When the Market Becomes the Medium
Institutional Canon Formation in On-Chain Art
When the Market Becomes the Medium
Institutional Canon Formation in On-Chain Art
What Does a Machine Know When It “Sees”? Blind Camera as Epistemology Machine
We usually assume that seeing is knowing. If you can look at a thing clearly enough, you must understand it. The camera has long been our favoured accomplice in this illusion: a device that promises objectivity, precision and evidence. To photograph something is, culturally, to settle an argument. Diego Trujillo’s Blind Camera dismantles that assumption quietly but ruthlessly. It is a camera that does not see light. It listens to sound. From that acoustic stream it produces an image. Not a re...
What Does a Machine Know When It “Sees”? Blind Camera as Epistemology Machine
We usually assume that seeing is knowing. If you can look at a thing clearly enough, you must understand it. The camera has long been our favoured accomplice in this illusion: a device that promises objectivity, precision and evidence. To photograph something is, culturally, to settle an argument. Diego Trujillo’s Blind Camera dismantles that assumption quietly but ruthlessly. It is a camera that does not see light. It listens to sound. From that acoustic stream it produces an image. Not a re...
The Stalemate: Collecting Art in the Age of Thin Liquidity
If you’ve been skulking around the secondary markets lately, you already know the mood. It’s early 2026, and the speculative frenzy of the early 2020s now feels less like a crash and more like a hallucination we collectively snapped out of. What we’ve woken up to isn’t panic. It’s quiet. An unnerving, structural quiet.I spend my mornings sipping freshly brewed coffee and watching the movement (or more accurately, the lack of it) in collections that were once considered untouchable. Not becaus...
The Stalemate: Collecting Art in the Age of Thin Liquidity
If you’ve been skulking around the secondary markets lately, you already know the mood. It’s early 2026, and the speculative frenzy of the early 2020s now feels less like a crash and more like a hallucination we collectively snapped out of. What we’ve woken up to isn’t panic. It’s quiet. An unnerving, structural quiet.I spend my mornings sipping freshly brewed coffee and watching the movement (or more accurately, the lack of it) in collections that were once considered untouchable. Not becaus...
We Don’t Need More Collectors. We Need Better Patrons.
One of the quiet downsides of blockchains (especially in the context of art) is how good they are at making transactions easy. This sounds like praise, and often it is framed that way. Frictionless markets. Global access. Instant liquidity. No gatekeepers. All true... And also deeply consequential in ways the NFT space hasn’t fully reckoned with. Historically, art didn’t become valuable because it was easy to buy. 𝑰𝒕 𝒃𝒆𝒄𝒂𝒎𝒆 𝒗𝒂𝒍𝒖𝒂𝒃𝒍𝒆 𝒃𝒆𝒄𝒂𝒖𝒔𝒆 𝒎𝒆𝒂𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒂𝒄𝒄𝒖𝒎𝒖𝒍...
We Don’t Need More Collectors. We Need Better Patrons.
One of the quiet downsides of blockchains (especially in the context of art) is how good they are at making transactions easy. This sounds like praise, and often it is framed that way. Frictionless markets. Global access. Instant liquidity. No gatekeepers. All true... And also deeply consequential in ways the NFT space hasn’t fully reckoned with. Historically, art didn’t become valuable because it was easy to buy. 𝑰𝒕 𝒃𝒆𝒄𝒂𝒎𝒆 𝒗𝒂𝒍𝒖𝒂𝒃𝒍𝒆 𝒃𝒆𝒄𝒂𝒖𝒔𝒆 𝒎𝒆𝒂𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒂𝒄𝒄𝒖𝒎𝒖𝒍...
Runtime Art on an Always On Computer
Most digital art, even when it calls itself generative, still behaves like photography. An algorithm runs. A result is rendered. The output is fixed, preserved, circulated. The process may be elegant or complex, but it resolves. What remains is an image... a trace of computation rather than computation itself. This model has served digital art well, but it quietly inherits assumptions from older media: that artworks finish, that time is external rather than internal, and that preservation mea...
Runtime Art on an Always On Computer
Most digital art, even when it calls itself generative, still behaves like photography. An algorithm runs. A result is rendered. The output is fixed, preserved, circulated. The process may be elegant or complex, but it resolves. What remains is an image... a trace of computation rather than computation itself. This model has served digital art well, but it quietly inherits assumptions from older media: that artworks finish, that time is external rather than internal, and that preservation mea...
Where Art Meets Alchemy: Exploring the Magic of Mapan’s ‘Dragons
William Mapan’s Dragons took flight on FXhash on December 7th, 2021, unveiling a warm, analog-infused vision that left an indelible mark on the emerging crypto art landscape. As Mapan’s first long-form generative collection, Dragons consists of 512 dazzling iterations, each a swirling tapestry of lines and curves that echo the timeless mystique of legendary creatures. The artist’s description “A grid of many lines forming a dragon crafted on paper” hints at the delicate yet monumental nature ...
Where Art Meets Alchemy: Exploring the Magic of Mapan’s ‘Dragons
William Mapan’s Dragons took flight on FXhash on December 7th, 2021, unveiling a warm, analog-infused vision that left an indelible mark on the emerging crypto art landscape. As Mapan’s first long-form generative collection, Dragons consists of 512 dazzling iterations, each a swirling tapestry of lines and curves that echo the timeless mystique of legendary creatures. The artist’s description “A grid of many lines forming a dragon crafted on paper” hints at the delicate yet monumental nature ...
Pulse: A New Era of Health Tracking That Puts You in Control
𝑷𝒖𝒍𝒔𝒆: 𝑹𝒆𝒗𝒐𝒍𝒖𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒊𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑯𝒆𝒂𝒍𝒕𝒉 𝑻𝒓𝒂𝒄𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑻𝒉𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉 𝑫𝒂𝒕𝒂 𝑶𝒘𝒏𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒑 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑹𝒆𝒘𝒂𝒓𝒅𝒔 In the past year, I’ve been on a quest to find the perfect health tracker. My aging Garmin had served me well, but I was ready for something more discreet, less imposing, and ideally, something that offered a comprehensive view of my health. But there were a few things I was absolutely certain I didn’t want, which made the search surprisingly challenging. F...
Pulse: A New Era of Health Tracking That Puts You in Control
𝑷𝒖𝒍𝒔𝒆: 𝑹𝒆𝒗𝒐𝒍𝒖𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒊𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑯𝒆𝒂𝒍𝒕𝒉 𝑻𝒓𝒂𝒄𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑻𝒉𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉 𝑫𝒂𝒕𝒂 𝑶𝒘𝒏𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒑 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑹𝒆𝒘𝒂𝒓𝒅𝒔 In the past year, I’ve been on a quest to find the perfect health tracker. My aging Garmin had served me well, but I was ready for something more discreet, less imposing, and ideally, something that offered a comprehensive view of my health. But there were a few things I was absolutely certain I didn’t want, which made the search surprisingly challenging. F...
CH8. A New Dawn
The battle for balance had been hard-won, but the echoes of our victory resonated through SanFranTokyo. The city, once on the brink of a catastrophic convergence, now found a fragile equilibrium. The spirits and gods had retreated to their realms, and the citizens of SanFranTokyo began to adapt to the new reality where the old world subtly influenced the new. In the weeks that followed, we focused on healing and rebuilding. The Modewa warriors and our human allies worked tirelessly to mend th...
CH8. A New Dawn
The battle for balance had been hard-won, but the echoes of our victory resonated through SanFranTokyo. The city, once on the brink of a catastrophic convergence, now found a fragile equilibrium. The spirits and gods had retreated to their realms, and the citizens of SanFranTokyo began to adapt to the new reality where the old world subtly influenced the new. In the weeks that followed, we focused on healing and rebuilding. The Modewa warriors and our human allies worked tirelessly to mend th...
CH7. The Battle for Balance
Chapter 7: The Battle for Balance The stabilisation of the sacred nexus had brought a temporary calm to SanFranTokyo, but I knew this peace was tenuous. The city and its inhabitants were adjusting to the new reality, where the old world and the new coexisted more visibly. The spirits and gods, though quieter, were ever-present, and their influence could be felt in subtle, profound ways. Despite our recent victory, my nights were restless. Dreams of the ancient nexus and the fierce battles we ...
CH7. The Battle for Balance
Chapter 7: The Battle for Balance The stabilisation of the sacred nexus had brought a temporary calm to SanFranTokyo, but I knew this peace was tenuous. The city and its inhabitants were adjusting to the new reality, where the old world and the new coexisted more visibly. The spirits and gods, though quieter, were ever-present, and their influence could be felt in subtle, profound ways. Despite our recent victory, my nights were restless. Dreams of the ancient nexus and the fierce battles we ...
CH6. The Convergence
The aftermath of the confrontation with Haruto left the Modewa in a state of uneasy peace. The revelations of his betrayal had fractured the once-unified group, and the wounds from the battle would take time to heal. But even as we worked to rebuild, I could feel a deeper tension brewing beneath the surface, a sense that the true challenge had only just begun. The days following the battle were filled with an eerie calm. The city of SanFranTokyo carried on in its usual chaotic rhythm, but the...
CH6. The Convergence
The aftermath of the confrontation with Haruto left the Modewa in a state of uneasy peace. The revelations of his betrayal had fractured the once-unified group, and the wounds from the battle would take time to heal. But even as we worked to rebuild, I could feel a deeper tension brewing beneath the surface, a sense that the true challenge had only just begun. The days following the battle were filled with an eerie calm. The city of SanFranTokyo carried on in its usual chaotic rhythm, but the...
