On-Chain Art

Introducing 𝗔𝗥𝗧0x𝟭

An Ethereum Runtime Art Program & Solidity re-interpretation of ART1; a computer art program developed by Richard Williams in 1968 for the IBM 360 mainframe computer.

→ art0x1.com

[ 1024 tokens | .068e | May 2nd ]

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Enjoying and making evm / runtime art.

art0x1.com

🌐 Powering a collection of 1024:
- [x] curatable
- [x] programmable
- [x] extendable
- [x] fully onchain
- [x] EVM computed

... 𝗿𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝘁𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀.

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There's quite a bit to unpack, and I've done my best to explain everything on the website/dApp

→ art0x1.com

Whilst I have you here tho, let’s cover:
- [x] ART1: The Original Art Program
- [x] ART0x1: The Runtime Art Program
- [x] GFX Modules: Extending Runtimes

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ART1: The Original Art Program

In the late 1960s, Richard Williams, an electrical engineer at The University of New Mexico, developed ART1; a computer art program for the IBM 360.

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Written in the FORTRAN programming language, ART1 received a series of instructions from the user in the form of punch cards.

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These instructions repeatedly assembled lines, rectangles, triangles and ellipses, made out of ASCII characters, on one of two arrays.

The two arrays were then printed over each other using an IBM 1403 line printer, creating the final artwork.

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The groundbreaking mainframe computer, originally designed for scientific and military applications, that notably helped NASA send men to the Moon one year later, was suddenly transformed into an artistic canvas.

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Art faculty member Frederick Hammersley in particular embraced the potential of ART1, systematically exploring the interplay between computing and creativity, resulting in a stunning series of novel computer artworks.

↓
https://www.hammersleyfoundation.org/index.php/artwork/computer-drawings

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ART0x1: The Runtime Art Program.

Building on the legacy of ART1, ART0x1 is a Solidity re-interpretation of the original art program, that similarly welcomes artistic experimentation in a new medium.

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ART0x1 consists of a set of smart contracts that execute user defined instructions - efficiently stored as bytes onchain in relation to individual ERC721 tokens - to assemble artworks at EVM "runtime" every time tokens are visualised in a web browser.

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Through this mechanism, ART0x1 powers a collection of 1024 tokens. During the reveal process (24h after public minting starts), each token will be randomly assigned one of 8 "Genesis" instructions, and one of 4 colour schemes before computing the corresponding artworks in "Gallery" mode.

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Once revealed, "Original" mode enables collectors to create their own artworks through a custom UI or by inputting instruction strings directly to the smart contracts.

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Alongside this new mode, ART0x1 also draws on permissionless multiplayer and economic affordances of the blockchain canvas to further encourage and compound artistic explorations…

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𝗚𝗙𝗫 𝗠𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗹𝗲𝘀: Extending Runtimes

Both "Gallery" and "Original" Artworks can be further modified, extended and animated in the browser in an open-ended way, via separate smart contracts called GFX Modules.

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These interact with the core ART0x1 program at runtime through a simple interface, capable of overriding preset attributes of the artwork as well as injecting JavaScript code into the assembled piece.

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Adding a second layer of artistic experimentation, GFX Modules can permissionlessly compose onchain data from other artworks or protocols on the Ethereum World Computer, as well as leverage a growing set of JavaScript libraries stored onchain.

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Anyone with an Ethereum address may deploy GFX Modules and register them on ART0x1 for collectors to run on their tokens. An optional price, for running a GFX Module for the first time, may also be set by the creator to be automatically forwarded to them as part of the same txn.

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In deep appreciation for Mathcastles Studio's ongoing contributions to ways of seeing the World Computer art medium, ART0x1 comes with a pre-listed GFX Module, called "Hypercastle Zones".

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It allows Terraforms collectors to compose their parcel's onchain zone palette with their ART0x1 token's artwork into an animated, interactive piece, and can be run directly from the dApp:

→ https://www.art0x1.com/extend

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I honestly can’t wait to see ART0x1 compute the first original instructions, and extend the first runtime artworks with onchain data.

If you’re as excited as me about this open-ended runtime art exploration, consider joining the Discord:

→ https://discord.gg/XzqTxj3fCd

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If you'd like to collect ART0x1, minting goes live in 2 phases on May 2nd:

- [x] 12pm EST / 6pm CET
Anyone with a Terraforms in their wallet (early)

- [x] 3pm EST / 9pm CET
All other Runtime Art enjoyoors (public)

[ 3 max per wallet ]

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Lastly, I would like to thank:

- [x] ef1j95 for archiving ART1 source code + instructions and open sourcing them with permission of Richard William’s family.

- [x] @frolic for making onchain file storage a breeze with ethfs & always helping out (in defdao and beyond)

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- [x] 0xnand for terraform testnet deployments and @yeetljuice for hypercastle composibility pointers

- [x] proper, chadsnuts, @delronde.eth, @plutonium, @matto, 0xSHARQ and @mikedropeth for their time and feedback along the way.

…and last but not least:

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- [x] 113 and xaltgeist. w/o their work, ongoing efforts towards new ways of seeing the computing arts, and the incredible community that has gravitated around them, ART0x1 would not have come to exist.

Thank you ❤️

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⚠️ Shameless marketing warning ⚠️

If you made it to the end, give the following Twitter thread a RT, like and comment with your eth address for a chance to win an ART0x1

https://twitter.com/hashrunner_/status/1785339908158034075

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