The Generative Art Museum (TGAM): Hello Arttu! Thank you very much for joining us today. How are you?

Shaderism (S): Thanks for having me here again! I’m just a couple of days away from finalizing my algorithm for Responsive Dreams festival, and thrilled for the results. It’s also not too long until my partner and I move to Spain for the winter, which I’m really excited about.

TGAM: You’re repeating from the 2023 edition, and we couldn’t be happier to have you back. Could you update us on what has been going on this year?

(S): The summer of 2023 felt very quiet in the generative art ecosystem. Like many other artists, I started looking beyond the fx(hash) bubble. One thing that particularly interested me was learning to code on-chain artworks, as I had previously worked only on projects with large codebases, all of which were stored on IPFS. With perfect timing, my first on-chain compatible piece was picked up for ArtBlocks Curated and released as one of the last pieces in the Curated collection in its previous form.

By that point, I had been creating generative art full-time for about a year, and I had mentally set the end of the year as my deadline to start looking for creative coding work again. However, the release of Blind Spots was very well received, which inspired me to continue with the full-time focus on bringing my visions to life.

Alongside developing ideas for Genuary 2024, I explored the Ordinals protocol. I was curious to understand what set it apart, particularly the possibility of using more libraries while still keeping the entire codebase fully on-chain. During the spring, I also attended the two final city launch events of Bright Moments, where I met many generative art enthusiasts face-to-face for the first time, forming valuable connections. One of these new contacts was with the team at VIVID Gallery, who focus on bringing generative art to Bitcoin. Our collaboration led to the release of Looming Emotion at the beginning of the summer.

Most recently, my submission for Combine24, a generative art competition hosted by the Finnish National Gallery, was shortlisted among the top 10 and the final results and an exhibition organized by the Finnish National Gallery will be announced later this year!

TGAM: As an artist that participated in the 2023 edition, could you describe a bit how it felt to be part of the exhibition?

(S): Last year’s Responsive Dreams festival marked the first time my work was exhibited somewhere physically and I was lucky enough to visit the festival, which by itself was thrilling! Meeting other generative art enthusiasts was a special experience, which motived me to attend more events. It was also truly exciting to see people interact with and respond to my work in person, which has been a brilliant motivator for creating more art like this!

TGAM: Do you combine commercial work or prefer to make just generative art?

(S): Since the beginning of 2023, I’ve been focusing exclusively on generative art, which has been a true privilege! I feel that my art career has significantly benefited from this period of full-time focus on my craft. It allowed me to find my artistic voice and become deeply comfortable with my tools of choice, something that is hard to achieve when juggling commercial work alongside. However, I do keep communication lines open for interesting creative coding opportunities, and am always happy to discuss exciting projects!

TGAM: Your piece was a huge success whenever we exhibited because of the interactivity using a midi controller. A lot of people ask how it works, could you describe a bit about the technology used in your pieces such as WebGL?

(S): I’m very happy to hear that! Visually, all of my art relies heavily on Three.js (wrapper library for WebGL) and shaders, which allow me to create art that renders fast enough to support real-time frame rates. For Chordal Reveries, the physics simulation and software synthesizer were also crucial components, and while I’ve explored different approaches, for this specific piece, I ended up using Rapier.js and Tone.js. Support for MIDI controllers is built into browsers by default, much like entering commands with a regular keyboard. These commands are then used to adjust various settings related to the artwork.

TGAM: “Touch Glass” is the project you’re presenting at Responsive Dreams 2024, an artistic interpretation of the phrase "touch grass," commonly used to express the need to step away from the digital world and reconnect with the physical one. The piece features interactive glass sculptures inspired by the vibrant flora of Finnish summers. Can you explain a bit more about the project and how it came to your mind?

(S): Over the summer, generative geometry and rigging (creating a skeleton for 3D models to enable movement) has been a lot on my mind. At the same time, so has foraging for berries & mushrooms and wandering through forests with my cocker spaniel. As I move through nature, I often find myself interacting with the environment—wiggling plants or feeling textures—and I wanted to recreate that experience digitally.

The artwork’s concept emerges from an internal dialogue of trying to find balance between the life of a generative artist, with the life of an outdoorsy person. This tension between opposing aspects of life, each inspiring and hindering the other. These experiences, combined with my ongoing exploration of digital glass as a medium, have been the primary inspirations for Touch Glass.

TGAM: We’ve seen many times people intentionally avoiding animation, sound or interaction in generative art, even though, in our modest opinion, it’s what makes it unique and fun. Animation, sound and interaction has been precisely one of your key features for the projects you’ve been releasing, how do you see this practice evolving in your future pieces?

(S): I agree, generative art with those qualities holds my interest for much longer! But the avoidance is also understandable, because while unique and fun, these features are often time-consuming and challenging to implement.

Generative sound has been somewhat on the sidelines for me this year, aside from some explorations during Genuary. I’m excited about many ideas that have come from those early tests, which I haven’t yet had the chance to fully develop. Additionally, the generative modeling and rigging techniques I’ve developed for Touch Glass are something I plan to continue using in future projects. I believe they’ll enable me to create more animated and interactive pieces that are also less visually abstract!

TGAM: Alongside other artists in Responsive Dreams exhibition, you have been creating generative art for quite a long time now. You have been present in the rollercoaster that it has been for artists, what is your best moment in generative art?

(S): Meeting and connecting with people that share the same interests, both online and in person, hands down! The Bright Moments events in Paris and Venice were especially meaningful. They made me feel like I was a part of a larger community and an art movement. Another highlight has been the recognition that Blind Spots received from people like Erick Calderon of ArtBlocks, along with many others. It has been truly inspiring!

TGAM: What would you like to see in the ecosystem for generative art to keep growing?

(S): I’d like to see more dialogue between the generative art world and the traditional art world, rather than us staying in an echo chamber. Collaborations with traditional artists would be fantastic, and I hope the ecosystem will more broadly embrace the unique aspects of generative art!

Shaderism is part of TGAM's Responsive Dreams Festival 2024, the first generative art exhibition in Barcelona dedicated entirely to showcasing art created by code.

"Touch Glass" will be released for minting September 5th June at fx(hash). Holders of TGAM's brochures are elegible to mint preferentially.

The Generative Art Museum (TGAM) is a non-profit organization based in Barcelona dedicated to explore, promote, and advance the understanding and appreciation of generative art as a unique form of artistic expression.