Precise measures of abstract artistic effort. Read essay

Each graphic pixel corresponds to one keypress or tap, resulting in images where visual density is directly correlated with manual effort. Editions begin with a graphic canvas of 1x1 pixels, which doubles daily until one image cannot be completed in one day. Every token is a unique 1/1, and is minted on a custom contract with a hard-coded limit of 50 tokens. View previous editions on OpenSea.

One tap on a pressure sensitive smartphone screen creates one graphic pixel. A tap on the right side of the screen creates a blue pixel, the left a red pixel. Tap pressure modulates intensity of colour; harder = darker, lighter = brighter. The artist aims to enter a random series of values with even pressure, but due to the challenges of this task and the visual feedback presented, non-random patterns and colour variation appear, attesting to the manual process of creation.

One tap on a pressure sensitive smartphone screen creates one graphic pixel. Tap pressure modulates intensity of colour; harder = darker, lighter = brighter. The artist aims to fill the canvas with solid colour, but as the scale of production increases striations appear in the image which attest to the manual process of production.

Time elapsed between keypresses modulates intensity of colour; shorter = darker, longer = lighter. The artist aims to fill the canvas with one solid shade of colour, but as the scale of the task increases this becomes increasingly difficult.

The varying shades of blue in the images attest to the manual process of production; a dark pixel signal a slipped finger, bright blue a moments where the artist is lost in thought.

In Binary Random the artist enters either 0 or 1 on a keyboard to create a black or white pixel. The artist aims to enter a random series of values, but due to the challenges of this task and the visual feedback presented, non-random patterns appear that attest to the manual process of creation.

Proof of Work is a series of tokens representing precise quantities of abstract artistic effort. Tokens are minted on a custom contract with a hard-coded limit of 50 tokens. Each token includes the produced image in .png format and an ipfs-hosted video of the process of production. Longer productions also include an excerpt video, as the full ipfs-hosted video may load slowly. A Collector Information document is also included with each purchase, which details the rights and obligations of the collector. This document can also be viewed here.

Jonathan Chomko is an artist working with and against technology. His works examine the seam between the physical and digital worlds, exploring how digital forces act upon the physical world, and how physical phenomena are modulated as they enter the digital realm.

Public works have been presented in Bristol, London, Tokyo, Austin and Paris, working in collaboration with city councils and festivals. Installation works have been shown at the Sydney Opera House, the Museum of 21st Century Arts in Rome, the London Design Museum and the Victoria & Albert Museum in London. Works have been commissioned by institutions such as the UK Space Agency and Historic Royal Palaces, and have been supported by the Conseil des Arts de Montreal and the Canada Council for the Arts.