Our world is made up of near infinite examples of events that paradoxically represent both order and chaos. Chaos theorys most famous tenant, the Butterfly Effect, explains how imperceptible changes in initial conditions can lead to massive and unpredictable differences in outcomes: how a butterfly flapping its wings weeks earlier may lead to a hurricane taking a different course.

Wander positions Rhythm & the Machine at the paradox point, building a system that visually suggests both order and chaos, striking a different balance in each composition. Saturated color fields reminiscent of paint moving through water are seemingly randomly distorted and dragged across the canvas. All the while repeating colors and evenly spaced gestures point to an underlying ordered system.

Intuitively you would not expect repeating the same thing over and over would lead to disorder, yet this is exactly what you find with many systems, such as pseudo-random number generators that are foundational to algorithmic generative art.

Through a reduced system that elevates a few random elementsthe placement & size of colored geometric shapes, the direction & intensity of the gestureRhythm & the Machine introduces distortionary forces that Wander does not dictate nor completely control. Suddenly each cluster of colors takes on a life of its own, creating new forms we cannot predict.

Each work in the collection contains a second instruction layer, which maps how the original colored shapes are placed and then distorted. This instruction layer reminds us that chaos is in fact rooted in ordered systems. We can see the before and the after of the directional forces, how regular shapes became an abstracted color field. At the same time, the interactions are so complex and layered that trying to anticipate the future is a futile effort. We can try to understand but we cannot predict: a visual articulation of the butterfly effect. This insight is given added weight since the instruction layer is artificial and not a priori to the original digital work, where all of these functions happen simultaneously. The artist constructed it to provide the viewer this unique insight.

We see the moment of divergence, repeated not just in a single canvas but also across the collection. The wide range of possibilities alludes to infinitya concept impossible to fully comprehend but in this reduced visual language Wander shows us a piece of it and our minds are able to begin to explore the spread if not the edges.

Rhythm & the Machine by Lars Wander

Rhythm & the Machine #040

Iskra Velitchkova entered 2023 with a clear goalto slow down. After two frenetic years she needed to take a step back and focus on developing her technique and art practice. ESCAPE is the product of this pace change, its icon, and a map guiding us towards this same freedom.

For Velitchkova the relationship between artist and machine is deeply collaborative, nurturing unexpected elements that emerge from the code. This algorithm began in systems that balance order and chaos. First a distinctive style reminiscent of architectural maps emerged. From this grew the brutalism characteristic of former Soviet cityscapes of the artists early childhood in Bulgaria. Ultimately stifled by this rigidity and repetition, Velitchkova pushed the algorithm furtherbreaking it and in the result discovering the form of an opera house, a structure that had become a symbol of freedom to the artist, the promise of losing oneself in art.

The overwhelming superstructure of architectural lines breaks the picture plane and seems to go beyond three dimensionality. By avoiding easy categorization, the viewer spends time considering the forms and making sense of the composition. It becomes possible to escape everyday concerns for a moment longer, lost in the almost mathematical task of viewing these geometries. The opera house icon emerges as an antidote to these illusive structures. This central figure is suddenly recognizable as a flat or three dimensional shape. Whether in dense black or highlighted as a central white figure, it is a condensation point, a place for our mind to rest. The images combine the icons of this escape but also serve as a visual guide to achieving it.

We are reminded of what art can offer usmental freedom. Yet ultimately this is an illusion. Just as the opera is a staged fiction with its own rules and schedule, this composition is not real; it is a staged performance specifically created to evoke this reaction.

ESCAPE BY ISKRA VELITCHKOVA

Escape #148

Escape #103

Three lines. Three Colours

Three lines. Three Colours #96

Three lines. Three Colours #95

Three lines. Three Colours #94

Three lines. Three Colours #93

Three lines. Three Colours #92

My collection is about celebrating joy, humor, exuberance, fragility, and imperfection. 

The intent was to create artwork at the intersection of prehistoric myths and symbols and the latent space  Im fascinated by the analogy between almost geometric imagery of pre-Columbian patterns and the generative artworks.  

Through a series of AI-generated images, transformed into the surface design for the pottery my ceramic pieces emerge as 'future artifacts'tangible tokens of a present that bows to the past. In this blend of history, myth, comedy and cutting-edge technology one could appreciate the technical prowess but the work is meant to be enjoyed just on its crafty surface level. 

I paired each unique picture with a unique handcrafted ceramic piece   think of the former, of the NFT, as a postcard, capturing the essence and spirit of La Potire Jalouse as inspiration for pottery. 

Physicals can be redeemed starting November 22nd, 2023.

La Potiere Jalouse: Rite of the Handmade by Helena Sarin

In one sentence my collection is about celebrating joy, humor, exuberance, fragility, and imperfection. 

The intent was to create artwork at the intersection of prehistoric myths and symbols and the latent space - I'm fascinated by the analogy between almost geometric imagery of pre-Columbian patterns and the generative artworks.

Through a series of AI-generated images, transformed into the surface design for the pottery my ceramic pieces emerge as 'future artifacts'tangible tokens of a present that bows to the past. In this blend of history, myth, comedy and cutting-edge technology one could appreciate the technical prowess but the work is meant to be enjoyed just on its crafty surface level.

I paired each unique picture with a unique handcrafted ceramic piece   think of the former, of the NFT, as a postcard, capturing the essence and spirit of La Potire Jalouse as inspiration for pottery. In fact, I made the pots for the deliberate purpose of painting generative images on them.

And perhaps, as you ease into the night with your favorite drink cradled in one of these pots, you'll find joy in the simple pleasuresa  sip of tea, a splash of bourbon, or the warmth of a crafted mug and listen to the generative folktale, the bedside story I'm telling through the imagery on that vessel.

AIztec Spirits #21

Composition #86: It is what it is

Composition #86: It is what it is #21

Upward Spiral: Process Works by Marcel Schwittlick

Left-right split spiral sketch

Magenta & Blue industrial wax on 190gsm Hahnemhle paper  
DIN A1 (59,4 x 84,1cm / 23,4 x 33,1in)  
Plotted with a custom drawing machine  
2020

The token includes the original drawing, to be claimed by the owner. Upon resale on the secondary market, the original drawing shall be shipped to the new owner. The receiver will cover shipping costs.