To make up for a week of no NFT daily shows, Sam started the show with presenting his market overview this week (here are his slides) and the big takeaways:
- Significant dip in ETH NFT volumes, marking the lowest since July 2021.
- Blurs market share declined from its usual 70-80% to a more modest 50-60%.
- Sales on a one-to-one basis have seen a slowdown as well.
- There was a noteworthy positive price movement, eg. Pudgy Penguins.
- Fidenza #188 fetched 120 ETH and a five-color spread Chromie Squiggle went for 17 ETH.
Matt Kane x SuperRare
Matt Kane recently unveiled a distinctive collection named “Contractual Obligations” as part of the SuperRare Pass. It diverged from his typical style and sparked some controversy.
This collection serves as a commentary on SuperRare’s Pass, raising questions about the role of intermediaries and the value they extract at the platform level. Matt’s work sparked conversations about whether artists should produce work due to obligations or genuine creativity.
While some critique the platform, it’s also important to acknowledge SuperRare’s significant contributions. They’ve been instrumental in nurturing artists and propelling the industry. Their willingness to let Matt voice his opinions on their platform speaks to their commitment to art and artists.
The dynamic landscape of the art world, enabled by transparent technology, raises pivotal questions about the value platforms provide to artists versus the percentage they take. It encourages us to think about how revenue should be distributed among various stakeholders.
In the end, we’re all striving for an ecosystem where platforms like SuperRare can coexist harmoniously with individual artists, ensuring that everyone thrives and that art continues to inspire and challenge us.
MoMA NFT Postcards
The discussion then turns to MoMA’s innovative integration of NFTs and the consequent impact on the art world’s perception and engagement.
The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) unveiled their new Postcards platform. Their leap into the NFT and blockchain realm was a delightful surprise for many. They collaborated with 15 brilliant artists, including luminaries like Grant Yun, to create these digital postcards minted right on the blockchain.
Each artist crafted their own little stamp of pixel art using MoMA’s vibrant colour palette. The official artist pieces might be hard to come by. If you’re looking to get involved, you’ll grab a blank postcard, design it, and then pass it on to 14 other creatives. Once your masterpiece is complete, you and your 14 collaborators will co-own a unique NFT. The Postcards platform is not just about creating; it’s about sharing.
MoMA is not just hopping onto a trend. They’re lending credibility and elevating the entire NFT space. Many who were skeptical of NFTs now view them in a new light, pondering over the intriguing blend of art, technology, and emotion.
Las Vegas Sphere
The panel then talks about the Las Vegas Sphere and its significance in the evolving landscape of immersive display technology and digital art.
The Las Vegas Sphere is more than just an architectural marvel. It’s a delightful journey into the future of immersive screens and display technology. Positioned in the heart of Las Vegas, this Sphere isn’t just a sight for sore eyes. It also doubles up as a dynamic event space and an innovative billboard.
What makes this Sphere even more special is its testament to where technology is taking us. Seeing Rafiq Anadols digital interactive art in such a grand setting is truly mesmerizing. And there are plans to sprinkle similar wonders around the globe.
The Las Vegas Sphere isn’t just a building; it’s a bold statement of how innovative screen displays and digital art are shaping our world. Every time you glance at it, it’s a gentle nudge to dream about the boundless possibilities of tomorrow.
PROOF x Transient Labs: Outliers
Then we get to watch Eli chatting with Chris from Transient Labs about the Outliers exhibition, which you can watch it here.
Artist Spotlight: Entangled Others
Entangled Others is an artist duo comprised of Feileacan Kirkbride McCormick and Sofia Crespo. They merge artificial life, ecology, and generative arts into enthralling creations.
Their newest project Decohering Delineation is an intricate dance of three GANs, each trained on various aquatic beings, interwoven using a quantum circuit. The intriguing part is how the quantum circuits add a touch of randomness, while the GANs, in their own playful way, influence each other, leading to unexpected, beautiful results.
Their piece, Self-Contained 003, is a testament to their ingenuity, blending organic processes similar to DNA encoding with digital artistry. It’s like watching digital evolution in fast-forward, akin to how memes change and adapt in the digital realm.
Sophia’s childhood love for microscopes led to a stunning piece that captures the dance of polarized light on vitamin C crystals. It is called “Unsynthesized” and was Sofia Crespo’s contribution to Proof’s Grails III. Previously Entangled Others was already featured with “Intertidal Samples” in Proof’s Evolving Pixels exhibition.
You can catch their latest creations and musings on Twitter through their joint account, Entangled Others, as well as their personal profiles.