Actual Genesis is an NFT project by N×R released Tues, Feb 22, 2022 via actual.gallery. For updates and announcements follow @actualgallery.

Actual Genesis is a collection of 5000 dynamic web-based experiences imbued with materiality, history, and interactivity. While there are 5000 tokens available to mint, there is a 2000 max limit, after which sales will be closed. The collection is comprised of two principal components: a series of AI-generated digital paintings and a custom web-based viewer built around them.

Actual #1780 Fluid Mode — To view the full experience visit here. For maximum compatibility use the latest version of Chrome/Safari.

Paintings

Paintings are generated by a GAN, trained on a curated dataset composed of 2200 artists spanning the past five centuries of visual art. As such, every image distills a rich history of gesture and expression while remaining unique.

Each painting is generated as a set of 8 aspect ratios, carefully selected for exhibition and presentation in print, projection, texture mapping, and screening scenarios. Rather than cropping a source image, aspect ratios take advantage of the GAN-based process to maintain individual uniqueness. At the same time, as a set, they preserve distinct features, colors, and styles that form a cohesive body of work.

Accompanying each painting is a rich trait system of over 90 attributes. These characteristics map the artwork to different styles, artists, and movements across history. Additionally, each work is analyzed for its use of color and composition.

Actual #1780 — Use the up/down keys to explore different aspect ratios. Click-and-drag to change perspective and inspect details.

The Viewer

The viewer is an audio-reactive engine that uses WebGL for physically-based rendering and lighting. It is designed and developed from scratch for the sole purpose of experiencing the paintings. As a skeuomorph of the physical gallery, the viewer deconstructs the gallery space for the browser, focusing on three principles: inspection, ambiance, and dialogue.

• Inspection: The gallery allows for an intimate examination of the artwork.
• Ambiance: The gallery's architecture and spatial/material qualities constitute an ambiance that inevitably affects the viewing experience.
• Dialogue: The viewer and the artwork form an exchange facilitated by the physical space.

The current iteration of the viewer takes inspiration from these ideas to create a dynamic between you and the paintings. The real-time physically-based rendering and lighting accentuate the fine details of each work, facilitating close inspection of textures, strokes, and finish. Enabled by the viewer, paintings can transform from static images to dynamic simulations of infinite duration. This fluid field of color and form can then respond to its surroundings via audio-reactivity: moving synchronously to the sounds of the environment.

Actual #1677 — Zoom by using the mouse wheel or pinching to inspect details. To view the full experience visit here.

Actual is an initiative towards an exhibitory web of rich media. The genesis collection enables continued developments toward a generalized open-source viewer compatible with all ERC-721 tokens and standards. It will allow the development of open APIs, frameworks, and libraries for public use.

In addition to these technical endeavors, the primary sale will support the creation of a cultural foundation aimed at forming a network of exhibitions and collaborations among artists, curators, and thinkers of diverse backgrounds, interests, and disciplines. AppliedVision, a web-native bimonthly audio-visual exhibition, is the first of such exhibition efforts utilizing the technologies developed at Actual insofar.

Actual is an initiative by NEU × REGIME—a headless + anonymous collective of artists and technologists traversing the boundaries of art, computation, and media.

To learn more about the project visit the website. For the latest announcements, updates, and discussions, visit the project's Twitter and Discord.