There’s a particular kind of glow in Chronist’s work — not just the neon itself, but the feeling behind it. Before the colors, before the Farcaster presence, before the signature brightness that stops you mid-scroll, there was a scientist standing in front of a plasma reactor, watching light come alive. That moment didn’t just spark curiosity; it sparked an entire artistic universe.

What makes Chronist compelling isn’t only the aesthetic, it’s the way he holds two worlds at once. By day, he works with the controlled precision of plasma physics; by night, he channels the emotional charge of memory, longing, and imagination. His art feels like a bridge between the past and the future, between circuitry and feeling, between neon and nostalgia.

In our conversation, he speaks openly about how science shaped his creativity, how neon became a language for emotion, and how community — especially on Farcaster — helped turn that language into a recognizable pulse. He talks through inspiration, methodology, personal rituals, where his pseudonym comes from, and even the quiet moments that keep him grounded outside the feed.

What struck me most is how naturally he weaves the analytical and the emotional. It’s rare to meet someone who can talk about plasma discharges and the human heart in the same breath and make it feel like they belong together.

This interview is a window into the glow behind the glow: the curiosity, the experimentation, the travel, the cooking, the play, and the humanity that make Chronist’s neon world so unmistakably his.

TGJ: You spend your days in the world of science and your nights bathed in neon. Do the two ever talk to each other? Does the precision of your scientific work influence the way you build these glowing, imaginative worlds?

Chronist: They are two faces of the same coin. My field of specialization is plasma discharges, which means my reactors are essentially neon lights with buttons to control power, gas composition, and other parameters. My banner is a picture of one of these reactors, so you will see exactly what I mean. I remember seeing plasma for the first time about ten years ago and thinking it was the coolest thing in the world. It still feels almost magical, and no matter how used we are, the first time a plasma turns on, everyone in the lab gets excited. One day I thought that maybe I could make art that used bright and glowing colors to emulate this feeling, and that is how Chronist was born.

Apart from the origin, science and art also share their methodology. In both fields I am constantly experimenting, trying new approaches, abandoning others, reading and learning from what people did before, or coding in Python. Above all, I am always trying to improve. These similarities are why I describe myself as someone who makes neon stuff, because it is simply what I do. The only difference is that I do not yet make physical art, but I have big plans for the near future.

TGJ: Your neon aesthetic feels both futuristic and nostalgic, like it’s pulling from physics, cyberpunk culture, and something deeply emotional. What draws you so strongly to that specific glow?

Chronist: Something I noticed about neon is its ability to feel both futuristic and nostalgic at the same time. That is also where my pseudonym came from: Chronos, from the Greek personification of time, combined with the suffix ist, meaning someone who makes it. I do not intend to make time, but I like to play with the perspective of time, using something that connects both the world that has been and the one that will come, and creating the emotions that arise from that mix.

This is why these worlds often collide in an emotional way. If neon brings intensity, too much emphasis on the past can evoke nostalgia but also sadness, and too much emphasis on the future can bring hope but also anxiety. Art began as a way for me to cope with the negative side of thinking too much about the past and the future. So the emotions I imprint on my work in bright colors are my way of saying that despite all distractions, we are still here, we are present, and we are still feeling.

TGJ: Your work often feels like it has its own internal circuitry: pulsing, radiant, alive. When you’re creating, what’s the spark? A feeling? A color? A scientific idea reframed as art?

Chronist: It usually starts with something I see. It can be a story, a piece of news, another artwork, an advertisement, or something I am experiencing, like feeling overwhelmed, tired, motivated, or simply happy.

After I find the main idea, I think about which scientific phenomenon connected to plasma fits that feeling best. For example, one day I wanted to express the sensation of being at ease even while facing many problems. I created a statue that appears to be dancing while lightning strikes around her and called it Arc. The name refers to the movement of dancing but also to electric arcs, which are violent and full of energy.

Another time I represented the opposite feeling, the moment when someone freezes in front of adversity. I added electricity-like streamers that appear to choke the subject while he remains still. I called it Static, representing inaction but also static electricity, which comes from movement and touch, a kind of cure for being static. This is usually how I shape ideas so that they keep one foot in science and one foot in art.

TGJ: On Farcaster, your work has become instantly recognizable, almost like a signature wavelength. How has building in public — and building with community — shaped your creative direction?

Chronist: This is something I have been thinking about a lot. When I was defining my aesthetics and the ethos of my art, I realized that the current state of social media does not digest complexity very well. It does not mean that art must be simple, but compromises help. I learned quickly that I can either make bright and heavily saturated visuals or add many details. If I do both, the result becomes heavy and distracting. Because I am committed to this color scheme, I prefer not to rely too much on shading, complexity, or an excess of elements.

On a crowded feed, bright colors stand out immediately, so it may be a curse but it is also a blessing. I imagine that people on Farcaster can quickly recognize when something of mine appears on their timeline. Building with a community reinforces this even more. Sometimes I try to make something a bit less neon and I immediately get comments like “Yes, but now make it neon” hahaha it makes me happy every time. I also love when someone posts a photo or tags me in something with neon and says “Chronist will like this.” Yes, I always do, and I value immensely everyone who takes time to interact with me and my art, because they are also part of what I create.

TGJ: Your neon universe is bold, electric, unmistakably you. But when you step away from the canvas and the chain, what actually recharges you? What keeps the spark alive behind the scenes?

Chronist: First of all, traveling. I was born and raised on the coast of Brazil, which means I was as far from another country as Paris is far from Istanbul (literally), so I constantly wondered what lay beyond the sea. Six years ago I moved to Europe, and since then I have travelled through most of it, trying new food, discovering new history, and of course finding new artistic inspiration.

Also, I am a foodie, and besides trying new dishes, I enjoy making them. I like taking inspiration from different cultures and mixing them into fusion dishes that only my girlfriend and I get to try hahaha. Who else would serve me Romanian mamaliga with Brazilian stroganoff, or Andalusian chickpeas with spinach but seasoned with Indian spices? I had to do it myself, and both were incredible. Cooking is another form of experimentation for me, and I have a lot of fun with it.

Of course this means I need to stay active so that I can eat more. And even though I go to the gym, I hate every second there, so I prefer to bike to work and play padel once or twice a week with friends. In the end, the secret is staying nourished, active, and inspired.

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