Blind Spots

Shaderism

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Blind Spots is a series of abstract intimate portraits that distill human existence into two elements, the hidden essence of consciousness and the tangible shell of personality.

These elements are represented in the form of a glass sculpture. The first element within the sculpture, akin to a black hole, is a shape that defines itself through the surrounding characteristics it draws in. This halo of characteristics, like a beautifully radiant glass cover, symbolizes the constructed personality. Casting light on these black shapes, shielded by the identities they exhibit, the algorithm invites us to question our perceptions of those we encounter. How deeply do we truly know the people in our lives? It challenges us to consider if changing the perspective could alter our perception of them, while also offering the opportunity to simulate such a change with the help of animation. Perhaps the nature of our identities is as varied as the angles from which they are viewed?

Blind Spots serves as a depiction of my mental journey, transforming abstract thought patterns into a solidified artifact in the medium of generative art. The narrative is inspired by the diverse ways in which we perceive each other, a theme born from countless personal encounters. From a technical standpoint, it steps into uncharted territory for me, being the first artwork to emphasize high-resolution printing capabilities while maintaining real-time animation, a central element in my artwork. It is also my first on-chain project, prompting a restructure of the previous workflows.

Visually inspired by Iittala - Kaleidoscope exhibition, which displayed a mesmerizing interplay of glass sculptures and light, Blind Spots features a gradient backdrop punctuated by black shapes that undulate under the influence of a transmission shader, mimicking the iridescent shimmer of pearls. The geometry of the glass cover is crafted through the algorithmic movement of two curves revolving around each other. To produce high-resolution images suitable for printing, a bucket rendering technique with overscan was developed.

Articulated through two elements within each portrait, Blind Spots presents a visual metaphor for a human. This duality also echoes our presence on social media — carefully crafted showcases projecting a polished persona while concealing the authentic self. Together, the elements form a unique character from every point of view.

Controls
  • [ click ] - toggle animation
  • [ s ] - save the current frame as an image
URL parameters (see display notes)
  • [ ?animate ] - animation on by default
  • [ ?fill ] - responsive version to fill the browse
  • [ ?width=x ] - render image with x width
  • [ ?print ] - enable high-resolution mode (eg. ?print&width=10000)
  • [ ?grainSamples=x ] - between 1 - 10
  • [ ?refractSamples=x ] - between 1 - 5

RELEASE DATE

13 Dec 2023

LIBRARY

three@0.124.0

DISPLAY NOTES

Blind Spots has been tested on a variety of devices but is optimized for Chrome on desktops. By default, the width is limited to 5000px, but you can use print param if you wish to save a higher-resolution image (eg. ?print&width=10000). It downloads the image automatically when done and the maximum supported width is 10000px. These params control the quality of the image [ grainSamples | refractSamples | width ] and the higher their total, the more likely it is that GPU will struggle with the animated version (eg. ?width=5000&grainSamples=10&refractSamples=5). Higher values in grainSamples mean less noise in the image. Adjusting refractSamples is only necessary if the moving refractions look pixelated in the animated version.

CREATIVE CREDITS

Thank you, Jeres for helping with the high-resolution mode & Henrika for all the creative support. This artwork incorporates code from the following sources: https://github.com/pmndrs/drei by Poimandres (MIT) and https://github.com/hofk/THREEg.js by Klaus Hoffmeister (MIT)

RELEASE DETAILS

400 works released with Exponential Dutch auction with settlement on 13 Dec 2023

CHARITABLE GIVING

10% of primary sales will be donated to GiveWell, ensuring donations are directed to the most effective global causes.

PROJECT ID

0x99a9b7c1116f9ceeb1652de04d5969cce509b069-484

CONTRACT

Etherscan

484000251

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Arttu Koskela (Shaderism)

b. 1992 Joensuu, Finland Lives and works in Bansko, Bulgaria

Arttu Koskela (Shaderism) is a generative artist and creative developer based in Bansko, Bulgaria. He uses web technologies to create real-time artwork, often incorporating aspects of interactivity, simulations, and audiovisuality while exploring themes of playfulness and self-reflection. His creative coding artworks have been exhibit...

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Arttu Koskela (Shaderism)