8-26 AUGUST 2023 | BERLIN

VOICES OF WEB3. THE ARCHIVE 2023

EXPANDED. ART presents VOICES OF WEB3: THE ARCHIVE 2023. It is an archive of voices and statements summarising the year 2023 in digital art and culture. It is a document in time on the blockchain bringing together some of the leading voices shaping Web3 and the history of digital art: artists, curators, and collectors.

The statements have been recorded in the form of spoken word, poems, and songs by the participants and are frozen in time as VOICE GEMS on the blockchain. The VOICE GEMS were created by Harry Yeff (Reeps100) and Trung Bao, who have developed a voice-centred generative system utilizing data found in a human voice to synthesise the form and colour of the artwork.

Every voice is unique, and with that comes unique fingerprint-like data. Features like pitch, resonance, harmonics, and pace sculpt particle data points in a simulated digital space.

The first VOICE GEM was created in 2018 from the laughter between two lovers and was used in place of a diamond engagement ring. Since 2021, contributors to the vocal archive include Ai Weiwei, Dr. Jane Goodall , Will.i.am, Sougwen Chung, Reggie Watts, Kenny Schachter, and Lily Cole. 

In 2021, Herbert W. Franke and Harry Yeff started a conversation about the concept of VOICE GEMS and an audio-visual collaboration. Franke suggested using the lyrics of ASTROPOETICON because they are a minimalist and associative approach to language that could have been created by an AI. VOICE GEMS ASTROPOETICON (DESTINATION IN UNCERTAINTY) has been released as an OPEN EDITION on the occasion of Herbert W. Franke's solo exhibition at EXPANDED.ART in the spring of 2023.

Contributors: Christian Bök, Ana Maria Caballero, Crashblossom, Sterling Crispin, Diane Drubay, Brian L. Frye, Laurence Fuller, Claudia Hart, Anika Meier, Marjan Moghaddam, Skye Nicolas, Anne Spalter, Sasha Stiles, OONA, Operator, Susanne Päch, Alfred Weidinger, Mikey Woodbridge, Yuyu, Sarah Zucker, and more. 

to listen to VOICES OF WEB – THE ARCHIVE 2023 and learn more about the year 2023 in digital art and culture. 


8-26 AUGUST 2023
OPENING: 8 AUGUST 2023 | 6-9 PM CEST


Friedrichstraße 67, 10117 Berlin
Monday - Saturday: 11 AM - 6 PM CET



REEPS100 of VOICE GEMS: Performance and Talk 
24 AUGUST
6-9 PM CET

MAGAZINE

EXHIBITION

SKYE NICOLAS

OPERATOR

CLAUDIA HART

ANA MARÍA CABALLERO

MIKEY WOODBRIDGE

JAMES BLOOM

MARJAN MOGHADDAM

ANNE SPALTER

ARTIST

VOICES OF WEB3 is an archive of voices and statements summarising the year 2023 in digital art and culture. It is a document in time on the blockchain, bringing together some of the leading voices shaping Web3 and the history of digital art: artists, curators, and collectors.
THE VOICE GEMS The statements have been recorded in the form of spoken word, poems, and songs by the contributors and are frozen in time as VOICE GEMS on the blockchain. The VOICE GEMS were created by Harry Yeff (Reeps100) and Trung Bao, who have developed a voice-centred generative system utilizing data found in a human voice to synthesise the form and colour of the artwork.
Every voice is unique, and with that comes unique fingerprint-like data. Features like pitch, resonance, harmonics, and pace sculpt particle data points in a simulated digital space. View on <a href="https://opensea.io/collection/voices-of-web3-the-archive">OpenSea</a>.

VOICES OF WEB3 | THE ARCHIVE 2023

ARTISTS 

Herbert W. Franke first encountered Harry Yeff’s work in Linz in the summer of 2021. Both were part of the exhibition PROOF OF ART at the Francisco Carolinum in Linz, the first museum to tell the brief history of NFTs. Franke, who was also a caver and rock collector, became interested in Harry Yeff and Trung Bao's work, VOICE GEMS, and soon a collaboration emerged: Yeff asked about the potential of using Franke's voice in an audio-visual production, and Franke responded by sending one of his voice gems, which is a vocal work of art in itself. 

In conversation with Anika Meier, Susanne Päch, the wife of Herbert W. Franke, Harry Yeff, and Trung Bao talk about the collaboration that began in 2021. Päch, who today heads the art meets science – Foundation Herbert W. Franke and lived with the artist and scientist for 40 years, also tells more about Franke's fascination with stones and what this has to do with the beginning of his artistic career.

The Beauty of Nature and An Archive of Voices

"YOUR VOICE IS YOUR IDENTITY"

The idea of writing a poem is, for many, quintessentially human and deeply expressive, and it stands in stark contrast to sterile and emotionless technology. Sasha Stiles, however, has always seen these two halves as a whole and finds the blockchain to be the perfect home for her writing. The Kalmyk American poet uses technology as a lens through which to understand the importance of poetry to humans and explores the technological side of lyrical writing—how poetic language has always been a data storage system.

In conversation with Anika Meier, Sasha Stiles discusses the possibilities of poetry on the blockchain and the role AI plays.

AI AND POETRY ON THE BLOCKCHAIN

SASHA STILES: THE NEVER-ENDING CYCLE OF TECHNOLOGICAL PROGRESS

Colombian-American artist Ana María Caballero believes that “poetry = work of art”. As the co-founder and curator of theVERSEVerse, a digital poetry gallery, her efforts to bring poetry to a new and engaging audience by way of NFTs have made her one of the most notable and respected poets in all of Web3. Her internationally exhibited work pushes boundaries on the subjects of motherhood, societal and cultural rites, and the concept of sacrifice as a virtue.

In conversation with Anika Meier, Caballero speaks about the difference between writing a poem to mint as NFT or publish in a book, finding inspiration for her writing through her life experiences, and her optimism for the future of poets in Web3.

POETRY ON THE BLOCKCHAIN

ANA MARÍA CABALLERO: "POEMS ARE WORKS OF ART"

OONA, the anonymous performance artist, is a mirror. Born from the rich history of feminist video and performance art, OONA's work centers on topics all of us know but often are too fearful to broach. She is a rising figure in the NFT space engaging in performances virtually on her Twitter feed and physically in the form of live auctions at museums like The Metropolitan Museum of Art and art fairs such as Art Basel Miami.

OONA's presence is commanding yet enticing. She exists behind her signature sunglasses and curtain face mask, obscuring any recognizable features that could distract you from her often bare breastplate (a wearable performance in itself) intended to pose a multitude of questions surrounding the financial value of both art and artist, especially in contrast to any who do not identify as white, cisgender men.

In conversation with Margaret Murphy, Head of Community, OONA discusses the blockchain as a medium for performance art, the equity (or inequity) of the new online art world, and existing as a female artist under the male gaze.

Performance Art and Feminism

OONA: QUESTIONING THE VALUE OF WOMEN'S ARTWORK

Skye Nicolas speaks to Anika Meier about music and nostalgia, digital art and pop culture.

NOSTALGIA AND PIXEL PAINTINGS

SKYE NICOLAS: LIVING IN A SCIENCE FICTION NOVEL

His artist name says it all: Crashblossom defines the ambiguity of information. His name and art stand for the examination of the jagged human relationship to the technologies that define our lives. James Bloom, aka Crashblossom, creates art based on the moments when technology fails and generates dynamic digital art influenced by its viewers and collectors. In conversation with Anika Meier, Crashblossom discusses his practice and influences, the fetishization of technology, and the power of the blockchain.

London-based James Bloom has been creating art since his teens. He has always viewed art as his passion, never a possible career—until he discovered crypto art. Bloom saw it as a possibility to bring together art and digital innovation while exploring society's contemporary experience. Influenced by the dopamine-triggering colours and movements of computer games and inspired by failures of technology, Bloom creates abstract works, which, through the combination of glitched forms and live data feeds, act as living artworks. Under his alias Crashblossom, the artist questions the technological systems on which his artworks are based.

DYNAMIC ART AND GENERATIVE ABSTRACTION

CRASHBLOSSOM: "BLOCKCHAINS CAN TRANSFORM OUR WORLD"

ARTISTS

When exploring new territories, it is often helpful to not walk alone. That’s probably why we see more and more artists collaborating on projects in the NFT space. Experiences can be shared and expertise combined. When Anne Spalter and Nathaniel Stern met, they both knew it was meant to be. Their encounter influenced their artistic practice and impacted their work with AI. Spalter and Stern have been collaborating ever since, exploring video, poetry, and AI. 

In conversation with Anika Meier, the artists discuss their practice, working together, and the present and future of AI. And, of course, the conversation was also about Spalter Digital, one of the world’s largest private collections of early computer art, comprising over 1000 works from the second half of the twentieth century.

ALGORITHMIC POETRY

ANNE SPALTER & NATHANIEL STERN: AT THE FOREFRONT OF AI

As pioneers of digital art, Herbert W Franke and Lee Mullican have left behind a significant legacy. Anika Meier discusses the artists' impact on today's digital art and NFT scene with representatives of their Estates, Susanne Päch and Cole Root. 

EARLY DIGITAL ART'S INFLUENCE ON NFTS

HERBERT W. FRANKE & LEE MULLICAN: PIONEERS AND THEIR LEGACY

VOICES OF WEB3 is an archive of voices and statements summing up the year 2023 in digital art and culture. It is a document in time on the blockchain bringing together some of the leading voices shaping Web3 and the history of digital art.

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8-26 AUGUST 2023 | BERLIN

VOICES OF WEB3. THE ARCHIVE 2023

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