PROOF Signal: Week of August 28

Welcome back to PROOF Signal, your exclusive gateway to the world of all things PROOF. Let's dive into the latest updates.

TL;DR:

• Chromie Squiggle Backgrounds: As a celebration of moving all Moonbirds on-chain, we have added a Chromie Squiggle background to our list of Moonbirds backgrounds.

• Grails Full Set Benefits: Full set Grails holders are in for some exclusive benefits including an Exhibition poster, a spot on Foundry's Patron Wall, and an MB background.

• Inside Look - 'One About The Kim': Kaloh provides a deep dive into the complexities of Kim Asendorf’s Grails IV piece: “Open Console.”

PROOF Updates

Birds On-Chain X Squiggle Backgrounds?

Back in November, we began to transition Moonbirds from an off-chain to a permanent position on the blockchain. Well, this week we have successfully put EVERY Moonbird on-chain and we are celebrating by adding another background to flex your collection: Chromie Squiggles! Wallets that contain a Squiggle and a Moonbird can now unlock this vibrant new background.

Each bird is now assembled by contracts from on-chain image layers. We developed a processing engine that was able to store all layers in the collection for just 0.37 ETH! We also used bitmaps instead of SVGs to further decrease external dependencies.

Along with flexing your Chromie Squiggle, all nested birds can show their on-chain history as a Day One Nester, PROOF Collective member, Grails Full Set collector, “Max Pain”, and “Proceed with Caution.” If you are interested in learning more about our on-chain process or diving into the specifics of the transition, take a look at this interview with our team.

Upcoming Events

100 PROOF is on a break this week due to the US Labor Day holiday, but the Foundry remains open. Explore the Grails IV exhibition until September 3, before the Diamond Exhibition opens on September 7.

Save the dates for upcoming events: Seoul on September 6, Marfa on September 21+22, and the Diamond Exhibition Celebration on September 29. Visit events.proof.xyz for details.

Grails Full Set Holder’s Exclusive Benefits

Full set Grails holders (one from each Grails Season) can now claim exclusive benefits, including a Grails Moonbirds background, Foundry's Patron Wall spot, and a print of the Exhibition Poster. Claim your print by visiting https://tokenproof.xyz/grails-iv-print-claim. Prints will ship within 2-3 weeks, and the final deadline to submit your claim is September 30, 2023.

Active Lunar Society Proposals

Thank you to all participants in the latest round of Lunar Society proposals! By harnessing the community's creativity and passion, Moonbirds and Mythics holders can propose, vote, and follow along with unique PROOF-funded ambitions that are pushing the NFT space forward.

There are a couple of active proposals that have a majority vote but need more votes to hit quorum. For those interested in engaging with active proposals, take a peek at the Lunar Society Proposal Library.

Community Updates

Community Spotlight: Command+A by Dead Birds Society

The Dead Birds Society introduces Command+A, a new platform for Moonbird holders to showcase their artistry. Command+A operates on Ethereum Layer 2, Arbitrum, and offers a captivating monthly creative journey. Here's how it works:

• Each month, a theme is unveiled, and Moonbird holders can submit unique art anonymously, free of charge.

• The Moonbirds community votes on their favorite submissions. Artists' identities are kept secret during voting.

• The winning artwork becomes available for a limited-time minting at the month's end, with the artist's identity revealed.

• This platform bridges artistry and community, fostering creativity in a supportive environment. Follow @command_art on Twitter and explore commanda.xyz for participation details and updates.

An Inside Look: ‘One About The Kim’

This week’s art piece is written by Kaloh, as he delves into the complexities of generative and A.I. art through his newsletter and podcast, and is the founder of the Blind Gallery.

For my first Proof Signal segment, I would like to submerge into Kim Asendorf’s Grails IV piece: “Open Console.”

This one is for computer nerds.

On the surface, “Open Console” looks simple, and when paired with other PROOF editions, it might not catch the eyes of many. But as what usually happens with great art, you must dig deeper and understand the context of the piece and the creator.

An edition of 50, this work uses the computer console output as the canvas. The console is an everyday tool for developers and computer geeks. This is present, in one way or another, across Kim’s work. The piece uses a “data array” — a simple structure to store data in programs — to keep positional data about the “snake”. The day of the week is used as an input to determine the emojis that are displayed, making it dynamic and ever-changing.

The code is straightforward; you can see it by “inspecting” the piece on the browser.

To understand why this piece is fascinating, we have to look at the German’s 15-year career, which is lengthy for an internet and generative-coded artist.

Known for his pixel-sorting algorithms, Asendorf has created a unique aesthetic, sporting unexpected moves and electric colors designed to be seen on HD displays. A quick GitHub search comes back with many repositories inspired by Kim; some are over twelve years old. Not surprising, as his code is highly optimized to make his creations smooth, fast, and compatible with all kinds of displays– sometimes overlooked factors in generative coded art.

I’ve been to several art shows (Proof of People, NFT Show Europe) where pieces from his most notable generative art collections – Reading a book, NAZCA, monogrid, Cargo, and SABOTAGE – have been showcased on massive screens. They stole the spotlight. No one left these shows without looking at them and staring for a while, getting lost in these pixel mazes.

Returning to “Open Console,” it feels that Kim condensed the meaning, story, and inspiration from his art in a simple package that fits the mystery behind GRAILS. On the surface (aesthetic), it doesn’t look like his work, but if you know where to look (the code), you could have guessed “the Kim” was behind it.

As Asendorf said, “Open Console” is “a piece made for nerds,” something that holds true for all his art.

This Week in PROOF Media

Here is a quick rundown of some of the top highlights from PROOF’s weekly content!

PROOF Daily NFT Countdown

This week, our Director of Research, Sam, highlighted Nouns DAO passing a proposition that enables forking of the DAO on PROOF Daily NFT Countdown. Catch the insightful discussion here.

100 PROOF

Due to the Labor Day holiday, there will be no 100 PROOF this week. In the meantime, check out our first 100 PROOF live from Foundry, that happened last Friday featuring special guests Jordan Lyall and Snowfro!