AUCTION THIS FRIDAY (8/14) on ASYNC ART
I. PREFACE — the democratization of art
When I first found ASYNC.ART and realized what was being implemented here with the help of the Ethereum Blockchain, I was over the moon! The NFT implementation in the field of art already blew me away, but Async topped that amazement and enthusiasm again. In the “old days” you just stood in front of a piece of art and saw the end result. Usually unalterable… hermetically sealed, inflexible. The work of art as well as the artist stood for himself alone, the collector and viewer as well.
Async crossed those boundaries and built bridges. From then on, a work of art was no longer unchangeable. On the contrary, the construction through different layers and the new possibilities almost demanded constant change. The work of art — became programmable, changeable — varied in its revelation. But there was more. Async suddenly offered the possibility of a very special interaction between artist and collector. The collectors and owners of the individual layers were able to participate in a single painting and actually change the work of art as they wished.
What happened here was a “democratization of art” — from then on, the work of art was no longer exclusively under the control of the artist in terms of its final design. In a revolutionary way, the ASYNC team managed to grant the collectors a right to co-determination and cooperation.
For me personally, it was obvious: I wanted to publish on this wonderful platform and be part of this community. My efforts to achieve this were successful, for which I am very grateful to the Async team (Thank you Conlan, N0shot and BreadBreaker)
This resulted in various collaborations such as the work “Ether Makes the Moon go Around” under the direction of the czech artist Marko Zubak. Furthermore the huge charity project “Forgotten Cats of Fallen Leaves Forest” and the collaboration “Master Mind” together with the wonderful painter Rutger van der Tas from the Netherlands.
Finally and to my delight, I have finally reached the point where my first ASYNC solo piece was released… THE GREAT DESIRE.
I. Introduction
“The Great Desire” is a homage to the entire blockchain scene with all its symbols and memes, with Bitcoin and Satoshi as avant-garde elements in the foreground; as well as the founder of the Ethereum Blockchain Vitalik Buterin. In memory of the great mania of the ICO bubble of 2017 and with a look into the future to future highs yet to come, “The Great Desire” illustrates a mass phenomenon in which “the hope for freedom and independence” and “the desire to become rich and financially independent” are holding each other the balance and are in the focus. Herein lays and still lies happiness and unhappiness, since the gain of one person means the loss of another.
Even if a little wit and humor creeps into this work, it is nevertheless intended to point out certain sensitive issues, which, contrary to the positive aspects of blockchain technology, also looks at the negative sides. Although this digital revolution has given us an increase in trust, privacy, security against manipulation or even decentralization, it has also created a threat that can be seen as one more element for the foundation for a potential „1984“.
We want our speculative transactions to be successful. We cryptonauts want to fly to the moon and beyond. But the mentioned potential of a “brave new world” can bring us back down to earth very quickly. Now, in the year 2020 and in view of the current pandemic crisis, a cashless society, which has been desired by certain interest groups for some years already, seems to be within reach. Digital identification procedures; “certified” identity; the person, the consumer, the voter on the blockchain. To what extent will we be vulnerable? To what extent will we experience a loss of our privacy, when we had hoped to gain it? (trust minimization through Bitcoin, etc.) —
Where there is light, there is shadow… but how far the shadow will rise above us remains to be seen. One thing is for sure: you have to be careful with your wishes — because they might come true, but not always exactly as you hoped.
But let’s stop these dystopian thoughts and stop throwing our eyes into a possible future. Because this is only a partial aspect of the work. At its core is still about enthusiasm, the joy of being creative, community and what people can create together if they are interested in the same fundamentals. One can see this very well with Ethereum and all its possibilities to be creative, which is why this work is especially dedicated to the two platforms that make this new and innovative way of presenting art possible — Ethereum and ASYNC ART.
SPECIAL TRIBUTE — But the work wants to touch even more and especially to refer to the origins of the Bitcoin movement, which is why a central figure is Nick Szabo. As the developer and inventor of the term “smart contracts” as well as the fundamental pioneering work he did in developing the idea of a decentralized digital currency called “BitGold”, he definitely deserves his place in “The Great Desire”.
III. THE OUTPUT — different media and platforms
This work of art was a time-consuming project in its design, which from the very beginning was intended to be multimedia in its outcome and to cover a broader spectrum in terms of its output.
Clearly, the main intention was to create an ASYNC artwork which, through its various layers, should offer a flexibility that cannot be achieved through conventional platforms. The ASYNC version of “The Great Desire” represents the central and most important form of this work.
At the same time, it was a concern of mine to see and offer “The Great Desire” in an animated form because the structure of this piece offers a wonderful basis for it and furthermore the flexibility created by ASYNC should be visualized in full action. One of these animations will a prize to win (MORE INFO SOON ON TWITTER!)
As a traditional artist who has a great affinity for paper, printing, framing and physical works, “The Great Desire” also receives a limited, framed and signed edition of physical prints. These prints will be accompanied by an NFT depicting the still life of one of the countless possible combinations. Each of these prints will be unique in its execution and therefore 1/1. More detailed information will be published in due course.
OUTPUT OVERVIEW
- ASYNC.ART piece (with its Master Layer and the 11 Sublayers)
- 3 animated versions of „The Great Desire“ (Vitalik Variant, Satoshi Variant & Async Tribute Variant)
- A limited framed and signed print series which includes a still life NFT (probably 21 unique editions)
IV. THE XI LAYER TOKENS
In the following, I would like to give a more detailed overview of the different layers of the work, which consists of 10 saleable layers and 1 unsaleable layer. Some of the individual tokens allow a “state change”, to (de)activate the visibility or to change the color. More detailed information can be found HERE:
1. DIFFERENT REALMS
What you get here with this wonderful token are 31 different background options — 31! — this massive and rich palette is further enhanced by the “Hue” ability, which expands the number of possibilities many times over! So with this token you have the possibility to ignite a firework of colors.
2. THE CENTER AND THE CROWD
This token contains the entire crowd surrounding the central figure of the artwork, which is included apart from its head. There are 11 different variations, which mainly influence the clothes of the depicted crowd.The only exception is the option “high contrast lunaris”, which also changes the skin color. This token influences the atmosphere of the whole work significantly.
3. CHOOSE YOUR PROTAGONIST!
Control the head of the protagonist! Choose your key figure. The entire work revolves around this main character and you can decide who the crowd will gather around. There are 7 different heads to choose from, including 3 well-known personalities from the Blockchain movement: Satoshi Nakamoto, Vitalik Buterin and Nick Szabo. The Cryptonaut stands as an amusing representation from the world of cryptomemes and the head with VR-headset as the central figure of MetaPOP and the emerging METAVERSE movement. DEATH brings the image into more serious realms and the duck head wants to create an absurd and comical atmosphere. CHOOSE YOUR PROTAGONIST!
4. SIGILLUM SANCTORUM
The Holy Seal — In what name will the protagonist appear? What significance will the seal have? What crowns the staff of the central figure? — All this you may decide with the possession of this token. — 6 different staff tops in total and in different versions.
5. MONUMENTA HOMAGE
The Monuments of Homage — with this token you control the three Monuments of Homage in different versions. The Unicorn, the Honey Badger and the Holy Gate. While the Unicorn primarily represents all the Blockchain companies that have achieved a certain success and the Honey Badger stands for Bitcoin’s fearlessness, the Holy Gate leaves a much greater scope for interpretation. Some rumor it is the “Exit Strategy” and others claim it is the entrance to the rabbit hole of the world of blockchain and crypto currencies. Still others think that the gate stands for the entrance to the METAVERSE. Who knows who’s right… The future owner of this token might know the answer.
6. DOORS OF PERCEPTION
the doors of perception — the elements of this token stand for perception Partly it is predetermined by our biology and psychophysical condition; partly it is determined by the influences of our social environment… in another part we ourselves determine decisively how and what we want to perceive. This token revolves around this symbolism and gives the artwork a special appeal.
7. UNICORNIS DE FUTURO…
The unicorn from the future… and the breath of life and creation. They both stand for, among other things, future potential, for creativity, for the success of hard work and honest effort. This token lets you choose between different variants or the elements disappear completely.
8. SPECULUM TEMPORIS
The mirror of time — this central figure with the television as head stands for a mirror… the image in it can mean many things. Especially the state of mind of the owner of this token or general current events within the crypto scene. Why don’t you decide what the image should mean? Let the world know with a tweet or enjoy the changed image in silence, where only you know what is meant.
9. ATARI
The Atari is a very personal element. an element that, among other things, has shaped my childhood. With this token you can conjure a glow in the screen!
10. CREATOR SPIRITUS (not for sale)
PR1MAL CYPHER — the creator in the background. This token remains my fingerprint; my form of autonomy in this work “THE GREAT DESIRE“
11. SIDESHOW
This token offers a nice selection of different elements like a robot, the second honey badger, the sad Pepe dog or a surveillance camera. These elements bring that certain something into the whole work and complete it with different variations.
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