Highlights and collaborations of the Meme Maxis, weeks of April 3rd and 10th, 2023 — cover photo by ChrizRoc, of HugoFaz and ReadyPereOne holding up a “Freedom to Transact” Nakamoto meme-card-turned-banner translated into the Portuguese: “Liberdade de Transação”.
The collective smash of a comically oversized snooze button reverberates throughout Memesphere, as the lull between seasons, the liminal interlude—The Awakening—is prolonged for an extra week. However, “time off” seems to never be quite in the cards for the Magisterium of Maxis, who spend their extended-vacation days tirelessly rememing, remixing, and remixologizing.
Right out the gate, Sloika.xyz launches a curated collection entitled REMEMEME, hosted on Foundation and featuring 27 pieces by 19 artists. Here’s “Memes Outside: Explore”, art_icu_late’s crossover project with 3D-world found art (announcement) —
…and serc1n’s “SeizeMemes”, a hearty gumbo of 6529er meeting bert1__ and Norman Rockwell and others, inked upon GDRC newsprint (announcement, upcoming burn mechanic) —
In Mars-sized news this week: Elon Musk retweets meme card #2. Dear reader, we have a surplus of fainting upholstery here, if you require a moment for starstruck flabbergastery. This historic moment occurring a mere ten months after the launch of The Memes by 6529 underscores important issues—namely, that the mission (spreading the message of decentralization with art)—is moving in the right direction, at a swift pace, with increasing community and clout. And that the iconic work of 6529er duly earns him the title of Grand Mememaster 🏆.
beeple enshrines Chief Twit’s nod of approval, perhaps more poignant now that the original tweet has been deleted:
…while Ars0nic reveals some behind-the-scenes footage:
mememaxis suggests where the timeline is headed:
…and MLeeJr taps the “ask not what the memes can do for you” sign:
This holiday interregnum witnesses direct SZN2 commemorabilia as well. Far and away the headliner: neevaneth’s MemesideMeta game, upcoming on the game network Steam, showcasing a host of laboriously recreated memes “deep in the heart of an isolated island”…here’s a peek at a poster and an excerpt of Neevan’s game trailer:
MesutNFT mixes several cards into killianmoore_’s card 64, resulting in “Don’t Let Whales Steal Your Jpegs!” (announcement) —
pandelic assembles a comprehensive slideshow retrospective of SZN2 memes, entitled “Retro Specs” (announcement) —
—along with a separate, alternate take on the slideshow format, projected onto a bank building, in a piece entitled “Federal Reservations” (announcement) —
…and tokens_io takes us where we won’t need speedometers, preparing us for SZN3 with this retro rad racer reel, also still available to claim as of this writing (but closes in a few hours!) (announcement) —
A shuffling of the seasons marks the forward march of time—and so do the avatars of the Open Metaverse, more sophisticated with each passing month. Before we embark on the sampling of three spectacles occurring this week, take a peek at the partygoers in OM just 3 months ago.
In the here and now, we’ve got spindly arms to dance with. Two “Awakening” events take place this week, with art_icu_late, DarrenSRS, and fmiasp organizing a Memes + ReMemes ballyhoo, capped by pandelic playing an instrumental dance set — also, what other rave features a GMonster (by macomoroni) boogieing on stage?
Also a must-see: DarrenSRS’s event coverage thread! 👾
Could one epic Awakening festivity possibly cover all the celebratory needs of the Maxi community? Not your coins, not your PFPs. mohammadalihd, a.k.a. Young 6529, has built a custom world in tribute to The Memes, replete with larger-than-life banners and yes, an NFT ATM. The opening of the 6529 Awakening Museum is still happening as of this publication; be sure to drop by for wonderful surprises (announcement) —
Nakamigos have taken NFT-land by storm, starting with sartoshi_rip’s resurrection and now thriving as a PFP project in the multi-tens-of-thousands with a loyal following. MLeeJr invites you to none other than An Evening with the Nakamigos, also an Open Metaverse hang, featuring NFA_DYOR_ and gina_sound keeping the dance floor locked down.
The hardest-working Maxi this side of the GDRC is fmiasp who, during a leisure week, designs a gallery for the first Awakening event, films its livestream, and still orchestrates three NFT drops for the Global Digital Rights Charter collection which began the last week of SZN2.
Drop 2 features Professor C. Richard Butt (announcement).
Drop 3 is a collaboration with dinocelotti and features the work of TS446photo, 0xTjo, and Ars0nic as well, making innovative use of the GDRC circular template (announcement) —
Drop 4, in collaboration with animatedmfers, comprises a challenging game playable in NFT form, with attendant award for scoring high points (announcement).
Four certificates of authenticity in these weeks also! TheMeansCreator has been busy, rememeing:
Crypto Daydreams into Working Daydreams (SZN2 Card 15)
Gifland Parade into NFTland Parade (SZN2 Card 16)
Protect Your Empire into Your Empire, Your Keys (SZN2 Card 17)
The Hamily WAGMI into ReMeme WAGMI (SZN2 Card 18)
The 6529Gradientz interview series is also on a roll during spring break, publishing four interview deep-dives, thought-provoking and copiously illustrated all.
Interview #5 covers fascinating personal history and outlook on community and the current art market.
Interview #6 covers their personal journey, constantly building, and running the Complaints Dept.
Interview #7 offers a journey through the work, getting collected by punk6529, and where things are headed.
Interview #8 covers getting into art in the first place, how they’re connected to Alice in Wonderland, and a wealth of ideas on the market ecosystem.
A wee event called NFT NYC takes place in this second week, and look who’s in Times Square on 7th Ave:
Indeed, GrantYun2 and his iconic Card 52, featured by CozomoMedici, is a heartwarming sight to behold (and thanks to priyankap_patel for the video). But wait, that’s not all:
NaimePakniyat has her piece “Rendezvous” on display during the week as well — a phenomenal showing for the Memes community, all told.
From our remote office not in New York City, here’s a roundup of Original Metaverse happenings posted to Maxis chats:
A landscape photography panel with LevinsonArwin, JulietHaas, intrepid_p, and RachelSTWood
Kickin’ it with Hafftka
A bit of HugoFaz’s live performances, recorded by ChrizRoc
FrankieDTankie takes the mission to heart and it shows:
We’ve got hoodies, coming soon from gratusmasculus
One of us has a poster and it’s not Elon
We’ve got…cocktails (!!). h3xum_ and g9ralt team up for the ultimate mass-appeal offering, taking home a trophy filled with Zombie. How wonderfully crafted are these:
Several tweetstorms and thought pieces posted throughout the week are apropos, in case you’ve missed them:
The history and evolution of “Bitcoin maximalism”, by lopp
FrankieDTankie shares his consolidated ruminations on “the intersection of art, web3, NFTs, AI…”
A heartful and life-affirming punk6529 thread “On Memories, On Silicon”
An equally trippy thought experiment from punk6529 “On Memetic Alignment”
biggiesmols_ reminisces from the soul on SZN2
Meme Lab drops the open-edition Seizeum, continuing spydenator’s Elements series and lore (announcement) —
While 6529Complaints unveils a lunaleonis work entitled “Every Which Way”, which features the Cheshire Cat in the dastardly role of Complaints Dept. Handler (announcement) —
WintermuteGAN creates the first “prememe”, which currently there is not a custom contract for, but perhaps one day there will be? Your humble stenographer is at this moment being notified by the editors to not make any time-related jokes ever again (announcement) —
komodaharu is in with a color explosion, calm as can be:
MattScobel with “Cathedral” (announcement) —
A 6529 signal from mbstuart, in the foggy midnight of the metaverse that needs saving:
“ART HEADS 1”, a collab between apocalypticform and jakethedegen (announcement) —
6529er’s astonishingly clean work on the NFT_Yearbook project (artist announcement) —
jaendotart and neonglitch86 collaborate on the CC0ffee machine, a.k.a. a GM ATM for all cyberpunks at heart (announcement) —
MeltedMindz channels how I feel on the inside trying to not be replaced by an A.I. when I do my twelve mints per day (it only feels right if I do them!) (announcement) —
The Milford Track in New Zealand, shot by paulwilsonimage —
And TokyoLuv sends us SHIBUYA, scored with music by Memorex Memories, a postcard from another home (announcement) —
Happy meme-seizing and life-seizing to all !
🦙