Casey REAS

Ways of knowing...
Ways of seeing…

I can trace the origin of *Pre-Process* back to a Saturday afternoon in 2003 when I was sketching—first on paper, and then with code. I began by drawing circles, then connecting their center points, and then placing the circles in motion as coded animation. At that time, I was focused on *ideas* and not *images*—specifically, on dynamic systems and the ways a set of elements relate to each other within an imagined environment. I was working through questions about how to experience these systems and what might be an ideal (or interesting) way to engage with them. 

The ideas and code from this session later became the core of much of my subsequent work: including the foundation for the *Process* series of software, prints, and installations and the more recent *Process Compendium* works. *Pre-Process* pulls these origin points back into focus, develops them with what I’ve learned in the intervening years, and puts them on the blockchain to be archived. I consider the project a Rosetta Stone for my practice. It asks fundamental questions about the relationships between process and end result, including: Where is the aesthetic focus of a generative system? Is it deep within the code or within the picture the system creates?

Ultimately, *Pre-Process* emphasizes experiencing the origin of the system and then transitioning with it as it seeks, but never finds, equilibrium. The system is built around Element 1, the first that I created for the *Process* series:

*Element 1: Form 1 + Behavior 1 + Behavior 2 + Behavior 3 + Behavior 4
Form 1: Circle
Behavior 1: Move in a straight line
Behavior 2: Constrain to surface
Behavior 3: Change direction while touching another Element
Behavior 4: Move away from an overlapping Element*

*Pre-Process* is the origin of a long journey that I’m still on. It continues to ask essential questions and to encourage me to explore possibilities. Through it, I came to realize that I was ultimately more a picture-maker than a conceptual artist, or, the way I like to think about it,  I’m a “conceptual artist” with a small ‘c.’ I want the energy to be with the system (the ideas) *and* the surface (the picture) in equal measure. More directly, the work exists *between* the instructions, the performance and interpretation of the instructions, and the resulting images.

Surface

Origin

Growth

This descending auction has a start time of {start_time} at the price of {start_price} Ξ and will exponentially decrease until the resting price of {base_price} Ξ is met.

Pre-Process

Beachy dreamscape vibes. Stipple Sunsets was initially release on Art Blocks in April of 2021, with 50% of sales proceeds being directly sent to GiveDirectly, a non-profit that sends money directly to the worlds poorest and most in need.

[For Community Testing] Stipple Sunsets

Democracity is inspired by the diorama of the same name at the 1939 New York World's Fair which depicted a utopian city of the future. This piece satirizes the concept showing that the optimism of the 1930's did not account for the problems of the future brought about by climate change such as flooding. This piece is fully interactive with the best way to experience it being to explore and try to understand the stories that the different city layouts are trying to tell you. Note the cities are tileable meaning you can easily edit them together visually ([example](https://bit.ly/3yWCHvn)). 

# Controls

* **Click & drag** - Pan
* **Scroll wheel** - Zoom in and out
* **C** - Change camera mode
* **R** - Reset camera positioning
* **P** - Toggle auto-pan
* **Z** - Zoomed out view
* **T** - Toggle background transparency
* **1-4** - Change detail level

[For Community Testing] Democracity

“Apparitions” is an exploration of the space between algorithmic and organic. Each “Apparition” is unique to the transaction that originated it. Created by Aaron Penne

[For Community Testing] Apparitions

# eternity stirs
my finger stirred the pool. 
iridescent specks at this distance. 
molecules separated by infinities, 
attracted by a gentle gesture. 
matter built on reducible complexity. 
remarkable what emerges from the soup.

the specks of light flash for a moment, 
then flame out. 
the arc of their burning wick 
painting pictures. 
 heating arguments
bleeding in the darkness. 

helpless to start or stop anything, 
bodies in motion, 
tending to stay in motion 
until the fuel runs out.

# can there be beauty in pain?
Flora, Fauna, False gods & Floods continues a theme I began in Beauty in the Hurting. When turbulent acts of god subvert best-laid plans, is there beauty in the broken images of life we leave behind?

Left alone, these images would resolve to nearly symmetrical dreamlike ink blots of meaning:  a flower, a feathered creature, or a figure of worship. In fact, what is most beautiful in their image may lay outside the frame. 

The final resting frame in each composition does not paint the whole picture. You must go looking for it. Interact with each composition by following the controls below.

# **saving**
* **a key** - download transparent uncropped print
* **s key** - download print

# **controls**
* **f key** - toggle speed up / slow down at 5x speed
* **h key** - toggle speed up / slow down at 20x speed
* **r key** - reset the camera view
* **click/touch** - while rendering, toggles between full view and follow view, when finished, cycles through zoom levels
* **click/touch and drag** - change the cropping of the image
* **click/touch again after dragging** - restore the default image crop for the current zoom level

flora, fauna, false gods & floods

Emily Xie is a generative artist, engineer, and educator based in New York City. She works primarily with algorithms and data to explore the interplay between the organic and the systematic, and the space between abstraction and representation. We had the opportunity to speak with Emily in advance of her Art Blocks project Memories of Qilin.

In Conversation with Emily Xie

Art Blocks presents an exhibition organized by community curators.

perceive(): A Community Curated Exhibition

Series 1-8 have been an essential part of the Art Blocks Curated experience. On our second birthday, we are celebrating the milestone bookending of Curated Series 1-8 and the pioneering generative artists that made it happen.

Pre-Process

Casey REAS

11/30/2022, 6:00 PM UTC

Edition of 120

Art Blocks is dedicated to bringing compelling works of contemporary generative art to life. We unite artists, collectors, and blockchain technology in service of groundbreaking artwork and remarkable experiences.

In Conversation with Emily Xie

perceive(): A Community Curated Exhibition

Art Blocks presents an exhibition organized by community curators.

Open Projects

[For Community Testing] Stipple Sunsets

Jake Rockland

Free

1441 / 1500 remaining

[For Community Testing] Democracity

Generative Artworks

Free

1395 / 1500 remaining

[For Community Testing] Apparitions

Aaron Penne

0.001 Ξ

826 / 1500 remaining

flora, fauna, false gods & floods

Ryan Green

0.01 Ξ

251 / 400 remaining

The Curated Series 1–8, Completed

Want more? Read Spectrum, the journal of Art Blocks

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Want more? Read Spectrum, the journal of Art Blocks

Want more? Read Spectrum, the journal of Art Blocks

Want more? Read Spectrum, the journal of Art Blocks

Want more? Read Spectrum, the journal of Art Blocks

Want more? Read Spectrum, the journal of Art Blocks

Want more? Read Spectrum, the journal of Art Blocks

Want more? Read Spectrum, the journal of Art Blocks

Want more? Read Spectrum, the journal of Art Blocks

Want more? Read Spectrum, the journal of Art Blocks

Want more? Read Spectrum, the journal of Art Blocks

Want more? Read Spectrum, the journal of Art Blocks

Want more? Read Spectrum, the journal of Art Blocks

Want more? Read Spectrum, the journal of Art Blocks

Want more? Read Spectrum, the journal of Art Blocks

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