Il REPLICATOR by Michah Dowbak (Noto anche come mad dog jones) tells the story of a time machine. The visual component of this work, a digital image of a copier housed in an office space in downtown Los Angeles, is a nostalgic nod to a once cutting-edge technology now nearing obsolescence. This image only begins to tell the story of Dowbak's complex narrative that deftly interweaves medium, form and function, through his use of recent technological innovation of the non-fungible token or NFT.
Dowbak uses built-in smart contract mechanisms in the NFT to create a self-generating Genesis piece that will continue to create new NFTs discrete over the course of about a year. However, Dowbak also introduced the element of chance into the work's algorithm through another self-referential twist: REPLICATOR can get stuck too. A jam comes in the form of a unique 'Jam Artwork', which will prevent a generation from continuing to replicate, curbing exponential growth. A multi-generational NFT experience, the work will ultimately consist of seven unique generations, each with their own visual characteristics illustrating the journey of the machine, rendered in Dowbak's quintessential citrus hues.
REPLICATOR's engagement with art history
Dowbak began honing his signature style of digital illustration on the Internet, combining cyberpunk elements with the beauty and bounty of nature. Influenced by growing up surrounded by forest in Thunder Bay, Ontario (where he still resides), nature is a theme the artist returns to time and time again. His location outside of a traditional world art center also played a role in her decision to use the Internet to showcase his artwork. Garnering over 250.000 Instagram followers since 2017, Dowbak began exploring the medium of NFTs in November of last year as a way to further engage his following.
For Dowbak and other digital artists, the blockchain technology employed by NFTs has opened up the possibility of verifying the ownership and authenticity of their works, creating a thriving market for a long undervalued craft. The mechanisms of the market itself and the creation of value through innovation are the central principles in Dowbak's practice. In November he published a collection of works on the Nifty Gateway platform: 100 pieces which he sold for a dollar each. After more successful releases on the platform in the following months, his prices have increased significantly, which has led to his most recent project Crash + Burn, where he has released seven new unique works of art. The only way to access these pieces was to collect five of his initial $XNUMX works in November and trade them. Once Dowbak received the five works from a collector, he destroyed or "burned" them, creating greater scarcity and driving up the prices of the remaining works on the secondary market, thus rewarding his early collectors in the process.
REPLICATOR is an NFT experience comprising seven unique generations of artwork. The first generation, which will be auctioned off, begins as a singular Genesis illustration of a copier in an office space. This first generation NFT will produce six NFTs at a rate of one per month, with each generation unique to the previous and subsequent ones. Each successive generation will produce one less artwork in its lifetime until generation 7 is reached, which will produce no new NFTs. Note, after any artwork has been sold, the new owner will be in possession of all subsequent replicants or jams from said NFT.
Just like a copier, REPLICATOR can also jam. When a "Jam Artwork" is produced, it is unique to its generation but will never be replicated again. The jam rate is between 50 and 80 percent for generations XNUMX through XNUMX, which also serves to curb exponential growth. Each generation can have up to three unique Jam pieces. Due to statistical variance, it is impossible to predict the exact number. After a million simulations the average is around 220 with a 99% probability that the total artworks generated will be between 75 and 300, with an average time of one year from start to finish.
How's it going with this NFT? ?