Software as Artwork (SaAw) is Here

Officially introducing a new art + technology manifesto, SaAw

Following up on last month’s progress, I am excited to share the completion of the Software as Artwork manifesto with you. This manifesto is made to declare and encourage those working to combine the process of creating art with democratic principles and technologies that first made the Internet Revolution.

Design for a mint page of my new Web3 project tentatively called Community Edits, 2022

As its creator, I am using this manifesto to actively declare my participation in the Web3 space. I have been working on a new kind of collaborative project for the last year, whose homepage is pictured above. It mixes music and profile picture (or PFP as degens call them) style generative systems. The project is not ready yet. However, today I would like to share this manifesto with you all in the form of two limited edition (x25) NFTs: one in English and the other in French.

The video NFTs explain Software as Artwork using emerging text-to-speech, speech-to-text technologies, and custom software for rendering graphics all while satirizing the state of developer culture.

The sale of these NFTs, along with a grant I received from Unnamed Fund, enable me to collaborate with musicians for this new project. I will use the money raised to pay musicians in advance to create works for this experimental endeavor. I will also use the money to reimburse licenses for the typeface used in the manifesto and the music project: GT Walsheim by Grilli Type. In return, your NFT will grant you beta access to this new project. Lastly, your wallet address, name, or handle — if you wish — will be listed on the credits page of the music project.

I hope you will join me! To all the artists out there making Software as Artworks,

—Jono