FEATURED #1 — Kim Asendorf’s monogrid collection
Welcome to FEATURED on Electric Chronicles, where we celebrate seminal collections on the Tezos Blockchain. Here, we highlight distinctive narratives and innovative creative practices, inviting you to explore (new) works.
For the inaugural piece of FEATURED we highlight the monogrid collection, by Kim Asendorf.
Kim Asendorf’s monogrid collection:
generative precision meets unforeseen expression
Fragmment of monogrid bc
A digital construct in real time
At its core, monogrid is a collection of 256 unique, real-time animations, each minted as a one‐of‐a‐kind piece on the Tezos blockchain.
Debuting in October 2021, the collection is underpinned by a sophisticated algorithm that first establishes an overarching digital framework. The algorithm partitions the digital canvas into a master grid that follows a rule-based design – its upper rows exhibit a sparse pixel configuration that gradually intensifies toward the center before tapering toward the bottom. This systematic foundation informs the collection’s dynamic evolution without prescribing the composition of each individual piece.
Complementing this structural progression is a subtle chromatic gradient - a shift from white on one side to black on the other - that imbues the work with an underlying force (or dance) between light and shadow.
The mechanics of motion
A key element that sets monogrid apart is its dynamic evolution. Once the initial grid is set, the piece enters a phase where 16 distinct animations operate concurrently. These include:
– Noise-based movements
– Shifting transformations
– Modulo-based alterations
– Reset animations
Each animation selects portions of the grid independently, and their overlapping interactions yield emergent forms that are never entirely predictable. This design ensures that every viewing experience is both precisely structured and spontaneous at the same time.
Fragment of monogrid 63
Determinism and chance
For Asendorf, the process of generative art is not only a technical execution of predetermined rules, but he likes to start a dialogue between the algorithm and the elements of chance. That inherent unpredictability - those moments when the system produces an outcome that even the artist had not foreseen - he actually uses as a core source of creative energy. Generative art therefore embodies a duality for Asendorf: the tension between logical precision and the serendipity of the actual digital mutation. This philosophy is evidently realized in monogrid, where every animation shows his technical rigor but is - at the same time - also an invitation to the viewer to appreciate the unforeseenness (beauty) of algorithmic conversions.
An evolving aesthetic
Not one to remain static, Asendorf refined his initial approach with monogrid 1.1 CE. While it retains the structural integrity of the original, this updated version introduces a more diverse color palette - drawing from 12 distinct hues alongside black and white - and an enhanced fragment shader that intensifies the organic quality of the animations. The updated system offers a heightened sense of fluidity, suggesting a more chaotic, yet equally deliberate, orchestration of visual elements.
Stills from monogrid 94
Broader context and significance
Asendorf is widely recognized for his contributions to digital art. His career encompasses a range of projects from algorithmic explorations like ‘pixel sorting’ to conceptual research, constantly challenging the (traditional) notions of artistic production.
Beyond its technical merits, monogrid shows a microcosm of the evolving landscape of digital art on the blockchain. By integrating rarity into its very fabric - also via a tiered pricing model based on spatial positioning within the grid - the collection redefined traditional paradigms of value and scarcity. It is both a collectible and a dynamic work of art, merging the qualities of a fixed creation with the fluidity of digital expression.
Concluding: in monogrid, the precision of the algorithm meets the unpredictability of real-time animation, offering collectors - or mere viewers - an experience that is both mathematically grounded and visually expressive.
Fragment of C0L0RGRiD SE17
Expanding his digital lexicon with C0L0RGRiD and FRATZE
Extending his inquiry into algorithmic aesthetics, Asendorf presented C0L0RGRiD – a series of 20 vibrant ‘monogrids’ primarily produced as direct commissions by collectors. These colorful compositions recontextualize his initial digital framework.
In contrast, FRATZE is Asendorf’s profile picture (PFP) art collection, produced with a custom software painter application. This collection features a series of stark, black-and-white PNGs with transparent backgrounds, predominantly formatted at 480x480 pixels though variations occur. Here, the artist distills his - as we now know - signature exploration of digital form into a more immediate, graphic statement. The quite rigid monochrome visuals of FRATZE offer an interesting counterbalance to the dynamic, real-time animations of his other works.
FRATZE 17ea57d8842
Together, these collections show Asendorf’s extensive research into the possibilities of algorithmic art, combining his own thought-out precision with a welcome surprise: the unpredictability of the code that becomes visible only by running it.