I sat down with Gamma to discuss this digital/physical project and the backstory of how it all came together.

The Sale @ Christie’s NYC

The sale is currently live and ends December 18, 2024. The artwork is available for view from today until December 18 in Christie’s NYC gallery. If you are interested in seeing the artwork I can help put you in touch with the Christie’s team.

See the auction and bid here

The idea....

My whole creative life has had the throughline that I was always looking for ways to create 3D depth in my artwork and ‘fool the eye.’ I have gone down different rabbit holes including stereoscopy, mixed media collage and digital animation that all were searching for ways to create three-dimensional depth.

I got very interested in rare digital art and with it the ability to use code to generate art. The ability to move pieces of an artwork around digitally became an opportunity I never dreamed possible. These new tools were very exciting, but when I took a step back and looked at the physical artworks I was creating, they were lacking the interactive ability I was creating digitally. That got me thinking.

How can I create a physical artwork that emulates the digital tools I use, while also enabling the collector to take control and take part in the life of the art?

Magnets!

I remember when the concept popped in my head. It just all made sense and I knew I had to make it. The process of sourcing the correct materials to allow for pieces of the face to stand off the wall with 3D depth was a challenge. For months I was ordering different types of magnets. Going into this, I did not have a strong understanding about magnets other than what I had used as refridgerator magnets. As I went down the rabbit hole of magnets I learned so much and had to experiment the whole time to find ones that fit my specific need. There wasnt a template of how to make this so I had make it up as I went. 

The steel plated dibond as the material for the portrait is also a key component of this piece. It was a journey to get this pieces printed, die cut and prepped for the final piece. As this is the first one, it is part of the creative process to take what I have done and use it as the starting point for the next. 

I am pleased with what I have come up with. The thesis of what I wanted to create was manifested and it has been fun having other interact with it.

Touch the Art / Be the Art

As I move the pieces in a variety of different layouts, it gives me all the feelings I was hoping for. All throughout my life going to art shows and museumes, there is always the resounding same vibes. “DONT TOUCH THE ART.”

Well that isn’t what this art is about.

This art is supposed to be touched, moved, assembled, deconstructed, and explored.

I want to feel like a child who is playing.

I want the feeling of intrigue and awe when there is something that was not that way before.

This is the first piece in this style of interactive magnetic 3D art.

3D Magnetic Spacers

I created magnetic spacers by had in a variety of sizes to allow the artwork to have multiple levels of 3D depth. The spacers have magnets on both sides and the rod between the magnets contains officially shredded United States bills sourced from the Federal Reserve. I looked all over the internet for something that would solve this issue, but there was no such tool, so I had to make it myself. Again this was one of the hurdles of making this project come together. Testing the strength of the right kind of magnet that could hold the dibond pieces to the backboard was challenging. I felt like equal parts engineer as well as artist on this project. I was fun to push my mind to solve this puzzle, as it was not about soley composition, but in this respect had acutal physical and scientific limits that had to be accounted for. 

The Living Art Experiment

I would like to invite the collector to take part in a creative experiment with me. Since this artwork is meant to be moved and become a living part of their art collection, I am engaging them to become an active participant in the future of this artwork.

The idea is pretty simple.

I will kick off an ongoing series of new layouts that the art is to be updated to match. I want to prove that art can continue to evolve over time and that the artist and the collector can collaborate to make the piece more than it originally exists.

As time goes by and the art is updated, photos of the new layouts will be sent from the collector to me and I will record these changes on a token that is stored on the blockchain. This will serve as the ongoing provenance of the artwork and will visually share with the world the journey this piece has taken since it became alive.

The Ordinal

1/1 Recursive Oridnal digital artwork composed of 10 recursive inscription portrait elements to create the Warren Buffett portrait. Collage elements include United States dollar bills that had been buried in the ground for 2 years by Coldie as a SHTF stash. Over the time it was buried, the bills were contaminated by moisture creating mold and resulting in very fragile bills. This unintentional generative art by nature began the Filthy Fiat art series. This is the first 1/1 release for the series and inscribed w Gamma. 

View the Master Recursive Ordinal here

Why Warren Buffett?

When thinking about who would be a good subject for his first Filthy Fiat physical artwork, I chose Warren Buffett as he represents all that is outdated with the current financial system. He has forever been opposed to cryptocurrency and always on the side of fiat currency. My goal with Buffett is that the conversation about him and money will lead to a deeper talk about how finance is changing and he will be known as a relic of the old world that is being replaced.

What’s Next

It’s safe to say that I am now addicted to magnetic art and I am already creating a new body of work that will continue to push what I have already learned with this first piece and evolve this in a variety of ways. It’s really fun to have a new rabbit hole to explore and mess around with.