My name is cari ann shim sham* and I am a wild artist working at the intersections of dance and technology. I am the co-founder and curator of mowna, the Museum of Wild and Newfangled Art along with joey zaza and a full-time Arts Professor of Dance & Technology at NYU, Tisch School of the Arts. I am also a nature worshiper, magic maker and wild mushroom hunter.
slow draw (rare version) is my second generative art project for the fxhash platform. My genesis, auras (scotomas from an auric migraine), was published last summer on July 31st, 2022.
auras is an interactive 3-d work with sound that is based on an abstraction of a scotoma which I see when having auric migraines.
For my second fxhash project, working in 2-d was my rule at play and starting point for the project. Looking to the past, my research phase included a deep dive into the generative art of the late 60’s and specifically women working in generative art. Vera Molnár was one I spent the most time with. Gazing at her work was a great inspiration to the development of slow draw.
It was enlightening to think about working with a super computer that took up an entire floor of a building and had less than 1 gb of storage, forcing one to work efficiently, elegantly, resourcefully, and minimally to create artwork with code. This was 1968-69, the Molnár piece that caught and held my eye, Interruptions; got me thinking about the relationship between space and lines. Being obsessed with circles and circling, my next step was how to circles? Thru motion!
slow draw (rare version) has three layers with a comprehensive color palette for each layer consisting of a rectangular bottom layer with randomized color of 30 possibilities, the middle layer of poofs which are randomly chosen from 8 color choices, and to finish, the top layer - a circular meditative draw which pulls from the same 8 colors as the poofs. The name of the work references the possibility that the color white, has the chance of combining in every layer, giving a white square as the (rare version). Will it happen? We'll see!
Statistically, if you mint slow draw (rare version), your chance of getting an all white is 1 in 1,920. With 113 possible mints, the chance for one all white to occur is 5.717%.
Will anyone get a (rare version)?
There is a chance. I think it is possible, as this project is magical and set around the numbers 13 and 31, which are very powerful numbers when used properly. Combine this with the will of the minter and we might have a (rare version). If one uses their will, perhaps they will get what they want; what they need. So if you mint an all white square you have a (rare version) and are extremely lucky, very willful and or very magical. How exciting!
This piece furthers my investigations into art as a healing practice. Utilizing the sound frequencies, (114, 174, 195, 285, 396), that are beneficial to listen to for meditation and healing paired with a slow reveal of the artwork for the collector to gaze at allows for the chance of a relaxing and healing experience. With one click of the mouse, the work resets with a new scattering of poofs and a slow draw. In this busy life, time, rest and relaxation are valuable resources. Give yourself the time to relax and listen and rest with slow draw (rare version) and enjoy the magical healing benefits.
As a wild artist, my creative practice goes in all directions. Working with code is unique and rare for me as it takes supreme time and concentration and isolation which is not often in abundance. However my first ever sabbatical is now in full swing, so paint me happy and call me a hermit. More generative art projects are in the pipes.
Stay tuned...and thanks to you dear collector for believing in magic. I hope you get the (rare version).
xo,
cari ann shim sham*