June News: Summer Solstice Celebrations and Labyrinthine Explorations
At Feral File, summer is in full swing. We’re now more than a week into crystalline work, john gerrard’s year-long (re)generative exhibition, and the virtual Arctic robot has been generating absolutely beautiful archetypes. We’re also gearing up to launch a solo exhibition with software artist Travess Smalley, and debuting exciting new display features within the Feral File app. Read on to get all the updates.
Opening soon: Travess Smalley’s CRAWL
CRAWL WOODBLOCK SCREENSHOTS series by Travess Smalley
Welcome to the world of Travess Smalley, where mythic Greek labyrinths, artificial-life algorithms, and retro video games all coexist within vibrant pixel maps.
CRAWL is a series of 512 new software artworks, each generated from a Python-code system authored by Smalley. Each artwork is a “level” that includes different patterns, colors, and textures for viewers to explore. The exhibition also includes CRAWL SCREENSHOTS, a complementary series of 10 unique woodblock prints.
Stay tuned — CRAWL opens on July 9 at 16:00 UTC+0.
🗓️ Psst, mark your calendar: Travess Smalley will join curator/Feral File co-founder Casey REAS to discuss the exhibition over livestream on Wednesday, July 10 at 18:30 UTC+0. Set a reminder here, and watch live across YouTube, X, or Instagram.
Have you collected crystalline work yet?
john gerrard’s crystalline work, a 365-day data performance featuring a virtual robot sited at the Arctic North Pole, officially began on the summer solstice (June 20). We will keep returning to the robot’s performance over the entire solar year, and the sale will remain open for the duration of the performance (or until sold out). You can always check in to see what the robot is up to right over here.
As part of crystalline work, 25% of sales revenue is being donated to Hometree, a charity committed to restoring a lost 4,000-acre temperate rainforest in Connemara, Ireland. Thanks to the generosity of collectors, the project has already sponsored the planting of 495 trees ✨🌳
crystalline work (arctic) 2.1.2.1 by john gerrard. Collected by @showsupnaked.
New! Display software art gallery-style in your home 📱🖥️📺
The latest version of the Feral File app lets you display your art across screens — now including most of smart TVs, with LG support coming soon.
To try it out, make sure you have the Feral File app installed on your mobile device (iOS or Android) and installed on your TV (search for Feral File via your smart TV’s app store). With this new feature, you can display individual artworks from your collection or organize a full playlist of artworks and display them with time-control settings. ✨
June updates from the Feral File community
Several works by Tyler Hobbs were just acquired by LACMA and SFMOMA. As Hobbs’ gallery, Unit London, writes, “The acquisitions are part of an innovative slate of operations at both institutions aimed at encouraging new thinking about the intersection of human and machine intelligence, creativity, and the transformative potential of art and technology.” Read more→
Mozilla announced that Holly Herndon, Linda Dounia Rebeiz, and Stephanie Dinkins will be honored in their Rise25 Awards, which celebrate individuals leading the next wave of AI. As noted, these artists “provokes thought and offer fresh perspectives on AI through storytelling across various mediums. Their projects challenge perceptions and show how AI can amplify human creativity.” 👏 Read more→
Refik Anadol Studio has been recognized for the groundbreaking AI artwork Unsupervised, the first Generative AI piece to enter The Museum of Modern Art’s collection. As grateful Anadol wrote in a post, “I’m grateful for [the] almost 3 million audiences worldwide who experienced Unsupervised, and for supporting the arts and their power in enhancing humanity!"
Due to “great critical acclaim,” the exhibition Auriea Harvey: My Veins Are the Wires, My Body Is Your Keyboard has been extended. Curated by Regina Harsanyi, you will be able to view Harvey’s show at the Museum of the Moving Image through December 1. More info→
Lastly, Rafael Rozendaal is part of a two-part exhibition at Museum Marta Herford and Kunsthalle Bielefeld, Between Pixel and Pigment. Learn more + visit→
To discover more Feral File artists, head right over here ↓
That’s all for this month. Until next time, we hope you have a great, art-filled summer.
The Feral File Team