1. BeyondFaces
  2. about

Inspiration

JARI created the BeyondFaces series in the period between August 2020 till February 2021, contributing to the increasing societal dialogue about inclusivity. Having worked with people who have developmental and physical disabilities, JARI knows that everyone cherishes the deep human desire to be seen - and accepted. Behind the optic surface, every person carries a story that is worth hearing. JARI insists that when we show interest in these stories, genuine human interaction can emerge. Yet, we have to move past what our eyes capture first.

BeyondFaces is a playful invitation to carefully look at one another. The expressionist style encourages letting go of our primary attempts to define aesthetics. What else can you see in the other when you look carefully, nonjudgmentally?

JARI bridges traditional with modern techniques and realized that the blockchain was an excellent technology to underscore the uniqueness of the Faces. She is excited about the equalizing potential of the blockchain and its decentralized functioning.

'With this CryptoArt project, JARI places a hopeful reminder to make the blockchain an inclusive space.

The Project

In 2020, the unprecedented restrictions placed upon populations forced many of us to shift our lifestyles, activities, and professions to at-home digital spaces. The lockdowns were inherently destructive to artists who rely on the five physical senses for inspiration and crafting their artwork. Many artists' livelihoods were threathened. The lockdowns and seclusion also granted space and time in which new creative ideas could emerge. Simultaneously, 2020 marked a breakout year for online digital transactions.

On this current artistic journey, JARI is supported by a small team that recognized the momentum of these unique circumstances. The team consists of enthuasiastic individuals with experiences in science, commerce, arts, technology, anthropology, education, and social services. Their aim is to give artists increased exposure by bridging physical artwork with modern technologies. Through that, the team hopes to elevate the quality of available CryptoArts projects.

JARI, a painter with no prior digital arts experience, approached this new reality of restrictions with curiosity. She took the invitation to experiment with the team's concept of merging traditional art with modern technologies. The team encouraged her to explore new digital concepts, technology, social media, and cryptocurrency while maintaining her professional expertise with traditional materials and tools.

Together, we bring forward JARI's first digital exhibit online.

Materials

BeyondFaces was created by consistently applying a set of materials into a specific order. The boldness of the Faces is anchored in these materials and techniques. The specific paper that was used quickly absorbs wet material. Hence, the ink is dramatically present from the first moment it touches the paper. It cannot be erased. This requires artistic courage, as each stroke is indelible.

For each Face, JARI undertook specific sequential steps (see below). This was time-consuming. JARI considers the intermezzos during which the portraits had to dry of crucial importance. These moments forced JARI to step back and carefully observe the ‘becoming’ of each Face.

During the creation process, JARI undertook the following steps (at least once) per Face.

Step 1: Indian Ink

First, each Face was set up with Indian ink (the thick black strokes). JARI applied the ink with a synthetic brush (Vincent 976, Nr. 30) on aquarelle paper. One set of paintings (indicated per portrait) is on aquarelle paper made by ‘Aquarelle Arches’ (56x76 cm, 300g/m2), produced in France. The other set in this series was painted on aquarelle paper from Italy by the producer ‘Fabriano Bianco Pittura’ (50x70cm, 400g/m2).

Step 2: Watering

Portraits are in water and let to dry. For some portraits, step 2 is repeated multiple times. Washing the portraits makes the upper layer of the paint and ink come off, mingle, and settle on the paper in directions and shapes the artist has no control over. JARI explains that this material choice enabled her to pay homage to ‘character’, which can be capricious and unpredictable in each of us.

Step 3: Colour

Once the paintings were dry, a mixture of acrylic colours provide ‘soul’ to the portraits. The following colours are:

  • titanium white (ARA, A1)
  • lemon yellow (Ara, A10)
  • dark cadmium red (ARA, E23)
  • caeruleum blue (ARA, E39)
  • venetian pink (Amsterdam, nr. 316)

Some portraits were washed and let to dry again in order to apply a second layer of paint.

Step 4: Digital Copy

Lastly, digital photos (3024 x 4032, 3MB HEIC) were taken of each physical artpiece in order to digitalize them. The photos were taken at the same day to assure similar light. The pictures were only minimally adapted and cropped using Photosshop, in order to remain as closely as possible to the original piece.

Technology

Finding a way to tie real world unique artifacts to their non-fungible digital impressions, was a challenge. Cryptopunks had quite a clever solution whereby they wax sealed a paper wallet and its private keys in an envelope insuring that the link between physical and digital remain intact.

We decided to use a combination of blockchain and near field communication (NFC) technologies. Vechain is a leader in authenticating items across supply chains using blockchain technology. We attached 'NFC tags' to each physical painting. Each tag contains a chip that generates random encrypted identifications with each scan. This makes it impossible to copy. Through this combination of the NFC and NFT owners are given proof that physical and digital items are real and authentic.

Contributors

The small team assisting JARI, comes from diverse backgrounds, bringing experiences in science, commerce, arts, technology, anthropology, education, and social services. Funding is provided by an anonymous investor who has taken interest in this particular series of artworks from JARI. The team's hope is to help, grow and deliver more quality content to the physical and crypto-arts scene. Visit geelee.io for more information.