#dospunks

April showers bring The House of The Rat, The Host of The Raven, The Order of Echo, and The Cult of The Fox. Wait what?

It's Friday the 13th, and @DOSPunksNFT welcomes @Tengushee as the @DOSPunksDAO May 2022 Artist of the Month! Join us as we journey through The Endless City and explore The Endless Chronicles with Tengushee.

Stay tuned to the VOCC Network for more DOS Punks DAO updates this month.

Way back in September, we welcomed jonCates from the future (Taipei Taiwan Standard Time) as the DOS Punks DAO Artist of the Month.

DOS Punks fam, Bayneko, summed it up nicely, saying, "jonCates is an experimental artist and glitch media master, who uses writings, digital images, films, games, and even colloquial grammar to draw the viewer into his glitch Western universe."

I first bumped into jonCates in sgt_slaughtermelon's Glitch Forge server but didn't start paying close attention until Kentucky Route Zero made a Glitch Western Wednesday appearance! Check out our conversation that follows.

The following is a total copy/pasta from a jonCates Medium post (here).

DOS Punks conversations, Part I

₿odaciouspiratΞ (DOS Punk 856) && jonCates discussion, September 2022

(₿odaciouspiratΞ (DOS Punk 856) && jonCates (The Cowgirl) in conversation)

₿odaciouspiratΞ: howdy jon! The Cowgirl is especially impactful for me for two reasons: there is a remarkable resemblance to DOS Punk 856 that i normally have. and so The Cowgirl imagery became even more memorable because of how it was introduced to me

(https://twitter.com/joncates/status/1524431370864398336?s=20&t=VGbxlnfIpAaXKbELzKQnag)

jonCates: on May 11, 2022, i posted: today is the 1rst Glitch Western Wednesday yawl! ⚡⌛🔓 time to unLock sum secrets, from The Cowgirl… She dreamt of walking to the edge of the worlds again. Datamoshed, she left Kansas Territory that day… head’N Out West; towards a 鬼鎮 (Ghosttown), where she would find herself, inna Glitch Western

(The Cowgirl glitches virtual Spirit Simulator — jonCates (2022)

You are playing the final/first Interlude of Kentucky Route Zero, The Death of the Hired Man… In game, Emily sits at the bar in The Lower Depths, watching the television, and talking to Carrington. She says: “I was in a movie recently. A western. Kind of. A glitch western.”

(Kentucky Route Zero — Cardboard Computer (2011–2020)

₿odaciouspiratΞ: i went back afterward and did some catching up about how we arrived at the version of KRZ today. i love the haunting misery of the game’s locations and its characters.

(Kentucky Route Zero — Cardboard Computer (2011–2020)

jonCates: they credit me with initial inspiration and influence which is very sweet of them and which i appreciate endlessly we made a game together, Jake and Tamas and i, before they made Kentucky Route Zero (KRZ), which they also credit as being how KRZ got started after they had gotten started on KRZ, i began to formalize the structures of my Glitch Western so it becomes a situation where it’s all vry interrelated rly when Emily, in KRZ, sits at the bar and says that she was in a Glitch Western she is, in a sense, or from a certain point of view, saying that she (Emily) is Emily Mercedes Rich, who starred in my film 鬼鎮 (Ghosttown). which is supersweet kinda easter egg that Jake put into the narrative of KRZ to kinda say that we had been on these paths all along that we were in the same whirlds or that we were crossing over between our whirlds as we had done in reality for so many years togethers

₿odaciouspiratΞ: hell yeah! when i came across that line in your tweet thread, “I was in a movie recently.” i kind of sat up like “okay … what have i missed here … ?”

jonCates: its buried deep at the end for true believers, like you :)

₿odaciouspiratΞ: The Cowgirl, how did this character and imagery evolve in your work?

jonCates: i could answer in different ways like sum would be rly straightforward direct answers. for instance, in my film i set out to center female characters as well as queer the genre EMR (Emily) is perfect bc she is this person. she is this cowgirl +so i knew i wanted her to be The Cowgirl, the central fictional character in the film i had alrdy been writing for the film, but then when she agreed to do it, i started rly writing specifically for her as The Cowgirl +we were spending alot of time togethers, like a couple times a week, every week. we started to rly zone in on who The Cowgirl is +i think that even tho its an experimental art film, it still has sum traditional narrative structures, where often times, you have a central fictional character. this central character is often a version of the creator of the film, the director or the writer, etc. in this way, The Cowgirl, as played by Emily, is def’ly a version of me that we created togethers. she + i mirror each other, esp when we were out shooting on locations Out West all vry intentional

₿odaciouspiratΞ: jC and EMR on location 🖤

jonCates: ya! ‘shoot’N’ ;) +then to bring it around to the VR +such, im mixing different technological moments. im comparing technological ‘frontiers’ + industrial revolutions bc we’re living through different industrial revolutions now. Old West era is during a previous industrial revoltion that changes everything in a way that leads to this industrial revolution that we’re living through now. in our current industrial revolution digital is a technological ‘frontier’ literally and ideologically. this is how we get to California so its like a mix of all this, all of these considerations and motivations + all vry sincere actually, vry much who i rly am

₿odaciouspiratΞ: and this mix is so good. i can feel how it’s inextricably intertwined, so i appreciate the time and effort to share some of this with me.

jonCates: theres one other piece of the puzzle that you might like i went to Austria to study Media Art Hystories + got my Masters degree there. my MediaArtHistories program was the 1rst of its kind + i was literally the 1rst person to graduate from it lol! the whole idea in the program was to compare the past, present, futures of Media Art, so i was technically trained in how to do that

₿odaciouspiratΞ: and so that’s how you ended up in Austria? to participate in that degree program? how did you find it?

jonCates: yes, Oliver Grau founded the program, he created it. + i knew his work && was alrdy in communications w/ him etc. so when he started the program i applied. this is active Catholic monastery called Stift Göttweig on top of a little mountain is literally where i went to grad school lol

(Stift Göttweig Library — Jorge Royan 2009)

₿odaciouspiratΞ: …you lived there too? “on campus” essentially?

jonCates: sumtimes in the little village below, on the mountain so imagine being there, in that library, studying abt computers, VR, Digital Art, etc. thats what it was like. at a certain pt i also decided to do sumthin weirdy like that, in my own work, in 鬼鎮 (Ghosttown), working w/ my own experiences of haunted ‘Americana’

₿odaciouspiratΞ: i have a predisposition to want to experience haunting. and i appreciate your work on both the surface level (it looks cool!) and also for how it makes me feel.

jonCates: that’s high compliment! deeply appreciate it friend

₿odaciouspiratΞ: thank you for continuing to share.

(https://objkt.com/asset/KT1DgWtehNmmQEfJHJKxbJAjJdEcfaUg9T4L/71)

CC0WPUNKs

Gifted by jonCates to DOS Punks DAO members:

Cowpunks, cowpokes, and cowfolks can copypaste, remix, instantiate, fake, flip, rip, steal, invert, modify, distribute, decentralize, decode, recode, recompress, right-click-save, bitcrush, ASCII, ANSI, DOS, punk, phunk, demake, détourne, glitch, game, simulate, imagine, dream, appropriate, abstract, trash, pirate, imitate, flatter, and even celebrate CC0WPUNKs; all without asking permission because permissionlessness is a coreconcept of Dirty New Media digitalPunk and thereby foundational to these here CC0WPUNKs yawl!

Following my interview with Sean Luke in NYC, I spent a few days in the Ghostwood National Forest to reflect on my favorite summer month.  As the sun sets on Sean’s time as @DOS Punks DAO’s Artist of the Month for July, it seems we’re left with more questions than answers.

DOS Punks DAO collected a few incredible artworks by Sean this month, and this is where I’ll begin to search for answers.

'passing_time' February 13, 2022

Sean minted 'passing_time' during the halftime show on Super Bowl Sunday. It's his genesis mint on Tezos.

'state_1' April 9, 2022

Sean created 'state_1' as the first artwork in his 'pixelated_meditations' series. It was never listed on primary but airdropped to collectors instead.

'penultimate_refraction' March 16, 2022

This mesmerizing artwork is one of my favorites from Sean. Why? Consider the idea that Sean's battle axe is Aseprite, and I'll help you glue your brain back together.

So … have I found any answers?  Even if I have, I'm not sharing.  Check out Sean’s art, and find out for yourself.  You don’t have to visit Ghostwood National Forest to do this, but I recommend it.

In other DOS Punks news, I transferred 7.64 XTZ to the DAO wallet for royalties from secondary sales of the DOS Peaks FWWM token.  And if you can believe it, Sean Luke is the top collector of FWWM!

'FWWM' January 22, 2022

Through the darkness of futures past, the magician longs to see, one chants out between two worlds, fire walk with me!

Sean also collected a number of artworks from @haydiroket, @shitwolfnft, @crimebreakfast + @deportedphotog, @purz, and donated them to the DOS Punks DAO Tezos vault.

bodaciouspirate for DOS Punks

Bing bong! If you've not heard by now, Sean Luke is the DOS Punks DAO Artist of the Month for July 2022, and already this month, we can join Sean in celebrating the release of his 17th artwork minted on Tezos.

'◌_▨' July 8, 2022

Damn good, right? It gets better! I have some exclusive Sean Luke content for you right here. Sean agreed to meet with me for an interview, and before he could change his mind, I hopped on a flight to NYC. He challenged me to pick the meeting spot, and I suggested Taverna Kyclades - a Greek spot I'd been to once before. It's in Astoria which is just a short car ride from LaGuardia, and I figured we could see what's good over some pan-fried cheese and cold beer.

BP: So how about this? Let's start at the beginning. Who are you? Where are you from?

SL: My name is Sean, and I was born, raised, and still live in NY.

BP: And what do you do? When did you start?

SL: I exist.

Time out. This response, "I exist," is pedal-to-the-metal Sean Luke. It's difficult for me to add context in this format, but give Sean a follow, interact with him, and see for yourself what he's all about.

SL: I started making art in the 80s and got ‘serious’ about it in the 90s.

BP: Tell me about your art. How do you do what you do? What is your process?

SL: I draw from over 30 years of art experience, so refining that down would be rather hard. For my current minted works, I use Aseprite exclusively, which is essentially Microsoft Paint with layers and an animation add-on.

BP: How did you choose which medium you work in?  When did you first discover your preference for this medium?

SL: I don't have a specific medium, but when it comes to my minted works, I chose Aseprite for a few reasons. The main one being that it's so bare bones and straight to the art. Again, if you're familiar with Microsoft Paint, then you will understand how quickly you can start drawing/painting in Aseprite, which I love.

BP: How closely are your creations connected to each other?

Time out, again. Just as I'm asking this question, a Chevy Impala cruises past the restaurant, windows down, and blasting Beastie Boys:

"But if you're hot to trot, you think you're slicker than grease I've got news for you crews, you'll be sucking like a leech!"

I looked at Sean who nodded along with me, approvingly.

SL: MOST of my pieces have no connection, but my current minted works are part of a greater cosmic quilt.

BP: If you were to direct people to a specific piece of work that you feel really nails what you are aiming for with your creations, which would it be?

SL: This is an interesting question, but for me there is no specific piece for something I am 'aiming' for beyond the enjoyment of creating.

BP: What inspires you?

SL: Lots of shit.

BP: Why do you create. What is it that pushes you to keep creating?

SL: I enjoy it. I enjoy creating LOL.

BP: Is there an ultimate goal for your creations?

SL: Enjoyment ...

BP: What advice can you offer to other creators?

SL: ENJOY what you are doing, and make art that you ENJOY. Too much enjoyment LOL.

BP: Thank you, Sean! I'll be seeing ya ...

I trust that you enjoyed this interview with Sean Luke as much as I did. In the next update, we'll take a look at some more of Sean's minted artworks including those collected by DOS Punks DAO.

Hey yo!!! Itzel aka @misdeditos here... bringing you the latest @dospunksdao​ update!          

During April @maxcapacity dropped his latest project... DOS PUNKS RECRUNCHED! A new reimagined version of DOS Punks at 24x24px. Bitcrunched using Photoshop 5.0 (1998 version). Every DAO member received their corresponding crunchy punk! Also, MAX split 50% of revenues with @DOSPunksDAO wallet!

But not only that! During April, DAO members got an airdrop piece from our Artist of the Month @Iteration_ "C:\DOS\Iteration" (a tribute to the DOS Punks community, the DOS Punks DAO, and Max Capacity) and "ThUgLiFePepE" 4/20 gift from our friend @DaltonLSD.

Since our @DOSPunksDAO budget increased during April, we are voting on discord to increase the Artist of the Month budget as well as compensating @greencross and @misdeditos for their work running Discord, Twitter, and DOSPunks community.

Also, a couple of active members from the community have donated their work or profits to @DOSPunksDAO:

DOS PUNKS RECRUNCHED by @maxcapacity contributed 3,800xtz to the DAO wallet.

@DeportedPhotog is donating 100% of his primary sales on #tez during April to support DOSPunksDAO.

@CityShrug aka Wrecks designed an amazing poster for DAO and sent 50% of primary sales to DAO wallet.

4/20 DOS Punks first-ever party flyer, designed by @maxcapacity donated 100% of profits to DAO wallet as well.

Irradiated DOS Punks Recrunched by @aaasonipse aka espinosa also shared 10% of royalties to DOSPunksDAO.

@JanusSpans drop "VibeRating1" is donating 100% of primary sells to DAO wallet.

DOS Lawsuit, an on-going game in between @misdeditos and @bodaciouspirate, is donating 100% of profits to DAO wallet.                  

Finally, @SquintDev “Rick DOStley II” is donating 50% of primary sales to the DAO.  This synthwavish remix (you know the song) has a sassy visual to go with it!

xtz DOSPunks DAO wallet has an amount of 4,863 ꜩ eth DOSPunks DAO wallet has an amount of 0.664 ETH

Last but not least, during April 4/20 we officially opened our DOSPunks Museum curated by @voxeljunk! Followed by our first-ever metaverse party at @UncleBitcoin DOS BEACH ARENA ft. two amazing DJ sets by @CristianVarela and @greencrosslive and ft. our Museum Director @voxeljunk​ and @Iteration_.

Thank you everyone for being part of this amazing art community called DOS Punks! See you soon!