Layers (2023)
'Layers' is a long form, on-chain, collection, published with Eclipse on the Ethereum network. The collection has been released on April 24th, 2023, originally with a maximum edition size set at 144. However, in August it got announced that the Eclipse platform will shut down, and the collection has been completed at 64 mints. So it is not possible to mint any more variations, but there are mints available on the secondary market. See the sansa link at the bottom of this page. This page showcases test outputs, and has all the relevant links at the bottom of the page.
The algorithm behind 'layers' draws pixels one by one in a single for loop. There are several methods that distort the plane, resulting in different wave patterns that create the overall composition. This is a continuation on studying custom attractors: dynamic systems that tend to evolve to a certain end state. A technical write up to explain this process will be published on this website in the future.
When experimenting with this algorithm, I discovered it could be pushed in many directions. One of them is the layered structure, that I decided to pursue for this collection. Some outputs reminded me of geological patterns. It made me also think about layers in life itself, in our thoughts, experiences, and emotions. This collection will display layers sometimes in a smooth and sometimes in a rough trajectory, and it takes patience to uncover them.
In the live view, each 'Layers' artwork will be drawn pixel by pixel, starting on an empty canvas in your browser, and it takes a little while to render. On a desktop computer, you can press 'p' to pause and unpause the rendering at any time. When pressing 'r', a new render will be generated with larger pixels, which makes the artwork look more grainy. Pressing 'r' again will render the original softer version. As a bonus, a 'b-side' can be rendered, by pressing 'v'. This will toggle between rendering a vertical version, and the original version.
There are several properties defined for this collection. The 'Layout' describes the distortion type that defines the composition. 'Wave' is one of three options, as can be seen in the picture below. There is the sine wave, a custom wave and the tangent. The three images below are all identical except the wave type.
All images above have the 'high' vibration property. All the four images below are identical to the center image above, except they have different values for vibration. The left image has 'low' vibration, and the 3 other images have no vibration, yet they are not identical. They just get the same property value, while in the code, they have 3 slightly different values.
Color palettes and other properties can be explored on the collection page, by generating random variations. When several pieces are minted, filters can be used on the website or marketplace to show certain properties.
One curious type I uncovered while experimenting with the code is this 'asymptote' layout. It has both an asymptote and a single point where all the layers end up in, or originate from. It made me wonder about infinity and the singularity. Where do these layers start, and where do they end?
On August 7th, minting has been disabled by Eclipse, as the platform has shut down. The collection is now hosted from this website. Minting has been closed at a total of 64 mints. 6 mints are available on the secondary market, listed by the artist for the mint price of 0.1 eth.
Related links
Collection page on Sansa - The mints can be viewed on Sansa, where secondary trading is possible.
Etherscan transaction - The code has been uploaded on chain in this transaction
Live render mint #001 - Here you can watch the first mint being rendered in your web browser
A detail page for each mint - A detail page for each mint has been set up on this website. They work by putting 001- 052 in the url for the mint number. From this page, you can navigate to the OpenSea (marketplace), the live render and the contract.
Digital gallery at Spatial - The Layers pieces that are minted are displayed in this digital art gallery, where you can walk around and look at the artworks.
Attraction collection - In case you want to dive in the inner workings of this algorithm, I recommend checking out my Attraction collection, and especially the YouTube video in the links section there, where I explain the process by coding it from scratch. Layers is a continuation of that work, and I hope to make a more approachable write up about the technical details soon. But for now there is that very long live coding demonstration if you really want to learn more.