The BLOCKZ series iterates through the Unicode block list to learn about the cultures behind its different character sets. It started as an almost weekly mimicry/copy/remix experiment but I hope that, from the seventh token (Muraka Eve) onwards, each project will take the form of a more detailed monthly research and a less rushed audiovisual production.

Κψλιχ | Greek and Coptic (U+0370..U+03FF)

A tribute to the Greek language and pottery.

The first token of the series mimics the illustrations found on kylix and other types of greek pottery. It uses the Greek and Coptic Unicode block (U+0370..U+03FF) and some other symbols to build geometrical patterns, the svg.js library and the STIX font.

шевици | Cyrillic (U+0400..U+04FF)

A tribute to the Cyrillic script (developed during the 9th century in the First Bulgarian Empire) and the Bulgarian embroidery.

This artwork mimics some of the embroidery samples found in the book Bulgarski narodni shevitsi published in 1913 by the National Ethnographic Museum of Bulgaria. It uses the Cyrillic Unicode block (U+0400..U+04FF), the CellularNoise Op and the Kaleidoscope Op of the cables.gl library to create geometrical patterns.

քար | Armenian (U+0530...U+058F)

A tribute to the Armenian alphabet and stone carving.

This 3D artwork mimics some of the detailes found in khachkars but imagining that stone carving was an animated/non-destructuve process. It uses the cables.gl library and its PBR material/lightning, 4 different textures, 4 different fonts: Braind Amanor, Hypix, Noyemi and Old Armenian and the forms of the Armenian unicode block (U+0530...U+058F).

Celestial Glyphs | Hebrew (0590..05FF) דמויות שמימיות

Eternity unfolds in the vault of the heavens in the form of celestial glyphs. When we read the sky we read the universe secret language.

This artwork is a tribute to the Hebrew script. It's a generative version of the celestial map created by Jacques Gaffarel in 1629 found in his most famous work Curiositez Inouyes. It has a light and a dark version. It uses glyphs from the Hebrew Unicode block (0590..05FF), ligatures from the Alphabetic Presentation Forms Unicode Block (U+FB00..U+FB4F), matter.js and p5.js.

Kāra-Lāmah | Arabic (U+0600..U+06FF)

Arabic calligraphy breaths life into words and images. It allows us to discover a sacred gesture, a moment of synchronization between mind and body.

This artwork is a tribute to the Arabic script. It's a generative version of a Kāra-Lāmah or Rough Draft; a practice sheet where the calligrapher would practice her/his penmanship to perfect it but also to try different nibs of the qalam, or reed pen. It uses glyphs from the Arabic (U+0600..U+06FF), Arabic Supplement (U+0750..U+077F) and Arabic Extended-A & B (U+08A0..U+08FF | U+0870..U+089F) Unicode blocks, the Scheherazade New font and p5.js.

ʾEsṭrangēlā | Syriac (U+0700..U+074F) ܐܣܛܪܢܓܠܐ

Computerstyle meets the Syriac alphabet to bring the good news. 🌀 Blessed are those who decrypt the message.

This is the first non-mimicry token of the series. The Classical ʾEsṭrangēlā form of the alphabet reminded me of wildstyle graffiti pieces and inspired me to make encrypted compositions with an Heptapod-B feeling.

The artwork uses glyphs from the Syriac (U+0700..U+074F), Arrows (U+2190..U+21FF), Supplemental Arrows-A (U+27F0..U+27FF) and Supplemental Arrows-B (U+2900..U+297F) Unicode blocks, circletype.js, ztext.js, chroma.js, the GNU Unifont and the Estrangelo Talada font.

Muraka | THAANA (U+0780..U+07BF) މުރަކަ އެވެ

Polished coral, so smooth each piece looks like a glass bead. They grow out of Thaana string-seeds.

This is the result of a (remote) exploration of the Maldives ecosystem and the Dhivehi language script: Thaana. It is a cables.gl patch that creates a set of different conditions for shiny corals to grow ✨. It uses the Thaana (U+0780..U+07BF) Unicode block and the Faagathi Dheli Regular font.

25% of the total sales of the token will be used to adopt coral fragments. This is one of the ways in which the company Reefscapers seeks to create community coral frames to restore coral reefs in the Maldives.

The first 10USD were anonymously donated on October 10, 2022 for the 3rd Community Coral Frame. It was completed on November, 2022 and can be searched here using the code SH341. The last 10USD were donated on December 23, 2022 for the 4th Community Coral Frame.

Bankoo | N'Ko (U+07C0..U+07FF)

The word affects and reshapes land in an eternal cycle.

The development of this series invited me to cross the land through songs and glyphs and to discover the Manding languages script: N'Ko. It is a cables.gl patch that blends procedural terrains and text strings made from 8 letters whose order is continuously randomized. It uses the Nko (U+07C0..U+07FF) Unicode block and the Conakry font.