John Maeda (b.1966) describes himself as an “American technologist and product experience leader”. However, looking back at his impressive career, Maeda could be described as a Renaissance man for the digital era – he has been a graphic designer, artist, computer scientist, professor, Chief Customer Experience Officer, CEO and more. The driving force of his career has been his interest in design, specifically the meeting point of design and technology. Wired Magazine wrote, “Maeda is to design what Warren Buffett is to finance.” As an artist, John Maeda helped redefine computer programming as a tool for artistic expression. His work is in the permanent collections of the Museum of Modern Art, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and the Cartier Foundation in Paris.

John Maeda’s inaugural NFT was minted on June 28 in exclusive partnership with Verisart and SuperRare as part of 8×8: 8 genesis NFTs by 8 major artists working with AI, code and digital technologies. Bidding closes around 12pm EDT July 1. 

John Maeda, Sketch 0000574 / Nature Series, NFT

As an artist, John Maeda was a pioneer in the field of digital art. After completing his bachelor’s and master’s degrees at MIT, Maeda went to study at Tsukuba University’s Institute of Art and Design in Japan where he completed a Ph.D. in design. He went on to become an MIT research professor in computational design and recipient of the White House’s National Design Award.

John Maeda, soupnewest, courtesy of the artist

His artistic practice combined both his computational and design skills, developing new mediums for artistic expression. Maeda’s use of electronic media as a tool for art-making by combining computer programming with traditional artistic techniques laid the groundwork for the interactive motion graphics that are commonplace on the web today.

John Maeda, Florada, courtesy of the artist 

Many of his works explore human existence in the digital age, our interactions with technology, and how our lives are changing. In his 2007 exhibition MAEDA:MySPACE at Riflemaker, he used a live MySpace page to question the tech-dense and often passive online landscape. First live in the gallery, and then from his home in the US, the artist investigated ideas of repetition and ‘reduction’ which he discussed in his book The Laws of Simplicity (MIT Press, 2006).

Maeda; MySpace at Riflemaker, courtesy of the artist

Visitors interacted with a roomful of pods, texts and films, where Maeda presented possibilities for a ‘simpler’ life. Maeda explored our frantic interactive ‘life’ and how it might evolve in the future. 

At his second show at Riflemaker in 2010, John Maeda is The Fortune Cookie, Maeda explored how we communicate, asking visitors to choose methods of ‘channeling’, from sending a text or Tweeting to Maeda drawing in the sand of his box or writing a message on the glass window with his finger in his own breath.

John Maeda creating a work for his Riflemaker exhibition in 2007, courtesy of the artist

John Maeda’s inaugural NFT, Sketch 0000574 / Nature Series, is taken from a series of early sketches that led to his 2005 one-man show at Fondation Cartier.

“The NFT market interests me”, Maeda explains, “because it provides an opportunity to share my snippets from the past in a manner that echoes the finite universe of traditional physical art — knowing that it contradicts the very nature of computation: which is grounded in infinity.”

Detailing how the work was created, Maeda says, “Much of my work in the nineties involved experimenting with math and human motion — back when computers were terribly underpowered. So it required me to make new technologies that went beyond what was available at the time.” 

John Maeda, a_mainim, Courtesy of the artist

“It was rendered on a network of ten Mac minis that once sat atop my desk as a ‘miniature render farm.’ It ran custom software I’d written to turn my pencil sketches into animations that would take an entire evening to generate.” 

Maeda’s Nature exhibition at Fondation Cartier was his first solo show in Europe. He presented a series of “motion paintings”, digital landscapes of abstract forms reminiscent of natural phenomena. It explored the organic qualities of computational creativity in an attempt to bring us closer to the “nature within the computer”. 

John Maeda’s inaugural NFT is certified by Verisart, an award-winning blockchain certification platform. Designed to empower artists to tell the story of their work, the digital certificates include additional images, videos and documents. For collectors, Verisart’s patent-pending Certificates of Authenticity (COA) form an integral part of collecting NFTs. They provide confidence in the identity of the artist and the verified history of the artwork.

For Maeda, improving the quality of media art and design necessitates an educational infrastructure in arts and technology schools to shape strong, cross-disciplinary individuals. He created the project ‘Design by Numbers’ while at MIT to provide visual designers and artists with an introduction to computational design. 

John Maeda also launched the STEM to STEAM initiative. Design and design thinking are important tools for creative problem solving, communicating scientific discoveries and encouraging interdisciplinary partnerships. STEAM represents the economic progress and breakthrough innovation that comes from adding art and design to STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) education and research: STEM + Art = STEAM. 

John Maeda paved the way for the many artists who are now embracing code and technology as a medium for artistic expression and pushing the boundaries of art. Maeda continues to champion and shape design and technology through his career, books and talks. 

American technologist and product experience leader bridging business, engineering, design via working inclusively. SVP Chief Customer Experience Officer at Everbridge working on the future of Critical Event Management technologies for saving lives and keeping businesses and society running. #safetyeatstheworld

MIT-trained computer scientist, both risk manager (MBA effect) and risk-taker (learner effect), and seasoned for-profit/non-profit growth executive. Author of five books including the new How To Speak Machine and the bestselling Laws of Simplicity. Recently EVP/CXO of IT consultancy Publicis Sapient serving digital transformation needs globally across industries plus FED/SLED with the LEAD (Light, Ethical, Accessible, Dataful) system. Board of Directors at Sonos and the Smithsonian Design Museum, former President/CEO of Rhode Island School of Design and Partner at Kleiner Perkins venture capital in Silicon Valley. He has appeared as a speaker all over the world, from Davos to Beijing to São Paulo to New York, and his talks for TED have received millions of views.

John Maeda for Esquire Magazine

Bidding for John Maeda’s inaugural NFT, Sketch 0000574 / Nature Series, closes at 12pm EDT on July 1.

We are facing an artistic and technological revolution of which the artists in this collection are direct witnesses. They tell us about the future from utopian and dystopian perspectives, inviting us to immerse ourselves in apocalyptic and unsettling realities of a child’s dream. 

In the “Dystopian visions” collection the viewer is taken to a future where mankind and the machines have found a way of coexisting, disrupting in some cases the ecosystems as we know them. The artworks transmit a sense of connection that accompanies the viewer within unexpected scenarios, creating a dynamic relationship between those who observe them and try to immerse themselves in these new fantastic worlds. 

This editorial focuses on the practice of 6 digital artists from the “Dystopian visions” collection investigating their creative process, media and softwares they work with, motivations and sources of inspiration. 

In Fabio Catapano’s work the memory of a classical civilization that passes through the colored and microscopic codes of pixels, tracing the shapes and nurturing the memory of a distant and ritualistic sculptural classicism with the ultimate precision of a craftsman. 

A golden frame captures the evolution of artistic expression according to the vision of the artist Luca Viola. The work expands, moving towards the viewer. The textures of the canvas come alive, revealing a network of invisible connections between the dynamic and static realms, like an ancient artifact that is tinged with new life.

Mattia Cuttini’s generative abstractionism transports us to an imprecise and dynamic world, a place where GPS sometimes replaces the desire to get lost. The inaccuracy of the forms coexists with the sound recorded by the artist after a storm, revealing vivid and rare colors in his practice. The work represents a compositional synthesis of multiple processes in continuous evolution, a collage reassembled digitally using the artificial intelligence platform Playform.io.

The surface of the digital landscape establishes its own rules in relation to the observer: it hides the equilibrium between the artificial intelligence and those who try to immerse themselves in it. This is the case of Videotapestry, a virtuous tapestry woven into the ether that invites the viewers to reconcile with the vastness that dominates it, inviting them to meditate and connect with the unknown.

The distinctive and sought-after Clods by Fabiano Speziari project the viewer into a disintegrated world that has readapted itself to a spatial, automated and lazy life. A bizarre, autonomous and aseptic apartment building. A way of living in harmony among drones and disrespectful tenants.

Undeadlu’s work depicts a disconcerting similarity between the two female figures inside the laboratory and highlights the imminent possibility of replicating life scientifically. Although the appearance may suggest a comparison between man and machine, Undeadlu envisions a future in which the union between anthropomorphic and artificial identities can merge and coexist.

text by: Serena Tabacchi
editor: Maryna Rybakova
video production: Bruno Pitzalis

About the sale: 
The first-ever curated digital NFT art sale in Italy – ‘Dystopian Visions’ – debuts in Milan June 24 – 25, kicking off an online roll out where new NFT works are dropped twice per day June 25 – July 4 on SuperRare. Dystopian Visions is an online exhibition in the Arium Metaverse, one of the most interactive virtual environments designed for the display of digital art. Dystopian Visions, curated by Tabacchi and coordinated by Bruno Pitzalis (Crypto Art Expert at Cambi) will debut a selection of eighteen new works by emerging and established Italian crypto artists. Inspired by the growing “made in Italy” movement and grappling with themes linked to utopian and dystopian futures, the exhibition aims to reveal a cohesive statement on the present times of social distancing and ethereal communications.

On June 26th, SamJ will be releasing an AR experience NFT with SuperRare in conjunction with the Nifty Pride Foundation to wrap up a fabulous 2021 pride month. SamJ approached Nifty Pride, the NFT/Cryptoart based collective supporting the LGBTQIA+ artist community, with the initial idea to develop a project in AR and hold an event in the metaverse to celebrate the release of the sculpture and the weekend of charity events organized by Nifty Pride. Sam often uses many different art mediums in their work so flushing out an idea and event worth celebrating came as no challenge.

SamJ’s previous work exploring digital drag, fashion, and identity has led them to explore the practice of 3D scanning their makeup and creating environments to further showcase a chosen aesthetic.

Bound To Fall In Love
Edition 1 of 1
Complete digital fashion designed by SamJ. INCLUDES an Infinite Objects Video Display | Audio by wilkjayy | 40:00 seconds | 24 FPS | 1920×1080 | MP4 | 45.6 MB

This piece, in AR, is a further exploration of their fresh creative process, incorporating previous illustration motifs from Sam’s older works into this new method of production. Their illustrative motifs easily lend themselves to the context of Pride, given that the colors encompass a complete range of hues.

Beginning with sketches, Sam developed a collection of three makeup designs to be complemented with a setting built in 3D and accompanied by a rendition of the graphic makeup as a more literal interpretation, a triptych of paintings. The collector of this NFT will be privileged to hold not only the AR experience, but also the original paintings, as well. Finally, you can view the display at the SuperRare Museum in Decentraland.

As this piece is being released in partnership with Nifty Pride, 25% of the final sale and SuperRare commission will be donated to the ongoing fundraiser benefiting the Transgender Emergency Fund of Massachusetts (TEF) (https://transemergencyfund.org/). Fundraising for TEF is a focus of NifyPride2021, as the extreme challenges and abuse facing transgender, non-binary, and gender-non-conforming people in the U.S.A. is a critical concern. Nifty Pride is working with the TEF and Cryptoartists to raise funds that will help broaden their reach outside of Massachusetts, and assist in generating new local TEF chapters nationwide.

Virtual events will be taking place for Nifty Pride through June 26th and 27th, including live music, workshops, performances, artist presentations, and a live NFT auction. #NiftyPride2021 will be a landmark event for the Cryptoart community and will showcase LGBTQIA+ artists as some of the most inspired and exciting in the NFT space. Artists and anybody wishing to perform, or give a workshop/talk can find more information and submission forms here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/14ipmzIlLqjGXDsQ0HiLROmm4Yy8xjW3JBOraVTA8vLw/edit?usp=sharing or contact organizers directly at [email protected], or https://twitter.com/niftypride. 

Outside of Pride weekend, Nifty Pride is working to build continued and long-term support for the LGBTQIA+ Cryptoart community. A portal-connected network of gifted and borrowed CryptoVoxels plots is serving as an ongoing exhibition space for artists. https://www.cryptovoxels.com/play?coords=W@642W,140S,6U