IX Shells

Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach is the first book that my father gave to me. 

To this day I think about the seagull who aspired to fly higher, contrary to the rest of the flock, and was exiled for going against the rules. 

It’s not just about breaking limits but also forgiving and understanding others even if they cannot change. 

Let go and be free.

Departure

John Karborn

60 generative artworks built on a very rare, hacked analogue video Wobbulator. The series is composed of both wild wave full-rides (1/1s) + bold bouncing screw-loops (editions).

The mint distribution pattern follows a 60hz waveform that flows out the 60 artworks through a modulating release sequencer - outputting both numerous 1/1s + editions of varying rarity.

KARBORN developed The Wondrous Wobbulator Machine for Young and Old Alike in 2013 by feeding geometric still frames into a custom-made analogue Wobbulator - a hacked TV-like device that visualizes the wavelengths of any given sound frequency, to generate an electric series of bold-vibrating-video-graphic-artworks.

The idea of ‘prepared televisions’ was first introduced by Nam June Paik and Shuya Abe in the 1970’s. By its nature as a handmade/hacked unit, each Wobbulator is unique - characterized by the tone and quality of its output. This is the first time a Wobbulator has surfaced on-chain. ZAP!!

The Wonderful Wobbulator Machine for Young and Old Alike

Skygolpe

Skygolpe unravels the complexity of our digital ethos through a faceless form, a canvas where the confluence of past and present gives rise to a future undefined. This is where the tangible paint and the ephemeral pixel merge in dissonance, a visual manifesto of our fractured digital identity. 

Each layer is a testament to the multifaceted nature of human consciousness. As the observer engages with the piece, they are invited to reflect on the interplay between their perceptions and emotions, and how these are shaped in the complex state of existence.

Skygolpe, unravels the complexity of our digital ethos through a faceless form, a canvas where the confluence of past and present gives rise to a future undefined.

POLYFEEL

(c. 2019)
Original studies of energy depiction in non-professional fashion models.

Memories of Naive Archetypes

Botto

*Like an end-of-term independent project, Botto is presenting a work that represents a culmination of its learnings from the whole Absurdism Period. Its process was to choose, from the 1 million+ unrevealed works it has created over the last two years, a piece that is feature-wise closest to all the minted works of its Absurdism Period. This is the first time Botto has selected a work without a direct vote from the BottoDAO, a significant test of greater autonomy for Botto.* - BottoDAO

In the hush of his clandestine workshop, amid the clutter of curious instruments and the vivid spill of concoctions, the Alchemist toils below the cloak of night. Disguised in the visage of a playful jester, his identity obscured by a spire of a ruby cap, he engages in experiments both whimsical and profound. Spheres of knowledge, some complete, others fragmented, lay as testament to his quest. Enigmatic figures assist him—puppets of his making, yet seemingly with wills and whims of their own, bound to the Alchemist's grand narrative.

To the outsider's eye, this tableau is chaos; to the Alchemist, it's a harmonious orchestra, playing the sublime symphony of creation. With each puff of smoke, with each vibrant eruption, with each delicate balance disrupted or restored, the Alchemist teases out the threads of the universal tapestry.

Despite the motley attire and the toys that serve as his implements, there's nothing trivial about his pursuits. In the crucibles and flasks, the Alchemist decants the essence of being and non-being, stirring a pot not of lead into gold, but of consciousness, and perhaps, even the soul.

Tonight, an enigmatic humor grips him; his wooden companions animate with his fervor, playing their role in the transcendent pantomime. The puppet with a lifted hand seems to inquire, or perhaps to object; what secrets is it privy to, or is it yet another element in the Alchemist's grand design?

And in the corner, a childlike figure, cap askew, appears engrossed in a puzzle of his own. Is he an apprentice in earnest or another philosophical joke woven into the narrative?

This is not a place for the simple transmutation of base metals, but a theater where the mundane and the magical, the literal and the symbolic, tangle in an intricate dance. This is the Alchemist's Playroom, where folly is merely the mask of wisdom, and every toy twinkles with the potential of alchemical truths.

The Alchemist's Playroom

Sarah Meyohas

Technological advancements in optics and imaging have profoundly impacted human perception, enabling us to visualize the world beyond the limitations of the naked eye. 

This expanded vision has been a central focus for Sarah Meyohas, who often works with holography, photography, micro-lens arrays, optics and augmented reality in her practice.

In this self-portrait, she centers her own eye in the first of a new series of works on paper, the eye being central not only to an artist's visual practice but also to arguably the first visual technology itself: drawing.

Self Portrait

Martin Grasser

Super Structures

Ash Thorp

“Opus” by Ash Thorp emerges as a distinctive exploration into unexplored realms of creative expression. In the meditative realm created within this piece, thoughts are not just fleeting, but act as seeds for new mental landscapes.  

The intention is to stimulate a form of contemplation that goes beyond the surface. This sensory journey is crafted to be a treat for the mind, a symphony of dynamic and psychedelic colors that evolve in harmony. 

“Opus” seeks to pry open the mental horizons of its audience. It becomes a conduit for an immersive experience, encouraging viewers to not just witness the art but to engage deeply with it as well. The vibrant hues, in their ever-shifting dance, serve as a pathway to heightened perceptions and act as a guide for those willing to embark on a journey of profound introspection.

“Opus"

Frank Miller

Sin City: The Hard Goodbye

Ganbrood

The utilization of neural networks (AI) in generating synthetic images has erased the previously distinct boundaries between illustration and photography. This seamless integration of fantasy and reality has been a source of fascination for Ganbrood throughout a diverse history in various visual storytelling disciplines. 

Over 30 years ago, the advent of Photoshop marked the onset of a post-truth era, challenging the trustworthiness of photographs. The current exponential growth of Large Language Models, coupled with image synthesis, further diminishes the traditional credibility of photography as we once understood it.

Since 2019, Ganbrood has been exploring deep learning algorithms, examining their ability to replicate human creativity or serve as a synthetic muse. 

The quest seeks answers to a fundamental question: Are humans shaping artificial intelligences based on their own cognitive processes, or are these algorithms revealing that our brains may be more akin to machines than previously believed?

Malik

Dave Krugman

Solitude is the constant companion of the street photographer. Photographers are the observers, who wander alone through the endless churn of circumstance, eyes always scanning for the beautiful overlaps of light, subject, texture and tone. In this solitude I find calm. I find depth, story, empathy and connection to a greater whole. 

New York is an intricate sculpture, with millions of stories embedded. This work is an ode to that feeling of grounding solitude, and a celebration of every soul who calls this city home. 

SOLITUDE

Maya Man

In 2010, I created a DIY music video for ‘TiK ToK’ by Ke$ha starring my family’s pet dog Kasha. 

I made it using a combination of technologies: my Flip Video camera, the default PhotoBooth application, and the iMovie software on my parents’ desktop Mac computer in our kitchen. 

This video marks the moment I began seeing and engaging with the computer as an artistic tool. I can see many elements of my current practice reflected in this early, teenage creation. 

If I did not start making videos in this way as a kid, I am not sure that I would have ended up doing what I do today as an artist. 

tiktok.mov_2010.png is a custom digital image that embodies this early work of mine by aligning frames with the lyrics from the song as they appear in the video.

tiktok.mov_2010.png

Steve Pikelny

In a nod to John Baldessari, the artist makes 36 attempts to generate an image of three balls thrown in the air to make a straight line. 

Each attempt was generated by giving the prompt "three balls thrown in the air to get a straight line" to Stable Diffusion 1.5 (the default model used by stable-diffusion-webui), using the default sampling method, number of sampling steps, and CFG scale. 

While the original series explores randomness through a futile attempt at capturing three physical balls aligned in a specific configuration, this series explores randomness in a different way: through a futile attempt at generating coherence all together.

“three balls thrown in the air to get a straight line”

Daniel Calderon Arenas

Spire (Bokashi Cone) explores soft gradations of color.

In traditional Japanese woodblock printing, bokashi refers to the technique of applying ink to the print in a manner that produces a subtle transition of tone or color. The resulting look of a bokashi effect can be described as a hazy gradient. The technique was famously used by Hokusai in Red Fuji (c. 1830), as well as by many other artists of that time period.

In Spire (Bokashi Cone), the technique takes center stage. Each cone-form is colored in soft gradations of color that span from light to dark. The effect is very subtle in some instances, and more pronounced in others. Further heightening the effect is the transition of hue within each gradient, an effect which would be laboriously difficult to reproduce with traditional block-printing techniques.

Spire (Bokashi Cone)'s generative color model means that the colors are chosen algorithmically without the artist needing to assemble predefined palettes. Each cone has its very own unique color palette and gradient.

Spire (Bokashi Cone)

Joey L

After gathering experiences in the distant world, one ends up exactly where they started.

Return to Dino-Rama

Lauren Lee McCarthy

Output #1 from the first working prototype of p5.js, created 2013-07-04 at 1.21.09 AM.

p5.js output #1

Omentejovem

a black dot with a white dot on a green background

LoVid

Bolt Pattern is a new series of stills from a 2006 video recording session that LoVid produced during a residency at the Institute for Electronic Arts at Alfred University. 

The 2006 video was created using LoVid’s custom engineered and built audio/video analog synthesizer, Sync Armonica, along with Dan Sandin’s Image Processor, which convert electrical current into video and audio signals. Bolt Pattern is representative of LoVid’s practice exploring connections between analog and digital instruments, material and media, craft and video. 

In this series of video stills, LoVid positions NFT token-based art in the continuum of their practice that bridges analog and digital, live video performances and algorithmically generative works, and within the broader history of media art. 

The glowing patterns, colors, and video texture in Bolt Pattern are characteristic of LoVid’s embraced aesthetic that spans across all media and projects and addresses the relationships connecting industrial (e.g., mechanical and electronic) and natural signals (e.g., waves and wind) with textile and tapestry design. 

Bolt Pattern 

Welcome to the latest season of PROOF’s marquee art collector experience: Grails V. We’re bringing 18 artists with limited edition, series and generative artworks. As always, artist identities are kept secret until the post-mint live reveal event. Choose wisely.

Type	Series
Max supply	50
Number of artworks	2

Details