“Crystalline Work”: Gerrard’s On-Chain Art Evolution

On Tuesday, Feral File will unveil “Crystalline Work,” a groundbreaking on-chain art series by Irish contemporary artist John Gerrard. This series marks a significant evolution in generative art, producing new pieces algorithmically every hour over the next year, totaling 8,760 unique designs.

“Crystalline Work” is set to be the longest-running on-chain performance art project to date, repositioning Gerrard back into a domain he is passionate about: environmental activism. The project features a robotic entity stationed in a digital rendition of the North Pole. This robot crafts intricate crystal bar lattice designs, each inspired by the natural formation of ice. This continuous digital performance leverages the power of the WebGL browser API, ensuring that each creation is rendered in vivid, immersive 3D graphics.

This artistic endeavor is not just a display of aesthetic beauty but also a concerted effort towards environmental consciousness. Each NFT generated will be minted on the Ethereum blockchain and sold for $100 worth of ETH. A significant 25% of the sales proceeds will support Hometree, an initiative dedicated to rainforest restoration in Ireland.

However, “Crystalline Work” signifies a notable departure from Gerrard’s previous projects such as “World Flag” and “Western Flag,” which critically addressed the inadequacies of national and capitalist systems in combating climate change. Now, Gerrard shifts away from critiquing to endorsing a proactive, constructive outlook on human creativity and environmental stewardship.

“I’m moving on to a different kind of approach,” Gerrard shared. “It is optimistic in a way that the other works just are not.” His latest work aims to celebrate the luminous potential of human ingenuity, rather than merely commenting on the world’s flaws.

The timing of the premiere is symbolic, coinciding with the summer solstice, and will run until the next year’s solstice. The sun plays a central thematic role in “Crystalline Work.” Gerrard draws a poignant connection between the sun’s energy and the project’s environmental impact: the trees planted through the project’s proceeds will shield the Earth from the sun’s rays, indirectly aiding the regeneration of ice at the poles.

This innovative project also highlights Ethereum’s environmentally friendly shift to a proof of stake consensus mechanism in 2022, aligning with the project’s green ethos. Beyond its environmental message, Gerrard’s latest work underscores his belief in the pivotal role of data in contemporary art, challenging the traditional reluctance of elite art institutions to embrace this medium.

“My contemporary art world is rejecting data wholesale,” Gerrard expressed. “But I believe that data is a most critical and crucial contemporary art language.” This project, therefore, is not just an art installation; it’s an advocacy platform for the essential integration of data into contemporary art practices to address pressing global issues like climate change.