‘Contact Studies’ is a series of ten artworks presented in two collections: five deterministically generated, code-based one-of-ones and five maximally compressed, procedurally generated bitmap editions. These works, composed in-browser and preserved 100% onchain, honour five decades of the Arecibo Message — humanity’s message to the stars.
The catalyst one-of-one artwork of the collections, ‘Fifty Lightyears’, was created for the “Contact Attempt” open call for generative artists by art meets science, where I received a finalist award. The artwork was selected by a jury including Anika Meier (curator & publicist) and Susanne Paech (publisher, Foundation Herbert W. Franke). ‘Fifty Lightyears’ was exhibited on November 16, 2024, at the Hamburg Planetarium in Germany as part of a series of events celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Arecibo Message, which also premiered ‘THE MESSAGE’ by Sasha Stiles.
Fifty Lightyears
‘Fifty Lightyears’ is a deterministically generated, code-based, typographic artwork, seeded and composed with the binary code of the Arecibo Message.
The “threads” on the canvas occupy a virtual 10 by 10 grid — a nod to the zeros and ones of binary code — while 2,600 threads are deterministically woven, approximately one for each week since November 1974, when the Arecibo Message was first transmitted towards the globular cluster M13.
Each thread is formed of a text string containing the complete 1,679-digit binary sequence of the Arecibo Message, resulting in a dense textual tapestry of 4,365,400 individual digits.
This immense scale is intended to embody the ambition of humanity’s message to the stars, while the threadbare negative spaces evoke the humility of the journey, with only 0.2% of the intended 25,000 lightyear distance travelled so far.
Five one-of-ones connected by a thread — 100% onchain
After experimenting with various quantities of threads-to-time — one per year, month, week, day, etc. — and contemplating the journey of the Arecibo Message, I created four prequels that depict each decade of the journey, with compounding threads and a linear hue-progression from earth-like tones to more celestial ones. This process culminated in a pentaptych of code-based, typographic one-of-ones.
These artworks are deterministically generated at runtime in-browser from code preserved 100% onchain, via an ERC-721 contract minted with Manifold.
Reference photographs from a trip to Arecibo, Puerto Rico, in 2015.
It may take some computers a while to paint up to 4,365,400 individual digits. While the artworks render on the live canvas in-browser the artist invites viewers to contemplate the seemingly perpetual journey of the Arecibo Message, along with their own time and place in the universe. Static PNG versions are available to download via
typo.gallery.
Artifact Editions
While exploring methods to preserve ‘Fifty Lightyears’ onchain — before committing to a fully onchain, code-based approach — I experimented with SVG-to-PNG/JPEG options and decided to pursue a parallel path of maximal compression for a complementary series of 100% onchain editions.
I found that, at the cost of preserving the clarity of the original artworks, maximal compression enabled these new artworks to embody a life of their own, with JPEG artifacts sometimes resembling photographic film light-bleeds and text morphing into painterly gestures reminiscent of distant interstellar lights.
Five editions of 50 — 100% onchain
Artifact Editions embrace the technical constraints and economic realities of preserving art fully onchain, while paying tribute to the JPEG artifacts found in early digital photography and text-to-image prompt-based art.
When Artifact Editions are upscaled — which they will be in practically all display scenarios — the browser serves as an artist’s assistant, painting pixels at runtime according to minimal instructions embedded in the code. This interplay between my intent at the moment of minting and the browser’s interpretation at the moment of rendering — now and anytime in the future — reflects the uncertain journey of the Arecibo Message and how it might be interpreted if and when it’s received in 25,000 years or so.
Prompt Studies #1 and #2: ‘Ipse’ (2022) and ‘Ipsa’ (2024) are text-to-image works where I subsequently repainted the canvases to explore maximal compression and in-browser upscaling.
Artifact Editions are procedurally generated artworks composed with maximally compressed 24 by 24 pixel bitmap images embedded in SVGs that instruct viewports to naturally scale the images. This process is run from code preserved 100% onchain, via an ERC-1155 contract minted with Manifold.
Shoutout to Jack Butcher and Erick Calderon — the first two collectors of my first code-based, 100% onchain artwork, ‘Schematica’ — for indirectly encouraging a commitment to minting works fully onchain where possible.
“Networks affect” — Jack Butcher. Artworks by the first two collectors of my first code-based, 100% onchain artwork, ‘Schematica’.
Most computers will render Artifact Editions instantly. However, as the instructions to scale the images allow for interpretation by rendering engines, the visual presentation of the artworks may vary between displays and will certainly evolve over time. Static PNG versions of what-the-artist-sees are available to download via
typo.gallery.
Availability & Pricing
‘Ten’, ‘Twenty’, ‘Thirty’, and ‘Forty Lightyears’ have been collected for the binary sums of 1.0, 1.0, 1.0, and 1.0 ETH.
‘Fifty Lightyears’ is available with a reserve of 5.0 ETH in honour of the 50th anniversary of the Arecibo Message.
The complete set of five Artifact Editions is available to collect for 0.15 ETH. Collect “Artifact #5” on Manifold Gallery and receive Artifacts #1–4 via airdrop shortly after.
Thank you for reading,
