CryptoCubes are greater than NFTs; they’re greater than artwork; they’re greater than an experimental digital assortment. They’re a bit of digital artwork historical past. They’re an experiment. And so they’re a philosophical exploration of what it means to be “on-chain.”
The CryptoCubes assortment is likely one of the first examples of generative 3D artwork, that means they’re algorithmically generated and now totally saved on the Ethereum blockchain. They’re not linked to exterior servers—they’re pure code that creates distinctive shapes, colours, and patterns. NFT lovers know the way uncommon and difficult it’s to do that efficiently in 2023 and past.
CryptoCubes did it in 2020.
They bought in waves of fifty till 256 NFTs had been bought, denoting the variety of integers within the RGB shade code. On the time of writing, the ground value for a CryptoCube is 6.8 ETH on OpenSea, with a complete gross sales quantity of almost 2,002 ETH.
How did such an modern challenge come to fruition to date forward of different 3D on-chain generated artwork initiatives? Largely due to its creator, Han Saglam.
What are CryptoCubes?
Each CryptoCube is a results of a singular technology course of, which Han created. In accordance with his “Genesis” Medium article from September 2020, which defined the then-forthcoming assortment, CryptoCubes are “algorithmically generated volumetric abstractions[…]every CryptoCube is a singular output.”
Regardless of the algorithmic inspiration for every CryptoCube, the ultimate assortment of 256 CryptoCubes is the result of Han’s cautious curation and inventive imaginative and prescient. The CryptoCubes playground permits customers to animate the CryptoCubes and use them in 3D metaverse environments like OnCyber.
Among the many infinite potentialities that the algorithm offered, Han chosen the 256 that greatest represented his imaginative and prescient for CryptoCubes. When he spoke to nft now in regards to the assortment, he stated, “When individuals ask me what number of cubes I generated, I can solely reply: ‘so much.’”
Why cubes? As a result of to Han, the dice is a logo of digital creation. “The dice is a human-made form; you may’t discover it in nature,” stated Han. “Its artificiality defines it within the digital world.”
Cubes are additionally the constructing blocks of the digital world. They embody each simplicity and complexity, serving because the foundational components from which intricate digital environments and creations may be constructed. Han cites Minecraft, the massively well-liked sandbox sport, for instance of the artistic potentialities with cubes. “Minecraft appears to be like easy: it’s only a bunch of blocks. However what individuals create with these blocks is complicated.”
Much like Minecraft, with CryptoCubes, Han begins with one thing easy—actually a constructing block—and invitations others to make use of it as a canvas for his or her creativity.
Who Created CryptoCubes?
Han isn’t new to the world of NFTs. He’s been concerned in two different initiatives that showcased his ardour for the experimental convergences of the aesthetic and the algorithmic, the geometric and the natural, the digital and the bodily. An ardent music aficionado with a selected love for piano, Han sees artwork and expertise as an intricate dance between enter and output. “The output, whether or not visible or audio, is as necessary because the expertise that creates it,” he says.
To that finish, he created one other challenge, AlgoRhythms, which he developed in collaboration with digital artist Nicolas Daniel. Curated by Artwork Blocks, the challenge was a set of 1,000 generative audio-visual knowledge sculptures, that means the NFTs themselves performed algorithmically-generated musical notes. This challenge was later adopted up with AlgoBeats. AlgoBeats was additionally a collaboration between Nicolas and Han. Collectively, they’ve developed a singular digital music field that fuses the systematic strategy of programming with the dynamics of music. Whereas their earlier challenge, AlgoRhythms, targeted on music scales, AlgoBeats delves into uncharted rhythms and sounds. It’s designed as a artistic instrument for musicians, particularly within the blockchain realm, and boasts interactive easter eggs for customers.
That led him to LightOnChain, a groundbreaking set up that bridged the hole between the bodily and digital worlds. Han financed this bold challenge totally from his crypto earnings, overseeing all the things from contracting to set up. LightOnChain was an NFT-powered gentle set up situated in a Turkish city referred to as Kaplankaya. The gathering consisted of 660 bodily lights that had been linked to blockchain-connected {hardware}.
The set up allowed individuals to ship transactions that would change the brightness, amplitude, frequency, and precise gentle within the bodily world. It was a method of interacting with the blockchain in a tangible and visual method. When he constructed it, Han says he wasn’t conscious it was thought of one of many first examples of a bodily model of NFTs. Firsts have develop into second nature for him at this level.
Han does all the things with CryptoCubes himself; the way in which he likes it. Simply as a piano efficiency is the intimate act of 1 individual, so is his relationship with CryptoCubes: a singular, impartial opus of artistic and technical artistry.
Learn how to purchase a CryptoCube NFT
To affix fellow CryptoCubes holders Erick Snowfro, VonMises, 6529 Fund, Pablo, and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, you should buy your personal on OpenSea or SuperRare. In accordance with Saglam, the worth of a CryptoCube is multifaceted. First, there’s the historic significance. “It’s one of many first examples of 3D generative assortment that’s presently on-chain,” he says. “It’s a milestone within the historical past of digital artwork.”
However proudly owning a CryptoCube isn’t nearly proudly owning a bit of historical past. It’s additionally about proudly owning a bit of potential.
“CryptoCubes aren’t static. They’re dynamic and interactive. You should use them in numerous methods within the digital realm, similar to creating your personal compositions with them. Day-after-day is a brand new evolution.” Han mused.
CryptoCubes Creators
Pushed by this need to encourage particular person creativity in the identical vein as Minecraft, Han created CryptoCubes Creators. The initiative invitations artists to infuse their distinctive aptitude into the CryptoCubes’ aesthetic and ethos. Every creator picks a CryptoCube quantity and makes use of that particular dice to assemble their very own paintings of their distinctive fashion.
Each three months, Han collaborates with a brand new set of artists. To date, over 100 totally different artists have participated on this challenge, together with notables like Erick Snowfro, Claire Silver, Refik Anadol, Fvckrender, Rik Oostenbroek, and DeeKay, whose piece titled Proper-Click on Savers bought for $200,000.
In choosing artists for collaboration, Han goes past title recognition, “I deal with curating and alluring the artists who’re nft native, and have helped form the nft scene.”
The way forward for CryptoCubes
Han isn’t glad with what he’s achieved to date. He needs to problem his technical skills and push the boundaries of on-chain artwork.
He cares about this mission as a result of, to him, one hundred pc on-chain artwork as a result of it’s safer, clear, and genuine than its off-chain counterparts, which depend on exterior servers that may be compromised. “On-chain artwork,” he says, “will dwell for so long as Ethereum lives.”
Creating on-chain paintings isn’t simple. Han has to work out the technical particulars of compressing supply code to suit right into a single transaction with out shedding picture high quality. However that’s what Han does: he finds attention-grabbing technical issues and solves them.
“As we evolve higher infrastructures, compression algorithms, and scaling options, we’ll have the ability to get extra complicated knowledge on-chain. Then we’ll actually see what’s potential with on-chain artwork.”
We additionally invite you to take a look at Han’s newest project, the place he creates distinctive artworks, crafted utilizing Javascript and GLSL shaders, and resides totally onchain. Each bit, a real 1 of 1, is encapsulated in its personal good contract, making it self-contained for gross sales and unalterable.
The following CryptoCubes Creators drop will likely be within the following months. You possibly can comply with the Hanrgb, CryptoCubes Twitter for updates.
