MAY - JUNE 2022
The genesis of "Currency of Protest" in spring 2022 was a deep dive into the potential of Generative AI as a medium to interpret and project the tumultuous energies of protest movements straddling the extremes of political spectrums. The initial outputs of this nascent technology (MidJourney v2) were adorned with flowers and femininity, strange in their crudeness but bright and hopeful in their interpretations. But in my prompting, I had not been entirely honest; I had wanted to see the predictions of the machine, to use it like a crystal ball, but in my final review of these first editions, I saw my own biases revealed. I had been steering the narrative towards an idealized future, ignoring the present's raw demand for resolution through conflict. I was, in essence, in a hurry for the bloom, prematurely pushing towards a more harmonious future timeline, while the present still hungered for catharsis and (violent) change.
JUNE - AUGUST 2022
By summer, I had fully embraced a more raw and randomized exploration, strictly requesting “currency of protest” and allowing my AI collaborator to freely steer the narrative through thousands of renders. This shift towards more authenticity in my prompts, and embracing randomness and quantity, helped reveal the stark visuals that define the majority of this series: manifestations of mobs, martial law, and molotov cocktails hinting at a turbulent future. This period was marked by an intense iteration process, transitioning visuals from rough sketches to elaborate scenes of chaos and political critique. The detailed engravings that started to emerge in August’s models showcased politicians amidst destruction and detailed images of crumbling institutions of power, serving not just as a prediction but as a commentary on the potential endpoints of societal unrest and political satire turned into real-world rallies.
AUGUST - OCTOBER 2022
In these transformative months leading up to the "Paint the Protest" exhibition, curated by Nancy Spector, my project evolved from digital renderings to tangible artifacts. This transition marked a significant evolution, bridging the gap between virtual dissent and physical interaction, embodying a leap from conceptual pixels on screens to the physical reality of soil under fingernails.
The introduction of seed paper banknotes, distributed for free to visitors, was a call to action, inviting attendees to partake actively in the narrative of growth and renewal. These banknotes, designed to literally bloom into wildflowers, symbolize the resilient and transformative power of protest. Inspired by the age old activist adage, 'They tried to bury us; they didn’t know we were seeds,' this chapter cast the banknotes as both metaphor and medium for change, embodying the hope that springs from the rubble of conflict.
During this transformative period, my focus shifted to the Supreme Court, spurred by waning public confidence in (and anger towards) the institution. This exploration led me to depict its literal and metaphorical destruction within my series, illustrating the Supreme Court amidst disintegration and renewal, emblematic of society's perpetual cycle of change. These banknotes not only showcased scenes of structural collapse—buildings breaking, burning, and crumbling, their outlines dissolving into money piles, broken columns, and flames—but also the vibrant resurgence of life, with flowers sprouting from the ruins. The reverse of each note captured the fervor of violent contemporary protests, with burning police cars and SWAT team standoffs, embodying the tumultuous era we inhabit. This duality underscores the transformative potential of art, navigating us from chaos towards regeneration. Beyond the immediate imagery of unrest, these scenes underscore the inherent cycles of birth, death, and rebirth amid societal upheavals. Long after the conflicts cease, we see the emergence of flowers and grasses around our institutions' wreckage, the flourishing of seeds sown in times long past—a testament to the enduring cycles of societal churning and the hopeful narrative that growth and renewal invariably follow destruction.
MARCH 2023
Post-exhibition, I delved back into currency production after a much-needed break from my months-long apocalyptic séance, seeking to refine the aesthetic and thematic depth of the project. New models had been released that allowed for new visions, but ultimately, I returned to the combinations of techniques that had initially sparked the project's direction, aiming for outputs that melded cryptic insights with the visual style of historical engravings. These are the only banknotes where I experimented with erasing and defacing in this manner, and where I allowed some new figureheads to re-emerge from behind the colonial frames.
AUGUST - OCTOBER 2023
The next transition moved the currency onto the blockchain, where it found a new dimension of expression and accessibility. By choosing to distribute these pieces for free on the experimental platform zeroone.art, I aimed to extend the ethos of barrier-free access that marked their physical debut. This move was about more than just leveraging digital innovation; it was about affirming the project's commitment to inclusivity and democratizing engagement. Sharing the work with this specific community of artists and collectors, and aligning with a platform that represents a radical departure from conventional NFT art market dynamics, was reflective of the project's broader philosophy that challenges traditional institutional boundaries. The swift, free movement of the works during this period inspired the creation of many new banknotes, and I continued using the same combination of tools from the previous summer.
JANUARY 2024 - PRESENT
After overcoming the challenge of a critical version's disappearance, I embarked on a renewed phase of creation in January, utilizing newly released tools. These innovations not only facilitated a workaround but also unlocked new possibilities for transforming and extending the works into multimodal expressions. This phase marked the debut of advanced AI systems capable of breathing life into the static images of currency—fires blaze and flowers bloom, lending a dynamic new dimension to the narrative of resistance and renewal.
In parallel, the project has returned to its physical roots, now utilizing large format seed paper for printing. This move reinforces a commitment to intertwining the digital and physical in advance of an upcoming rollout across multiple blockchains this Spring and Summer.
