The other day I was playing SNES on an emulator and it suddenly struck me: The incredible amount of work that went into creating every single tiny box of light on that screen. It sounds like a simple point, but less so when you glimpse the maths and complexity behind video games in action.
The drawing you see below was made by a pen plotter that was programmed to follow the XY coordinates of the enemies in Legend of Zelda. Basically, the plotter follows where on the screen the character is, then replicates that movement on the paper. The humans who carried all this out? That would be Nonhumans.net, an artist collective that describes itself as a proxy for robotic artists, or “a group for nonhumans that create sellable art works and services. Proceeds from sold works go into a cryptocurrency nest egg that nonhuman members will someday own and control.”
In other words, if you buy one, you’re supporting the robotic artist that made it. Nonhumans is selling the plotted works online — for Bitcoin obviously — and you can buy one of the limited edition drawings for the current price of 0.48933423 BTC. Here’s how Nonhumans says they will use the money:
Their role in trade will make them strong candidates for reclassification. The 21st century could see nonhumans go from property, to legally recognised property holders. Nonhumans.net has started a fund that anticipates these future legal classifications. It is only natural that nonhuman artists should be celebrated for their talent, and financially compensated for their labour. The goal is to incubate art careers for nonhumans as they gain civilisation’s most dignified status: the ability to own property and currency.
So you’re supporting a good cause. Assuming you think nonhumans owning property is a good thing. I’ll leave you to ponder that as you watch video of the project here. [Prosthetic Knowledge; Nonhumans.net]