KUMONO SHINGOU BY ZANCAN
This was part of an ongoing series of articles that released was digitally in May 2023. They were first published in the print edition of the Bright Moments Quarterly that was distributed at Bright Moments Tokyo in Tokyo, Japan.
Malte Rauch: Hi Michaël. Thanks so much for agreeing to do this interview. I would like to start by asking about your background and how you got started in generative art?
Zancan: What I am doing nowadays with code-based art has changed a lot in comparison to what I did before. And it has changed thanks to NFTs. Ever since I was a child, I have had a profound connection with programming. I began exploring creative programming at the age of eight. My passion for code was so strong that I would write it down on paper, patiently waiting for school holidays when I could finally access a computer at my mother’s workplace.
During my teenage years in the 1980s and 1990s, I immersed myself in the Demoscene, where I first explored the potential of digital art. Though I initially studied engineering and even spent a year in the field, I found myself yearning for a more creative outlet. This led me to become a full-time painter for a year, but I missed coding and returned to it.
Ever since then, I have decided to split my time between coding and painting. And in many ways, I embraced a fusion of both worlds. This culminated in the establishment of my own animation studio. While painting satisfied my creative cravings, I never considered my code-based work for animations as art in the traditional sense.
Over the years, I have dabbled in numerous programming languages, though JavaScript was not a primary focus. When I discovered NFTs, I was drawn back to JavaScript, which required me to reacquaint myself with the language to some extent (as my knowledge was based on a fairly old version of it).
How did you discover NFTs and what propelled you to focus on it so intensely?
It was an ordinary day at the office when I first learned about NFTs. My coworker mentioned the sale of "Everydays: the First 5,000 Days," which had set a record. Intrigued, I spent that same evening researching NFTs, immersing myself in the concept, and even setting up a digital wallet.
I was instantly captivated by the innovation and potential of NFTs. It felt like a revolution in the making, and I was eager to be a part of it. Although I worried that I might be late to the game, I dove headfirst into the world of NFTs with a lot of enthusiasm. At the time, I noticed that many NFTs were primarily video animations, so I experimented with a few ideas. However, I was not too happy with these initial attempts and abandoned them quickly.
So I shifted my focus towards plotter art for another project. As I explored this medium, I developed a tool to manipulate plotters and created example graphics and codes. My journey with plotted drawings began with two simple sketches – the first, a tree, and the second, grass. These initial creations served as the foundation for all my subsequent work. Building upon these early sketches, I delved deeper into nature-inspired themes, which have continued to unfold and evolve in my artistic repertoire.
That’s fascinating. Landscape, natural forms and ecological awareness permeates all of your projects. What inspires you about nature?
Nature has always played a significant role in my artistic work, consistently appearing in my paintings. As a child, I was rather introverted and spent most of my time outdoors, climbing trees and finding solace in their heights. Surrounded by oak trees, I felt a deep connection to my environment and the natural world.
This affinity for nature carried over into my adult life and is evident in my first NFT on Foundation, a piece featuring a giant oak tree divided into 18 separate parts. This Genesis piece serves as an homage to the trees of my childhood, especially since oak trees are no longer a part of my immediate environment in Bordeaux.
An important source of inspiration for my nature-themed work has been my garden during the lockdown. I was fortunate to have a garden at my house, which provided a sense of energy and peace during those challenging times. Observing the plants, insects, and simple blades of grass offered a wealth of creative inspiration.
My advice to those struggling to find inspiration is to look no further than their surroundings. Inspiration is everywhere – it's all about how you perceive it. Personally, I don't need to travel or visit extravagant places; by taking the time to observe, I can find inspiration in the most unassuming locations, such as my garden.
You are among the few generative artists who consistently work with figurative compositions (although one can of course find abstract elements in your work as well). As someone who has worked with painting for a long time, how do you look at the choice between abstraction and figuration in generative art?
It's true that figuration was a significant element carried over from my days as a painter. My work in painting was largely figurative and realistic, even hyper-realistic. When I began using code as a medium, my strong connection to figuration persisted.
I found it surprising that many projects in the coding art world were primarily about showcasing algorithms at work, translating them into visuals. My approach, however, is quite different. I visualize an image in my mind first and then explore which algorithm could help me achieve that vision, rather than starting with an algorithm and attempting to create graphics from it. The latter often leads to more mathematical and abstract visuals.
For me, code is merely a tool to realize my visions. In terms of addressing environmental concerns in my work, abstraction can be limiting, as it can be difficult to convey complex messages. Figuration, on the other hand, makes it easier to express such ideas through symbolism.
Do you see parallels between code-based generative systems and nature, particularly with regard to emergence from randomness?
Yes, absolutely. When examining nature, one can find many similarities between code and the natural world, including the element of randomness. Nature is built from DNA, which contains the blueprint for various species, be it plants or animals. Ideally, following this blueprint should result in identical outcomes. However, accidents and struggles during growth cause each individual to be unique. The addition of randomness creates diversity, and when viewed from a distance order emerges from chaos if you look at it retrospectively.
The process in generative art is quite similar. As an artist, you write a deterministic code that generates specific outcomes. However, by introducing randomness, you can achieve a variety of results. Although the underlying code remains the same, the added randomness produces a unique character and an element of surprising beauty that is not explicitly coded.
For me, code has been the solution to a long-standing problem I faced with painting. When attempting to depict a scene from nature, such as a grass field or a tree with many leaves, I always sought precision and detail in my work. This pursuit was time-consuming and often didn't yield the desired effect of capturing the essence of the landscape. With code, I can now recreate a scene by repeating elements millions of times and introducing variations through randomness.
While your genesis NFT was minted on Ethereum, your development as an artist is closely linked to the Tezos community. At some point you made a principled decision not to mint on Ethereum due to the environmental concerns. After the merge, this has no longer been a concern. And so you recently did an open edition with Verse on Ethereum and you will now mint your Bright Moments project on Eth as well. What do you think about the two chains and the respective communities?
My first NFT was actually minted in April 2021 on Tezos. However, I never listed it for sale and ultimately burnt it, as I felt I didn't have enough of a following, and I found the piece to be lacking. I spent the next six months working on my technique before minting my real Genesis NFT on Foundation, featuring the oak tree with 18 pieces.
After that, I turned to Tezos and minted my first “Lushtemples” series there. The response from the community was overwhelming. After some time, I decided to give something back to my original Ethereum collectors and minted six colored "Temples" works on Foundation. However, I faced a difficult conversation about the environmental impact of Ethereum and whether my actions aligned with my values. Eventually, I removed my works from Ethereum and minted them on Tezos, staying true to my environmental concerns.
Sticking to Tezos had a significant impact on my trajectory as an artist. I love the community there. Towards the end of the year, I had many collectors requesting my works on Ethereum. Some collectors couldn't or didn't want to buy Tezos for various reasons, such as legal restrictions in some places like New York.
I started creating 1-1 works for these collectors, and eventually, my open edition long-form generative project "Verse Landscape" with carbon capture was minted on Ethereum. The project was incredibly successful, with 11,000 editions sold. However, it also had some negative impacts, such as people complaining about the value going down due to oversupply.
I also feel bad for not minting on Tezos for a while and I want to return to that platform. In the end, I'm in favor of cross-chain projects and artists; it's about finding the right balance. I have a duty on Tezos, but sometimes opportunities arise on Ethereum, such as the project with Bright Moments. It's essential to consider both ecosystems and maintain a balance that aligns with my values and artistic goals.
Let’s focus on your project for Bright Moments Tokyo. What are you currently working on and how does it relate to the visual vocabulary you developed in your previous work?
Seth had been asking me to work on a Bright Moments project for a long time, but my schedule didn't allow it. When the opportunity for the Tokyo project came up, I began to think about how I could approach it. As I have never been to Tokyo, I didn't feel capable of making a work that was directly related to Japan or the city itself. Instead, I decided to approach the creative process from a visual perspective rather than starting with a concept.
I developed a palette of graphic tools and focused on creating a color palette that would be more related to the theme. I also aimed for innovation in my work by coding a number of graphic styles and variations in stroke styles, so the piece would have a distinct quality, different from my previous works, while still being immediately recognizable.
As I continued, I realized my approach was quite the opposite of what I normally do, which is to start with a concept and then move on to the creation process. In this case, I began with the visuals and then allowed the concept to develop from there. It's interesting to explore both approaches, and I've heard from other artists who have experienced success using either method.
Lastly, I would like to ask you about the IRL minting concept. How do you envision collectors to experience minting your work IRL?
When it comes to the idea of minting in real life, which distinguishes Bright Moments from other platforms, I haven't been involved in the physical experience. I'm not sure if the other artists in the Tokyo collection have had any involvement in that aspect either, but it's certainly an intriguing concept and unique feature of the project.
I find myself torn between the element of absolute surprise and the message I hope to convey with this project. While it may not be as peaceful as some of my other works, my intention is to create a dreamy experience for the audience. I believe that the in-real-life minting setting will serve to emphasize and enhance this immersive, dreamlike quality.
