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Larva Labs, CryptoPunks. CryptoPunk #4523, 2017. PFP Collectible.
I remember looking at the punks for sale before I settled on 4523. I chose it, like many other punk owners, because it looks like me.
The cryptopunks are more than just pixelated avatars. Obviously. They represent my "ah hah" moment where I "got" why NFTs are so powerful. This thing is part my identity, my face.
berk.eth, BASTARD GAN PUNKS V2. BASTARD GAN PUNK V2 #4948, 2021. PFP Collectible.
We all wear multiple masks. I remember initially thinking the BGANs were ugly... and then I learned about how they were made (using a GAN model, among other things). Suddenly I liked the popping colours, the madness, the glitch. He's my bastard alter-ego. You'll come around one day, too.
Now gods, stand up for bastards!
pob.studio, HASH Season 0: Genesis. Committed to the Cause, 2021. Generative Art.
Proof Of Beauty's HASH project allows us to create generative art from an Ethereum transaction hash, bringing beauty to something technical. Art like this is a gateway for those new in crypto to understand how blockchains actually work.
I used HASH to tokenise a moment in my own journey, which is now forever with me. The message I appended to the art reads:
“My ETH2 deposit, made whilst in hotel isolation in Sydney during the years of the Covid-19 pandemic. November 22nd 2020.”
CRYPTOCATS The Technicolor Scruff, 2017. Composite of 10 pre-ERC721 NFTs.
These were, I think, my first NFT. Cryptocats are OG, pre-dating the ERC-721 standard. Some (the punk kittens) were made with the input of John from Larvalabs. I minted many, gave one to a friend, sold a few, fractionalised another, and have kept the rest.
I see all of these "scruffy" cats as a composite work, and had a gif made up of a single cat, looping fluidly through all of the different colours. This I called the "technicolour scruff".
Snowfro, Chromie Squiggle (Art Blocks Curated). Chromie Squiggle #9050, 2021. Long-Form Generative Art.
Snowfro's squiggles are an emblem for Art Blocks and the Long-Form Generative Art movement as a whole. They represent NFT art that is actually interesting, and not the vulgar copy-pasta 10k PFPs or pump and dump collections launched to enrich their creators. All of the stuff I instantly dismiss, and sadly what is the most "visible" to the average person looking upon our industry.
These squiggles are unassuming, even cute... but this belies their deeper significance. They are a moniker for a new era in human Art and culture. I have cycled through a few squiggles, and currently hold this elegant slinky. It used to belong to a famous collector, who's wallet was hacked. Months later, I purchased it from the NFTX squiggle pool. This squiggle has some infamy in its past.
More info and
Matt DesLauriers, Meridian (Art Blocks Playground). Meridian #197, 2021. Long-Form Generative Art.
Meridians had me from the moment I first saw them. They are iconic. I had to have one... and then, multiple (such is the nature of addiction).
Maybe its because they remind me of those DIY sand art bottles I associate with childhood. This series is museum grade art already, having been shown at MOCA Taipei as part of an exhibit titled "Gaia: Gene, algorithm, intelligent design, automata_A mirage self, The Other Realm" from February to April 2022.
I've named this one "Jade Mountains".
ROBNESS, ROBNESS COLLECTION(2019-2020 PRE/PANDEMIC ERA WORKS). 50 Movements of Ryu (Blue), 2020. Arcade Pop/Collage NFT.
The story of how this NFT came into my hands is unusual. The artist, ROBNESS, bid upon an ENS name that I owned at the time, wired.eth.
I dm'd him on twitter, and we organised a trade. I picked this collage from his body of work, and he received wired.eth. I never asked what he wanted it for, and looking at its state now, I see he renewed it for 100 years then sent it to the burn address... I'm happy to leave why a mystery.
Sgt_slaughtermelon, Lazlo Lissitsky. Lazlo Lissitsky - Flora of Victorian England, A Magician's Companion, New Blessings Limited Editions, John Appleworth Dee, 1961, 2021. Generative Art.
A little known, rather experimental, and at times gorgeous series of generative NFTs that draw inspiration from Suprematism, Bauhaus, and Swiss Modern graphic design.
I searched patiently for one with a balanced composition, and to my glee, was able to acquire this.
Ben Kovach, Edifice (Art Blocks Curated). Edifice #421, 2021. Long-Form Generative Art.
This series by Ben Kovach is instantly accessible. Blocks of colour and shapes form, pockmarked by circular holes. The blues from the "Salt" and the reds from the "Ska" colour palette outputs resonate with me.
These, alongside Meridians, were my first real foray into Art Blocks pieces.
pob.studio, London Gift. few puny rigid range, 2021. Generative Art.
Following on from HASH, POB studios released London Gifts, 8888 generative pieces each costing 1559 $LONDON to mint. Everything about these NFTs revolved around the London hardfork, which implemented EIP-1559.
I remember watching the hard fork go live, and minting "few puny rigid range" immediately after with the LONDON tokens in my wallet. That was an exciting, and celebratory moment in Ethereum's history.
Emily Edelman, Dima Ofman, and Andrew Badr,Asemica (Art Blocks Curated). Asemica #529, 2021. Long-Form Generative Art.
We understand the world through language, and the written word is a cornerstone of how we humans develop our linguistic abilities. It is practically essential for modern existence, but we often forget how beautiful it can be too.
Emily Edelman, Dima Ofman, Andrew Badr distill this, taking away the semantics to give us pure form... beautiful gibberish. Or is it actually saying something we don't yet grasp?
ChiModu, hip hop images digital poster series. Tupac Shakur Los Angeles, CA 1995, 2021. Photography NFT.
Tupac, alongside Kendrick, was a rapper who spoke about more than just money, fame, and women (though he did that a lot, too). He appreciated Shakespeare, wrote poetry, and grasped the deeper, tragic aspects of life. He is a cultural icon, and its a joy to have one of these photos from ChiModu, who was there, with his camera, when it was all still happening.
William Mapan, Anticyclone (Art Blocks Curated). Anticyclone #742, 2022. Long-Form Generative Art.
The Anticyclone series is gorgeous, especially the "night" time outputs.
I cheekily call this piece "Leet", because I acquired it for 13.37 ETH from its previous owner... not cheap.
The striking orange hue comes from the "Emmeline" palette, which is named after the English political activist Emmeline Pankhurst. This output is notable because it is the most orange "night" output of the collection, with almost none of the typical blues that make other "Emmelines" recognisable.
gmDAO, gmDAO token. gm. 764, 2021/2022. DAO membership token.
In September 2021, a user with the handle @CyphrETH began something on crypto twitter:
"Everyday for the next 100 days, I will say "gm" without fail. The first 10 people who say it back will be entitled to claim a coveted "gm." token."
As the gm's gained traction, you had to answer a question, too. The first 10 respondents with the correct answer got a token. It became VERY competitive, often being completely finished within 30 seconds of the tweet.
One day, I got my token. From there, it has given me access to incredible art and an awesome community... but that's for another post.
More info and
nonfigurativ, The Liths of Sisyphus (Art Blocks Factory). The Liths of Sisyphus #267, 2021. Long-Form Generative Art.
Edition 505 of the xkcd comic and Albert Camus come together to explain nonfigurativ's work better than I ever could:
"So I'm stuck in this desert for eternity. I don't know why. I just woke up here one day. I never feel hungry or thirsty. I just walk. Sand and rocks stretch to infinity..."
After watching these pieces slowly circle, I come to the same conclusions as Camus. One must imagine Sisyphus happy.
Collector's Notes, Volume 1. August 2022.
Fin. Volume 2 here