Microcosmos

Microcosmos is an exploration of scale. How can the largest cosmic structures fit into the tiniest file size? What is permanence in a dynamic universe and what is worth preserving? The Microcosmos collection derives from a pixel art tileset developed in 2023 and is inspired by 8-bit videogames like Ultima IV and Castlevania. Instead of fantasy or sci-fi subject matter, Microcosmos depicts real astronomical phenomenon and historic moments in human space exploration.

These artworks are permanently inscribed on the Tezos blockchain via a custom smart contract and do not rely on the third-party storage of their image data to function; they will survive as long as the Tezos blockchain survives irrespective of the fate of marketplaces or off-chain storage providers. The idea here is to find the most compact and permanent expression of cosmic imagery, to tease out the mechanics of human knowledge — its inscription and transmission — with respect to an ever-changing, inhuman universe.

100% on-chain pixel art
1/1s minted at 1:1 scale
Custom smart contract
Tezos blockchain

OBJKT

100% on-chain pixel art
1/1s minted at 1:1 scale
Custom smart contract
Tezos blockchain

OBJKT

Gallery

Click images below to view at 3:1 scale in a new tab

DOG STAR

SMALL STEP

LAST STOP

LOST OBJECT

GAUNTLET RUN

GRAND FINALE

JADE FLAME

HORSE MAN

BLUE GIANT

GOODBYE LAIKA

COAT HANGER

RED ROVER

About On-Chain Artwork

What is a blockchain?

A blockchain is the data storage equivalent of a string of pearls. Rather than overwriting old data in a traditional, limited storage system like a USB stick or your smartphone’s internal hard drive, a blockchain adds new data to the end of an unlimited string of data stored forever across a decentralized network that the public works to validate and maintain. There is no going back to edit or delete old data, there is only adding new data to recontextualize previous entries. Thus, any data added or “inscribed” to a blockchain can be regarded as permanent. Deletion or “burning” involves, not erasure, but the programmatic walling-off of that data: it’s always there but becomes forever inoperable.

Not all data is worth preserving forever (take a quick look at your computer's Recycle Bin and you’ll know what I mean), and every interaction with the blockchain incurs a transaction fee (i.e. the cost of publically validating the transaction and adding it to the string of pearls), so it is important to consider what data is worth inscribing and in which format it should be inscribed.

What is minting on-chain?

Minting an artwork on-chain is like embedding the artwork in its own digital certificate of authenticity. Rather than treating the art and its authentication independently and storing them in different places, both are stored together in a permanent, public ledger. However, adding data to that ledger costs money because it is permanent and there are costs associated with the public validation and maintenance of the blockchain. Minimizing file size is crucial because every byte counts toward this cost.

What is a custom smart contract?

My hope for this project is to contribute to the Teardown modding community with a collection of letterform assets and level designs that foreground literary experiences in a non-literary medium. One of my primary interests as a poet is in the 'materials' of language, and Teardown is a game entirely about materials. Moreover, Teardown's modding community is energetic and free to participate in, and the game's development team is about as open and accommodating as any modder could hope for. I highly recommend you consider downloading the game, even just to muck around with their built-in levels and materials.