I abandoned my original intention of creating a tribute to that series, but ended up visually close in some outputs.

The piece allows for further control. The instructions are written to the browser console when loading the piece. They can also be found in the Display Notes section, or in my website, https://www.iillucid.com/extranezas. A quick summary: press s to save current image, v followed by 1, 2, 3 or 0 to see all the layers in the image. Please try to find the hidden _game_. The piece is not complete without it.

Extrañezas

"The Collector's Room" represents my inaugural foray into the realm of long-form generative art. This series synthesizes my well-established Infinity Room NFT and cryptoart series with my burgeoning passion for crafting textures, 3D geometries, and colors through code. Each NFT, or room, in this series, functions as an homage to the current moment generative digital art is enjoying within the contemporary art sphere. Furthermore, this project pays tribute to the discerning digital art collectors who passionately support and preserve digital culture, paralleling the enthusiasm of the artists who create it.  In a unique twist, each room offers the option of being adorned with one of three distinct generative art series, exclusively available within "The Collector's Room." Consequently, this creates a meta-generative art project, encapsulating a myriad of generative art series within a larger, overarching generative endeavor.  I am honored to bring this series to life, thanks to the support from Proof Collective and the Moonbirds community. (Press the 'S' key to save a PNG of any output from this series while viewing the live code).

The Collector's Room

If winds were fibers, what would they weave?

I live on a hillside near the coast. Seasonal winds sculpt the trees into tortured but elegant shapes. Some are stripped bare but still reach for the sky. Others bend their trunks to protect their foliage like a shield.

This project began with an idea to simulate smoke and the winding paths it follows. The smoke coalesced into strands of fiber and colorful yarn. Then it swirled into strange and organic forms.

Some look like those wind-sculpted trees. Others are blankets unraveling, or storybook creatures felted from wool.

If you look close, they are all fuzzy and soft and begging to be touched.

As this project developed I researched fiber arts, an artistic tradition with a rich history. I spoke with artists and friends who knit, weave, felt wool, and raise Alpacas and sheep. Windwoven pieces don't try to simulate actual weaving, but the project is grounded in the fiber arts world. Many palettes are drawn from yarn and wool roving colors and from shades of Alpaca fur. The color blending mimics the dynamic colors that can be achieved when carding dyed wool.

Of course, most of the outputs could only be made with code, pushing fiber-like artwork into new realms.

Art Blocks Flex

INFINITE | 無限

Ivona Tau

About INFINITE | 無限

Ivona Tau

Algorithmic edition of 100

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Metabolic Metropolis

A.A.Murakami

Extrañezas

Marcelo Soria-Rodríguez

The Collector's Room

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Windwoven

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