Context S3: What’s the Difference between “Bitcoin Art” and Ordinals? w/ FAR, co-founder of Taproot Wizards
Context: Views on Crypto and Culture
Release Date: 05/22/2024
Context S4: Navigating the Future of Virtual Worlds w/ Bay Backer, Head Producer @ Decentraland
Context: Views on Crypto and Culture
Blake speaks with Bay Backner about all things Decentraland (she's the head producer there)! This is a must listen to learn all of its ins and outs…from LAND vs. MANA to how the DAO operates vs. the foundation. Bay is the real deal, she started as an artist creating in Decentraland with support from the DAO and now she works for the foundation as the head producer…so she’s seen all sides. Bay and Blake dive into the dynamics of virtual worlds, what makes Decentraland so unique, how it’s a super friendly place for creators and ofcourse, they talk digital fashion and...
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Context S4: Everything You Need to Know About Doodles w/ Austin Hurwitz, Head of Strategy and BD at Doodles
Context: Views on Crypto and Culture
Blake speaks with Head of Strategy & Business Development at Doodles, Austin Hurwitz and they cover everything that Doodles has been up to. They go over the new token, the CEO change, how markets conditions impact their decisions and how Golden Wolf is their secret weapon. Blake also asks Austin how he would describe the Doodles community, what’s important to them (co-creation!) and what he’s learned from working with one of the biggest brands in the world (like McDonald’s last year). Doodles has a massive year ahead of them and this episode will get you all caught up on what...
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Context S4: The Metropolitan Museum of Art - The Most Visited Museum in America Dives into NFTs
Context: Views on Crypto and Culture
Blake speaks with The Metropolitan Museum of Art team who recently released Art Links, marking The Met’s first foray onto the blockchain. Art Links is a 12-week game that invites you to connect the dots between seeming disparate art works (whether centuries apart, completely different mediums, etc.) according to different themes, rewarding you in the form of NFT badges and IRL prizes. Blake has played religiously every week, and has learned a tonne! 3 of the project leads are here to talk about the game: Destinee Filmore, Assistant Curator in the Department of Modern and Contemporary Art at...
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Context S4: Hacking as an Artistic Practice w/ Addie Wagenknecht
Context: Views on Crypto and Culture
Blake interviews Addie Wagenknecht brilliant artist, whose work has been exhibited at MoMA and collected by The Whitney, she's collaborated with everyone from CERN to Chanel. Blake asks about some of her specific art works as a way to dive into ideas around hacking and reappropriating technology into non typical use cases. Addie remind us that technology is not inherently liberating and it depends so much on how we use it and who controls it. They also speak about about how to apply feminist theory and practices when engaging with crypto technology as well covering fake Balenciaga bags,...
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Context S4: A Guide to AI Agents w/ Carlos Beltran, Bonsai Co-Founder
Context: Views on Crypto and Culture
Blake speaks with Carlos Beltran, co-founder of Bonsai, which started as a token, but has evolved into an entire ecosystem. Their most recent releases have been Sage, their flagship AI agent and a launchpad which focuses on a consumer friendly way to launch your own tokens. The convo dives deep into the AI agent meta. Blake asks Carlos what AI agents “actually are,” how to tell them apart from one another, how to build them and where he sees the space developing, particularly when it comes to agent to agent conversations. Carlos outlines Bonsai’s new launch pad as well, why it was...
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Context S4: Decentralized Social Media, Orb and The Creator Economy w/ Jacq, Head of Community + Creators at Orb
Context: Views on Crypto and Culture
In this episode, Blake speaks with Jacq, head of Community and Creators at Orb. Orb is a decentralized social app built on Lens protocol. They chat about the all the possibilities of decentralized social and Orb’s vision going forward. Jacq explains what Orb is, how it’s related to Lens and Bonsai, and outlines the best ways to grow your audience on the platform. Jacq also highlights how Orb is committed to supporting and protecting creators, specifically diving into sticker packs and what makes them so unique. In celebration of the episode, Blake is dropping her own Context...
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Context S4: Can Tech Make Fashion Cool? w/ Maghan McDowell, Senior Innovation Editor at Vogue Business
Context: Views on Crypto and Culture
In the season 4 premier, Blake speaks with Maghan McDowell, Senior Innovation Editor at Vogue Business, and gets a temperature check on how the fashion industry is embracing AI and NFTs. They review some of the most iconic fashion NFT collaborations including Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Nike, and go over what made them successful and what can be learned from them. Blake even asks if the fashion industry has actually abandoned NFTs and web 3 (spoiler alert: it has NOT!). They talk through one of the most exciting developments in the crypto fashion arena, Digital Product Passports (DPPs) and how...
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Context S3: A non-human (AI) artist is selling at Sotheby’s? w/ Botto and Simon Hudson
Context: Views on Crypto and Culture
Blake speaks with Simon Hudson, operator and co-lead of Botto DAO. Botto is an autonomous artist which has sold over $5 million worth of its 1 of 1 NFT artworks. It also has a solo show (October 19th-23rd) and auction (October 17-24) at Sotheby’s this week! In a future where creativity is automated, where is a human's place in it? Blake and Simon discuss this question and how Botto attempts to answer it. The convo revolves around how AI, art and crypto intersect, as Botto represents (in Blake’s opinion) the best of how art can and is used as a tool to engage, teach and familiarize people...
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Context S3: How to Go Viral On Chain w/ Blueprint Creator's Program Cohort 1
Context: Views on Crypto and Culture
Blake speaks with 3 fellow members of the Blueprint by Bello Creator’s Program, Cohort 1. Naomi Metzger is a 11 time British Triple Jump National Champion, Sara Phillips is a decorated musician who has over 300,000 monthly listeners on Spotify and Shavonne Wong is a internationally exhibited artist who made Vogue’s first NFT cover. The 4 of them get together to discuss their experience in the Blueprint program. They detail how and why they’ve put their content on chain and the tremendous opportunities that it brings in terms of economic upsides and increased distribution and exposure....
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Context S3: Valuing Yourself and Your Art w/ Iman Europe
Context: Views on Crypto and Culture
Blake speaks with the brilliant musician Iman Europe. They have an illuminating discussion about the value of art, in particular music and music NFTs. This convo is part of the Lens x FWB FEST coverage where Iman performed (twice!). They speak about the music business, what goes into being an independent artist, and the role crypto tech has played in that process. Iman also recounts her journey into the crypto world and where she stands now with the space. They continue by talking about the more personal side of being an artist and how it often takes faith and courage to continue,...
info_outlineBlake speaks with FAR - artist, engineer and co-founder of Taproot Wizards. They dive into all things art on Ordinals, for a fresh look on the topic.
FAR outlines the differences between creating art on Ordinals and Ethereum including their unique technical capabilities, community expectations and aesthetic trends.
They also talk about the differences (if there is any) between “Bitcoin Art” and “Ordinals.”
The convo continues with FAR chronicling the incredible origin story of Taproot Wizards, one of the fist PFP collections on Ordinals, which was also responsible for the largest transaction in Bitcoin’s history at that time. It’s a fascinating recount of the project and speaks to how the culture of Bitcoin has developed over the past decade.
They wind down by discussing Taproot Wizard’s second collection, Quantum Cats and its unique functionalities, including its ability to evolve over time. Blake also asks how one of FAR’s pieces from this collection ended up at a Sotheby’s auction.
There are so many nuances around Bitcoin and Ordinals that can only be understood through an artistic lens, which is what this conversation aims to do!
FAR: https://twitter.com/0xfar
TapRoot Wizards: https://twitter.com/taprootwizards
Quantum Cats: https://twitter.com/quantumcatsxyz
Sotheby’s Metaverse: https://twitter.com/Sothebysverse
Boys Club Newsletter: https://boysclub.beehiiv.com/
Blake: https://twitter.com/blakefinucane