The very beginning…
HyperCube is a community curated platform for blockchain-native art. It supports minting of art that:
Incorporate features that were not possible prior to the blockchain/NFT revolution.
Has been curated by a nominated expert curation board, guest celebrity curators and the Hypercube community.
Our initial focus is generative art, similar to that found on ArtBlocks, EthBlockArt, gen.art etc.
What is Blockchain-Native Art?
Whenever a new platform emerges, the first set of applications are simple translations of popular applications on the ‘old’ platform. e.g.
The first TV shows were simply radio shows with pictures.
The first websites were simply digitized magazines.
We are at the beginning of the NFT revolution. The first NFTs are simple translations of existing digital art — a photo or video stored on a filesystem, with the URL then stored in a token.
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However, the most exciting developments on a new platform happen when applications are developed that are only possible on that new platform, and weren’t possible before. Movies with beautiful cinematography were’t possible on radio. Websites became increasingly interactive, personalized, social, mobile.
What types of art are possible on the blockchain that just weren’t possible before?
Generative art is one example, and ArtBlocks has been the biggest innovator in the space to date. Not only is the art stored as code, completely on-chain (not just a URL to a file stored on a server that could possibly change or disappear), but the art is not actually generated until the moment it is first purchased (minted) using randomized parameters that are impossible to predict, derived from the blockchain transaction itself. This means that neither the buyer, nor the artist, know exactly what the piece will look like until the moment it is minted. This wasn’t possible before and is an example of blockchain-native art.
This is only the beginning of what’s possible.
To be clear: we believe there are many amazing examples of NFT art being produced today that are not blockchain-native — photos, digital art, 3D animations and yes even cartoon PFP collections. We are fans and owners of many such pieces. It’s just not our focus with HyperCube because there are already a great many platforms supporting this art like SuperRare, Foundation, Rarible, Nifty Gateway etc. We are interested in helping to pioneer the next big genre of digital art and we believe it will be blockchain-native.
