Payphone 10: Grass is Always Greener

First satirical on-chain generative text NFT about NFT firsts. Don't sleep on this historic collection.

First NFT #697447

DEAFBEEF: Generative On-Chain Multimedia Art 

The code and parameters to generate and reconstruct these multimedia files is stored on 
the Ethereum blockchain.

Series 5 - Advection - Token 223

An aesthetic study of fluid motion. A commentary on the relationship between nature, mathematics and generative art. Progammable media with shared utility for a community.

Both artists and scientists are drawn to the beauty found in nature. Generative art may take inspiration from the compact mathematical models describing complex physical phenomena. Not only do these models produce perceptually interesting outputs, but the mathematical descriptions themselves have an elegant aesthetic.

This work attempts to express the beauty and harmony found in the overlap of mathematical and physical concepts in different perceptual modalities. The fluid motion model for these animations is based on academic research conducted in 2010. The sounds of struck percussion are synthesized from physical models sharing common principles.

This series extends the user programmable media paradigm of Series 4. One token will be reserved for community access. This one token is not owned, but its utility is shared: community members may learn, study and interact with a programmable system, and in turn may change parameters that influence the audiovisual output. Parameter changes and their authors' addresses are stored on-chain.

The audiovisual outputs are reconstructed entirely from 100kb of self contained C code stored on-chain.


DEAFBEEF Series 5: Advection - Token 223

DEGENERATIVE by DEAFBEEF

An NFT collection of generative art slot machines. Owners compete to be first to win jackpots, granting mint passes for a diminishing supply of additional slot machine NFTs with increasingly rare attributes.

A reflection on several themes in the mashup of generative art and (crypto)economic systems: controlled random processes, distribution of value, real and artificial scarceness, competition, gamification, merit, risk and precarity. 

Token 86 - Level 5


Level 5 - DEGENERATIVE by DEAFBEEF - Token 86

DEAFBEEF2: Generative On-Chain Multimedia Art 

DEAFBEEF Vol. 2 Series 0 - Caves - Token 4

In this generative audiovisual work in the style of ASCII roguelike games, a lone adventurer descends to explore fractal caves of increasing complexity. 

Sound and animation procedurally generated by self contained C code.

 Released on the occasion of the Tribute to Herbert W. Franke, commemorating his love of exploration in diverse fields including speleology(cave exploration), mathematics, computer art and science fiction.


DEAFBEEF Vol. 2, Series 0: Caves - Token 4

El Wormo is a Snake-clone with puzzle elements, programmed in C on a Windows 95 PC in 1998. The game was distributed via shareware.

El Wormo

First NFT #24812

FIRST is a collection of satirical generative texts. It both ridicules and fondly commemorates many aspects of NFT crypto culture circa September, 2021. 

All primary sales and royalties on secondary sales are donated to GiveDirectly.org charity.

Made by DEAFBEEF www.deafbeef.com.

First First NFTs

DEAFBEEF: Generative On-Chain Multimedia Art 

The code and parameters to generate and reconstruct these multimedia files is stored on 
the Ethereum blockchain.

Series 0 - Synth Poems - Token 92

Synth Poems are 1min generative audiovisual pieces using FM synthesis, and XY oscilloscope visualization. Each entirely generated unsupervised by a self contained code model, which is stored on chain. 

<p> Frequency Modulation(FM) is a method that was used in broadcasting radio signals, later discovered to be useful for audio synthesis allowing a simply way to generate rich harmonic timbres. The left and right stereo audio channels are mapped to the XY inputs of a (virtual) oscilloscope to produce a direct visualization of the audio waveform. 

<p>  At the musical level, this generative algorithm plays with feedback to produce an evolving but balanced set of timbres and pitches.  Across pieces, a carefully selected set of rules govern the variation of tempos, time signatures, (in)harmonicity  resulting in individual pieces that are unique, while retaining a common theme.


DEAFBEEF Series 0: Synth Poems - Token 92

Generative audiovisual art. Nothing but a C compiler. Pushing the limits of multimedia stored completely on-chain. 

Series 0 - Synth Poems are short generative music pieces, inspired by the sound of analog synthesizers. They are stored [on-chain](https://deafbeef.com/about.htm)

Each piece is generated at the time of minting from a random hash value, influencing musical elements including tempo, timbre, pitch and time signature. Simple rules lead to surprising variation, giving each piece it's own distinctive personality, while retaining a common theme.

Although synth poems are audio focused, a fitting visualization is added as an ode to early computer graphics that used vector displays to visualize analog signals. What you see is a direct representation of the sound signal, as it would appear on an oscilloscope.

The code that generates the audiovisual is stored completely on-chain, allowing a user to reconstruct the media without having to trust IPFS or external storage.

Deafbeef

DEGENERATIVE by DEAFBEEF

An NFT collection of generative art slot machines. Owners compete to be first to win jackpots, granting mint passes for a diminishing supply of additional slot machine NFTs with increasingly rare attributes.

A reflection on several themes in the mashup of generative art and (crypto)economic systems: controlled random processes, distribution of value, real and artificial scarceness, competition, gamification, merit, risk and precarity. 

Token 88 - Level 7


Level 7 - DEGENERATIVE by DEAFBEEF - Token 88

*Controlled randomness can be a tool to produce beautiful aesthetic variation; or for subversively rigging a game or economic system.*
[https://degen.deafbeef.com](https://degen.deafbeef.com)

An NFT collection of generative art slot machines. Owners compete to be first to win jackpots, granting mint passes for a diminishing supply of additional slot machine NFTs with increasingly rare attributes. 

A reflection on several themes in the mashup of generative art and (crypto)economic systems: controlled random processes, distribution of value, real and artificial scarceness, competition, gamification, merit, risk and precarity.

DEGENERATIVE by DEAFBEEF

DEAFBEEF2: Generative On-Chain Multimedia Art 

DEAFBEEF Vol. 2 Series 1 - Noumenon - Token 16

The unknowable.


DEAFBEEF Vol. 2, Series 1: Noumenon - Token 16

Audiovisual generative art crafted with a minimal toolset.

DEAFBEEF2

Cave themed pixel art created on Macintosh Performa in 1995/96, intended for use in a roguelike dungeon crawler game.

Pixel Art: Caves

Memory Box is a look back into my past, through the traces of digital artifacts left behind on the series of personal computers I've used beginning in childhood. Recovering these artifacts is an emotional task for me. The Mac Plus that has been packed and sitting in my parent's basement since 1996, when the screen went dead. The hard drive still contains my programming experiments, and for the past decade I've always had a mind to try to have it recovered. But I've procrastinated, knowing that the data might not be recoverable. It was easier just to let it sit in an unknown state, rather than confirm that it was gone forever. It would be like losing a piece of myself. Finally I brought myself to have the drive recovered.

See full video story here:
https://www.ensemble.art/story/memory-box

Memory Box - Editions

Macintosh Plus programmed in BASIC to play Canon in D, circa 1994.

Canon in D: Macintosh Plus

Memory Box

DEAFBEEF: Chronophotograph - Token 47

Chronophotograph is the companion collection to Vol. 2, Series 1 - Noumenon. This work is made in support of The Los Angeles County Museum of Art's Art and Technology Lab, in collaboration with Cactoid Labs, presented in dialogue with the chronophotopgraphic work of Eadweard Muybridge in the LACMA archives.

On a time locked schedule, a blockchain transaction can be triggered to metaphorically "capture" an observation of a Noumenon, minting a new ERC721 token in this companion series. The blocknumber serves as the seed for a deterministic program to generate an image in the style of Muybridge's chronophotographs, representing the attempt to transcend sensory limitations through the use of technology.

Viewers are encouraged to reflect on the perception of time, consensus reality, photography and blockchain as sources of objective truth, limitations thereof.


Chronophotograph 47

Chronophotograph is the companion collection to Vol. 2, Series 1 - Noumenon. This work is made in support of The Los Angeles County Museum of Art's Art and Technology Lab, in collaboration with Cactoid Labs, presented in dialogue with the chronophotopgraphic work of Eadweard Muybridge in the LACMA archives.

On a time locked schedule, a blockchain transaction can be triggered to metaphorically "capture" an observation of a Noumenon, minting a new ERC721 token in this companion series. The blocknumber serves as the seed for a deterministic program to generate an image in the style of Muybridge's chronophotographs, representing the attempt to transcend sensory limitations through the use of technology.

Viewers are encouraged to reflect on the perception of time, consensus reality, photography and blockchain as sources of objective truth, limitations thereof.

DEAFBEEF: Chronophotograph - Token 85

Chronophotograph is the companion collection to Vol. 2, Series 1 - Noumenon. This work is made in support of The Los Angeles County Museum of Art's Art and Technology Lab, in collaboration with Cactoid Labs, presented in dialogue with the chronophotopgraphic work of Eadweard Muybridge in the LACMA archives.

On a time locked schedule, a blockchain transaction can be triggered to metaphorically "capture" an observation of a Noumenon, minting a new ERC721 token in this companion series. The blocknumber serves as the seed for a deterministic program to generate an image in the style of Muybridge's chronophotographs, representing the attempt to transcend sensory limitations through the use of technology.

Viewers are encouraged to reflect on the perception of time, consensus reality, photography and blockchain as sources of objective truth, limitations thereof.


Chronophotograph 85

CHRONOPHOTOGRAPH by 0xDEAFBEEF

HASHMARKS by 0xDEAFBEEF: 100 unique hand forged iron sculptures and cryptographically linked digital tokens.

HASHMARKS #32

100 unique hand forged iron sculptures and cryptographically linked digital tokens.

More info at [hashmarks.deafbeef.com](https://hashmarks.deafbeef.com)

HASHMARKS #63

HASHMARKS by 0xDEAFBEEF

Payphone 2: Blue. Red. Yellow.

BEEF-E (Payphone) is a human intelligence model* that generates art from any prompt you give!** Or just call to say hi.

*of questionable quality
**Lead times may vary. Delivery not guaranteed.

More detail here: [https://payphone.deafbeef.com](https://payphone.deafbeef.com)

A live-streamed blockchain performance.  Users submit blockchain transactions with a textual message, causing my phone to ring and dictate the message in real time. The result and documentation of the phone prompt and creation process will be minted for sale, with right of first refusal offer to the original prompter.

PAYPHONE by 0xDEAFBEEF

In _PAYPHONE_ (2024), 0xDEAFBEEF considers phone cards as an early form of tokenized communication in relation to contemporary blockchain ledger systems. Phone cards once circulated via an active collectible market, and have even doubled as currency; they employed technologies for loading, tracking, and spending value. _PAYPHONE_ features uniquely generated phone card tokens, which will be updated with sound pieces based on a live call-and-response performance by the artist. An edition of physical telephone tokens, created from hand-forged and laser-cut iron, accompany the work.<br><br>0xDEAFBEEF’S call-and-response performance will be live for participation and viewing here: [https://payphone.deafbeef.com/](https://payphone.deafbeef.com/).

PAYPHONE #24

PAYPHONE by 0xDEAFBEEF was exhibited on Feral File in March 2024, as part of the SOUND MACHINES exhibition, curated by MoMA.

PAYPHONE #30

PAYPHONE phone cards

Performance and Auction: May 30th, 2022 17:00 UTC+0 

The live performance is open to the public. Collecting this Access Pass grants access to an editioned recorded video of the live streamed performance. 

The auction for the artwork created during the performance begins 30 May, 2022 17:00 UTC+0. The auction winner will receive a unique iron sculpture, unique digital output of render produced by software, codebase, and recorded video of live streamed performance, sent within seven days after live performance.

Since 2020, 0xDEAFBEEF has been known primarily for creating generative audiovisual works that explore the limits of blockchain both technically and conceptually. For the first time, “Sketches in Iron” combines the artist’s core interest in software with a lesser known facet of their background, metalworking. Pushing the boundary further between digital computation and a 6,000 year-old industrial practice that plays out through a choreographed live streamed performance, the artist introduces their own biological, mineral content as catalyst for the work.

The work was performed publicly for the first and only time on feralfile.com through an iframe pointed at a YouTube livestream on May 30th, 2022 at 17:05 UTC. 100 individuals purchased “access passes,” which allowed them to receive an edition of the recording, post-live performance. The unique iron sculpture created during the livestream performance was auctioned to one individual.

Sketches in Iron #27

Sketches in Iron by 0xDEAFBEEF was exhibited on Feral File in May 2022, as part of the On Screen Presence exhibition, curated by Regina Harsanyi.

Sketches in Iron #49

Sketches in Iron

A 1923 wall mount telephone rings. A synthesized voice reads a translated excerpt from Aristotle's "On the Soul." This editioned video connects early communication networks with classical philosophy and artificial intelligence.

Vox Anima #77

Vox Anima by 0xDEAFBEEF was exhibited on Feral File in March 2024, as part of the SOUND MACHINES exhibition, curated by MoMA.

Vox Anima #80

Vox Anima

HISTORIC EVENT by 0xDEAFBEEF: A series of stop motion animations of junk and debris, performed in real time in synchronization with Ethereum. Optically and cryptographically verifiable as HISTORIC EVENTS, a rare status in a media landscape that is becoming increasingly untethered from time and space.

HISTORIC EVENT #9

HISTORIC EVENT by 0xDEAFBEEF
[https://deafbeef.com/historicevent](https://deafbeef.com/historicevent)

A series of stop motion animations of junk and debris, performed in real time in synchronization with Ethereum. With every newly mined block,an animation frame is photographically captured and its SHA256 hash recorded in a transaction. The performance progresses by smoothly animating materials to form the first 8 digits of the starting frames blockhash.

Piles of physical junk are full of entropy. They are optically complex, especially in motion. The detail and temporal coherence is beyond the current capabilities of generative AI models, offering proof of their physical existence.

Although they may appear to be "slop", optical and cryptographic proof make these verifiable HISTORIC EVENTS, a rare status in a media landscape that is becoming increasingly untethered from time and space.

Read more at: [https://deafbeef.com/historicevent](https://deafbeef.com/historicevent)


HISTORIC EVENT #7

HISTORIC EVENT

HASHMARKS
- 100 unique hand forged iron sculptures
- Cryptographically linked NFTs with unique claim/storage/time-based mechanism.
- Site specific happening @brtmoments Nov 6-8 Patagonia
Ticket sale Sep 18 - 20.
Details: http://hashmarks.deafbeef.com

If you've been following along, I've enjoyed making several cryptic videos, archived at http://hashmarks.deafbeef.com. A subdued final video tying it together. In Patagonia, collectors will choose from a grid of 100 such sculptures.

An SVG image of every iron sculpture is stored on-chain but encrypted via a hash based stream cipher.
Collectors can choose whether to claim and reveal the digital token using a hash of the engraved secret key.

Over a 10 year period, unless refreshed periodically by hashes of the engraved secret key, the dynamic SVG image will begin to fade. A time-based mechanism as incentive to keep the physical object and digital token together during that period.

After a period of 10 years of refreshing, once per year, by submitting successive elements in the hash chain, the root is finally reached and the digital token becomes immortal, never again fading.

The site specific event is presented in partnership with @brtmoments taking place Nov 6th-8th, 2023. Event tickets will be auctioned on Sep 18 - 20. Details about ticket sales for the event and itinerary can be found here:
https://brightmoments.io/hashmarks

0xDEAFBEEF

0xDEAFBEEF

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