In a continuation of this practice, we partnered with ArtBlock’s Doodle Labs to bring my series Ciphers, on-chain as DeCiphers, an evolution of the series through the lens of generative art. This collection of 1,000 NFTs continues the conversation of authorship and illuminates the relationship between artistic process and output. The DeCiphers algorithm was coded to include a vast variety of features such as overlays, underlays, textures, screw colors, frames, and color palettes- allowing us to generate 100,000 different possible outputs. The final results are not pre-visualized; on the contrary the result is discovered only after the NFT has been minted.
Each feature was meticulously chosen by myself and the DoodleLabs team, reflecting themes such as the constructivist shapes of Ellesworth Kelly as seen in the tulip overlay and the celestial spiral overlay inspired by László Moholy-Nagy’s bauhaus geometry. Features such as the screws and layers of transparency allude to the 3D nature of the original wall-relief series Ciphers, as well as a nod to the “space” within the MetaVerse. Some DeCiphers additionally feature JPEG artifacts etched into the composition. Artifacting occurs when an image is compressed to be shared, circulated, or posted online, a feature giving homage to Hito Steyerl’s theory of the “poor JPEG” as discussed in her essay “In Defense of the Poor Image”.
