OG Pak (2020) - Before the days of utility, roadmaps, allow lists, or mint drop dates, there was art. Pre-dating the creation of $ASH, game theory wizardry, and large edition collections, Polymorph Intstrument and Hedra Rari both display Pak's earlier pieces of NFT art in a pure and unadulterated form. Art that does not have extensive information about it and is to be interpreted and valued by the collector for what it is, early historical art created by the greatest creator and designer of the digital era.
The Cheap - The Title Collection (Jan 2021) Pak challenges conventional wisdom through The Title, a collection demonstrating NFT art is much more than just the image. The collection contained a variety of NFTs sharing the same visual image with different names (titles) such as The Cheap, The Expensive, The Flipper, The Builder, and many others. With different edition sizes and pricing for each, one can see how these different pieces diverge in meaning, significance, and demand among art collectors across the world.
The Fungible (April 2021) - The Beginning of $ASH. Burn art to create $ASH to collect art. Cubes of different denominations could be burned for $ASH, a fair launch social currency that started with zero distribution and could only be created through the destruction of cubes. As cubes are burned, scarcity increases, forcing the collector to decide whether to hold onto the art or burn it for its $ASH value. By pushing the boundaries of what an NFT smart contract can do, Pak created a novel ecosystem created and defined by the decisions of their collectors. The Fungible lead to the creation of $ASH, which then led to the development of an $ASH ecosystem, where artists could list their work in $ASH. The $ASH ecosystem is more than just a transactional currency, as it has sprouted an entire community of likeminded individuals focused on the appreciation for the arts, driving innovation, living the ethos of web 3, and supporting one another throughout the journey.
Lost Poets (Sept 2021) - One year in web 3 can feel like a lifetime, but that's exactly what Pak developed with this collection. Many years in the making, Pak's Lost Poets collection is an ongoing PFP/poetry project that bridges generative AI art, literacy, strategy, and novel smart contract innovation to create a unique and mystical journey. The project began with 65k blank pages (ERC 1155) which during a period of time could be converted to AI generated poets (ERC 720). Poets all stem from 1024 "origin" poets, with all other poets being part of one of these lineages. With roughly 28k poets created, remaining pages (tokens) could now be "fed" to these poets to give the poet a name and words to create poetry. Collectors can choose their own words which get inscribed in the poet's metadata, thus creating new properties and rarities to their poets. How many pages will collectors feed their poets vs simply hold onto their pages? What value does providing words bring? What roles do origin poets play? What words will collectors choose to use? How will these poets be used in the future for whatever Pak has in store? All poets will be burnable for $ASH after one year, but there is a twist. The twist itself is unknown, but one thing is certain - this is a masterpiece in the making.
Lost Poets (Sept 2021)
Lost Poets (Sept 2021)
Lost Poets (Sept 2021)
Fomoverse (Oct 2021) - A free drop consisting of only 1,234 parcels (editions) of the Fomoverse given on a FCFS basis. With no utility, roadmap, or promises (well before the trend existed in the NFT space) and royalties of 50%, collectors are 50/50 partners with Pak. What Fomoverse will become is built and defined by the collectors, enabling partners to dream without limits and create their own destiny. Fomoverse parcels are eligible for burn for $ASH creating further scarcity. What does a true Metaverse look like? What will collectors be able to build with the skills and innovation within the community? What potential can be untapped and what role might Pak play in building something for the long term?
Carbon - Ash Chapter 1 (Jan 2022) This collection was originally issued to collectors via purchase in $ASH or through gifting (via community nomination, qualifying actions, or direct gifting from Pak). Editions are dynamic, meaning individual pieces can morph or evolve into different visuals at the sole discretion of the creator. One of the most respected and sought after versions of Carbon, the Gold Vanguard, is a gold carbon gifted from Pak to select members of the community who were nominated by their peers for their contributions to the community and ongoing support for the Pak/Ash ecosystem. When, how, or why a carbon token may continue to evolve challenges the conventional wisdom of NFT ownership. When a collector owns an NFT, what exactly do they own? How much of the art's value is placed on the image itself knowing it may change over time? This highlights the capabilities of smart contracts and the power a creator has to control every aspect of the token itself, both to enhance the art itself as well as a way to engage with the collector. Will the pressure of carbon one day create a diamond? Only time will tell.
Censored (Feb 2022) - A seemingly simple, yet powerful and provocative collection that highlights the prevalence of censorship in today's world. An open edition collection where collectors could actually name their own price for the cost of mint and write their own personal statement. In conjunction with the ongoing imprisonment and extradition of former WikiLeaks founder, Julian Assange, editions from this collection cannot be sold or transferred until Julian is set free. In a non-political effort to highlight the topic of censorship, this collection taps into the collective the power of words as an impactful form of artistic expression as well as the hopes for a future in Web 3 where societies globally can have freedom of speech and information. 100% of the proceeds were donated to Ukraine relief efforts. Literature is art.
Metamorphosis - Ash Chapter 2 (March 2022) A unique collection including 30 prominent artists with varying styles, backgrounds, and followings. All 30 artists (including Pak) agreed to equally share in the revenues generated to equalize the playing field among artists despite varying levels of demand. Each artist created two visually unique pieces, referred to as form 1 (common) and form 2 (rare). Demonstrated for the first time in any multi-artist collection, each artist was able to mint 250 form 1 editions directly from their own wallet and transfer directly to the collector to maintain provenance while still being part of a broader group collection. Using a first of its kind smart contract mechanism, collectors could collect and burn any four form 1 tokens across the entire collection to morph a fifth form 1 of their choice to a rarer form 2. Since form 2s can only be obtained through burning multiple form 1s, presumably from artists whose form 1s were less in demand, scarcity increases which continuously balances market dynamics for all artists. In addition, if any artist has 50 or less tokens remaining due to burning, their form 2 tokens become burn eligible for $ASH, thus enhancing its value and adding another element to supply/demand dynamics. Metamorphosis, titled after the novel written by Franz Kafka, may maintain multiple parallels. Does Metamorphosis pertain simply the morphing of a token from form 1 to form 2? Or is there a deeper message and story to be told? With the richness of 30 unique artists, 60 unique pieces, burn/morph mechanisms, and dynamic supply/demand variables, Pak again demonstrates the unique role collectors play across collector/creator dynamics.