The GBs: Portraits That Digitally Evolve and Tell a Story Over Time
Role: Founder, Concept, Artist, Computational Logic
Collaboration: Harri, Aaron, Nathan, Altay
The GBs Website + Minting Link
The GBs on Opensea (~1143 portraits sold to date)
The GBs Twitter
GBae Twitter
The Entire Collection is a Metaphor and a Story That Unfolds
The Glitchy Bitches (The GBs) are hand painted, generatively assembled portraits that grew out of a partnership formed while walking on the Camino de Santiago.
The project tells the story of a complex organism growing all of its many parts against the odds. Like people, GB portraits have many sides, and aim to fully express them all. They visually change over time. They struggle to grow all of their identities when they can only show one at a time. GBs face obstacles and try to find peace. And, finally, the journey of any individual GB transcends her; she is made of those who came before her, influenced by those she shares her Glitter with, and her journey ultimately forms a small part of those who come later.
The GBs represent a technical achievement. The GBs are the first portraits that visually morph over time, are encoded with dynamic personality that influences their behavior, and accumulate glitter every day. Advanced technology is only a small part of The GB's story. These portraits are designed to open the door to something bigger.
The GBs represent a learning journey of finding Inner peace as a function of balancing GQ and BQ.
I created GQ (Glitter Quotient skills index, a metaphor for the skill of replenishing and sharing joy) and BQ (bitchiness quotient skills index, a metaphor for bravery and healthy boundary setting skills). The GB's contracts specify that each GB portrait automatically wakes up with one new Glitter Credit every day. Once she accumulates 30 Glitter Credits, she can evolve to her next version. That is, joy helps her evolve. GB portrait holders can also send Glitter to other GB portrait holders, effectively helping them 'evolve' faster, a metaphor for how sharing joy helps others. BQ is a different skill set for setting and maintaining boundaries needed to grow full selves. BQ is not only visible in GB metadata; it is also functional. It shapes GB behavior when holders ask a GB to evolve to a new version of herself. GB portraits are packed with educational opportunities in the form of symbolic references to cathartic art, design, and philosophy from the past to discover. Their mission is building a world that makes it easier for people to turn emotion into art, and to see each other with the same complexity that they wish to be seen. When/if the last GB mints, more functionality pre-built into the project becomes discoverable.
How to make this night last forever?
Role: Concept, creator
Recognition: Collaboraton
2013
We're Dancing on the Internet Forever
Collaboration with Ryo Takahashi
IDEO
We're Dancing on the Internet Forever from B A on Vimeo.
This interactive event featured an installation with a green screen. We filmed clips of everyone dancing how they wanted to dance forever. We clipped the background out and paced them to the beat (Michael Jackson, of course). Now, we are all dancing forever together on the Internet here.