Verse Talks

00:23 - Welcome Harvey Rayner and Tabor Robak01:40 - Human Resources launch and mint-out04:44 - Tabor's thoughts post-mint07:00 - Organic growth, communication and momentum building09:00 - First reactions: risk, confusion and conceptual clarity11:00 - Roleplay, identity and embodying PFPs13:00 - Timing, AI and why the project works now15:00 - The state of PFP culture and shifting expectations17:00 - Market dynamics and collecting behaviour19:00 - Collecting as belief in the artist, not just the asset21:00 - Risk, politics and performing identity online23:00 - Narrative construction and PFPs as creative tools 28:00 - Clowns, anti-status and rejecting “cool” aesthetics33:00 - Mr Happy and corporate ideology34:30 - What's next for Human Resources?35:00 - Tabcorp as an art company and long-term vision37:00 - Expansion, tools and the limits of the ecosystem39:00 - Gender, identity and ethical boundaries42:00 - Harvey on ChatFUKR, PFP fatigue and lessons learned45:00 - Community management, responsibility and burnout47:00 - New collectors and shifting audience dynamics49:00 - Phase two and sustaining long-term value51:00 - Glitches, clones and technical refinement53:00 - Subjective rarity, provenance and long-term meaning56:00 - Maintaining momentum58:00 - Balancing engagement with artistic practice01:00:00 - Institutional context and gallery reception01:01:50 - Harvey on Art Basel Hong Kong and physical work 01:04:30 - Translating digital practice into physical space01:07:00 - Presentation, scale and audience perception01:09:30 - Series mechanics and live minting 01:10:55 - Focusing on accessible art for a more traditional collector base 01:15:40 - The power of the modern print process 01:19:15 - Finding positivity amid market swings 01:22:55 - Social media and the politics of art  https://x.com/harvey_rayner https://x.com/taborrobak https://www.taborrobak.com https://rayner.art

00:20 - Welcome Abigail Miller and Micol01:07 - Micol’s journey into digital art and NFTs02:20 - From corporate to crypto art04:12 - Expectations and burnout05:26 - Abigail’s background06:26 - The Fulbright program, Russia and cultural diplomacy 09:32 - Crypto roots and art school11:07 - Space struggles and growth14:25 - Echo chamber and reset18:46 - Financialization vs. experimentation21:28 - Changes in identity, fame and cultural experience23:54 - Art Basel Miami and Zero10 27:11 - The missing middle ground for artists30:53 - Avant Arte operations36:01 - Artists, curators and different value propositions40:41 - Industry challenges behind the scenes 41:33 - Vertical’s hard lessons45:10 - Building in public45:36 - Feeling on the periphery of the community47:46 - Women going quiet49:18 - Social media burnout56:09 - Beyond Twitter, IRLs and mailing lists 58:09 - Why female artists tend to be under represented  01:06:05 - Bro culture and access01:10:24 - Sustainability and long-term thinking 01:12:37 - Women supporting women01:22:03 - Checks, balances and ensuring growth https://x.com/micolmicolmicol https://x.com/proofofgailhttps://x.com/avant_arte

00:24 - Verse Talks returns02:55 - The state of affairs in digital art04:40 - Launching new work, market cycles and algorithm whiplash07:56 - Focusing on the internet as a canvas 09:15 - The difficulty in bridging crypto and wider internet culture 16:15 - Where are all the new artists post Art Basel's success? 17:55 - Crypto liquidity and its impact on the digital art market  20:34 - Building a diversified practice 22:35 - Has there been a shift in Jack's audience post Art Basel Miami?28:40 - Over-indexing on institutions, the same names and public fatigue31:27 - What actually changed after Art Basel Miami?35:57 - Moving beyond Crypto Twitter 37:20 - Parallels between institutions interacting with crypto art and BTC's adoption by TradFi 42:09 - The benefit of releasing work into a quiet market 45:45 - Is 2020–21 Ethereum culture dying?49:53 - The SILK model: global events, Eastern markets and physical-first collabs52:48 - Jack Butcher at Art Basel Hong Kong01:00:28 - Batsoupyum, cabals and treating money as meaning01:03:55 - An argument for looking outside the echo chamber  01:06:41 - NFT aesthetics and the BAYC era01:07:21 - Crypto art vs. art on the blockchain01:08:13 - Node’s opening01:10:42 - SuperRare's new exhibition, "We Have Digital Art At Home"01:12:01 - Why Art Basel is so hard: costs and risks01:13:33 - Bridging to the traditional art world and expanding beyond our bubble01:17:24 - Martín Bruce's GEOCITIES auction01:20:23 - Fresh blood, new energy and what’s next https://x.com/pocobellihttps://x.com/jackbutcher https://x.com/DnoTAO https://silkarthouse.com/

00:26 - Welcome (back) Tabor Robak01:40 - Broken Printer and Tabcorp Labs03:25 - The Tabcorp universe05:25 - Human Resources and exploring PFP as a genre 11:10 - A critique of corporate culture12:45 - The process behind Human Resources 16:05 - Traits and rarity  19:00 - Are we the PFPs?   19:57  - Community and the future of Tabcorp 21:50 - Between the traditional and web3 art worlds 25:50 - Determining the number of traits 29:07 - The relationship between Human Resources and Tabcorp 31:05 - Building the network 36:09 - Addressing diversity and conceptual challenges41:36 - Exploring release mechanics and mint allocations 47:31 - How NFTs have fed into Tabor's broader practice51:49 - What drew Tabor to NFTs as a medium  55:25 - Challenges and perceptions in the art world 58:20 - Online fatigue and a move back towards IRL59:49 - Indexing Human Resources 01:03:34 - The simulation as a medium 01:06:20 - Tabcorp Labs artwork updates 01:08:25 - Keeping pace with technological change 01:10:22 - Art as a brand and the studio as a factory  01:13:47 - The social dimension of an artwork https://www.taborrobak.com https://x.com/taborrobakHuman Resources: https://verse.works/series/human-resources 

Rhea Myers, artist, hacker, and crypto-era pioneer, talks about making art to learn cryptography and blockchain. She discusses early blockchain culture, programmatic art like Proof of Existence and Fractionalized Phallus, and the interplay of code, institutions, and identity. Short takes cover smart contracts as medium, gallery translations of crypto work, and the Koala Noosphere placards critiquing ownership and authority.

00:26 - Welcome Phil Mohun01:44 - The vision behind Node Foundation03:23 - Why Palo Alto?04:05 - The importance of Silicon Valley06:14 - The role of Node in the art community15:09 - Node's programming and seasonal approach19:02 - Focus on presentation, education, and preservation25:18 - CryptoPunks and ERC standards26:36 - Yuga's contribution and collection bids28:06 - Creating cultural impact and a distinct brand31:20 - Node's vision and nonprofit model34:39 - Sustaining Node and community support43:34 - The importance of physical and digital spaceshttps://x.com/philmohun https://x.com/nodefnd?s=21&t=Y0qIYiBAAsy4ea-t-FfRQw https://nodefoundation.com/

01:44 - Welcome Terence Broad02:41 - Terry's early artistic journey 07:16 - Transition to creative computing 14:03 - Exploring AI and generative art 15:45 - DeepDream and AI visual understanding 19:42 - Blade Runner—Autoencoded25:56 - From Whitney to worldwide 34:12 - Balancing an art and tech career 34:43 - Pursuing a PhD and creative AI 36:09 - Developing (un)stable equilibrium 36:59 - Challenges and breakthroughs 42:36 - Recognition and impact of (un)stable equilibrium 44:08 - PhD experience and artistic practice 50:27 - AI art and data ethics 52:15 - NFTs and connecting with collectors 55:27 - Future directions and inspirations 01:03:38 - Network bending, Teratome and other works 01:09:32 - How AI has shifted perceptions around creativity https://terencebroad.com  Terence Broad on X https://verse.works/exhibitions/unstable-equilibrium

00:22 - Welcome Matt Medved 04:34 The Evolution of Media and Culture06:36 The Birth of NFT Now and Its Mission08:52 The Gateway: Bridging Traditional and Digital Art10:42 The Shift to Now Media15:32 Art Basel and the Digital Art Council21:51 Meeting the market where it is and growing understanding 24:33 Reflections on Art Basel and Digital Art26:46 The Future of Digital Art in Traditional Spaces29:34 Interactive and Immersive Digital Art33:00 - Highlights and Reflections from the fair41:02 - Live on the ground inside zero 10https://nowmedia.co Matt Medved: https://x.com/mattmedved Now Media: https://x.com/nowmedia 

01:42 - Welcome Laurie Simmons 04:17 - Early inspiration, New York and formative travel 07:25 - Artistic beginnings and creative identity 12:00 - Politics, rebellion and activism    14:57 - Navigating gender norms and early works  21:45 - AI and artistic evolution 27:55 - Photography and artistic identity 30:26 - Connections and collaborations 32:32 - Meeting kindred spirits in the art world 33:08 - Defining movements and appropriation 35:05 - Rejecting the previous generation’s approach37:14 - Navigating the art world and personal identity 40:26 - Embracing NFTs and digital art  43:39 - Thinking about the space as a separate art world 47:53 - What causes the stigma around NFTs and AI among legacy artists  50:24 - The changing landscape of the art world 54:40 - Looking forward towards the future Laurie Simmons: https://x.com/simmonslaurie Black & White: https://www.alminerech.com/exhibitions/11587-laurie-simmons-black-white 

01:15 - Welcome Refik Anadol02:07 - Blade Runner, media architecture and early inspirations    03:34 - Defining data painting04:45 - The concept of data as pigment07:44 - Fusing art and architecture 10:24 - Viral success and public art13:49 - Collaborations and technological innovation 16:30 - Defining a medium through a holistic approach 21:27- Building the datasets and creating positive impact 25:10 - Galleries, collectors and shifting understandings 29:10 - Avoiding the hype and staying focused 31:19 - Collaborating with Messi        38:03 - Public perception and criticism 45:08 - Early blockchain exploration47:25 - Unsupervised at MoMA 48:34 - Balancing physical and digital art49:41 - Challenges and opportunities in web354:27 - The vision behind Dataland 01:00:02 - Thinking in "living systems"01:03:09 - The role of technology in art 01:07:18 - Art as a celebration of humanity  01:11:59 - Collaborating with Demis Hassabis and Jensen Huang  01:20:44 - Future plans and collaborations Refik Anadol: https://x.com/refikanadol https://dataland.art/Dataland Residency Program: https://dataland.art/blog/introducing-the-dataland-ai-artist-residency