Blake speaks with Francisco Alarcon (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

Blake speaks with Natalie Stone, General Manager for CryptoPunks at Yuga Labs.

This is a CryptoPunks interview like you’ve never heard before! There is so much new info that will make you appreciate the collection and crypto art even more.

Natalie walks Blake through the 3 pillars of the CryptoPunks brand and explains “the North Star” that the collection is always orienting towards.

Blake also asks Natalie if and how she tracks the Punks floor price, how she communicates and maintains her relationship with the Punks community, as well as about the Proof Collective and how Yuga is managing another art centric brand alongside Punks.

Natalie even previews the new CryptoPunks’ book called CryptoPunks: Free to Claim and hints at some of the incredible contributors like the Chief Creative Officer at Balanciaga, Martina Tiefenthaler.

They also talk in-depth about Punks place within the traditional art world… after listening, you’ll be left with a deeper understanding of the power of art (the ultimate goal for the Context Podcast!). You’ll also have a stronger grasp on the significant role Punks play(ed) in the development of the contemporary digital art movement and how they continue to push the bounds of creativity in crypto at large.

Links:

CryptoPunks: https://cryptopunks.app/

Free to Claim: CryptoPunks Book: https://hub.cryptopunks.app/goods

Natalie Stone: https://twitter.com/NaughtalieStone

Blake Finucane: https://twitter.com/blakefinucane

Boys Club Newsletter: https://boysclub.beehiiv.com/

Context presented by Boys Club is partnering with Sotheby’s for Season 3! Each month, we'll be working with Sotheby's to bring you an episode on a different digital art based theme. The goal over this season is to help you more deeply engage with digital art and better understand how it intersects with crypto.

For the first episode of the season, Blake will be speaking to the brilliant Michael Bouhanna, Vice President and Head of Digital Art and NFTs at Sotheby’s. They’ll be discussing the last 10 years of digital art, and how crypto technology has impacted it.

They walk through the definitions of Generative Art, A.I. Art and Ordinals, how an auction at Sotheby’s gets put together, who a typical digital art buyer is, and the barriers to buying something that’s immaterial.

They also talk about Jackson Pollock, Sol LeWitt and how art history can be used as a tool to better understand digital art today (FYI: digital art is over 60 years old).

It's a super informative episode and really sets the stage for the entire season, with lots of art history intertwined.

Links:

Sotheby’s Metaverse: https://twitter.com/Sothebysverse

Digital Art Through the Decades Auction: https://www.sothebys.com/en/auction-catalogue/2024/revolutionaries-digital-art-through-the-decade?s=intro

Michael Bouhanna: https://twitter.com/michaelbouhanna

Blake Finucane: https://twitter.com/blakefinucane

Boys Club Newsletter: https://boysclub.beehiiv.com/