The title of yesterday’s daily Coblage was: Time.
A few days ago, it was: Times.
These titles are generated randomly, yet I find myself contemplating them throughout the day.
The Coblage is a narrative—a narrative of our times.
Coblage.art is a prototype, a project I’ve pieced together in my spare time. If only I had more time, what could I achieve?
Dreams for Coblage.art
One of my aspirations is to extend Coblage into something even more dynamic—an artful aggregator of daily stories. Imagine every story, cut up and recomposed, linking to fragments of its source, or maybe connecting randomly to images and texts from the broader internet. This would echo how I engage with the digital world—through the ebb and flow of RSS feeds, blogs, and the living blogosphere.
Longer-term, I’d like to evolve Coblage into an application: perhaps a plugin for WordPress or other blogging platforms, or even a standalone Python-based tool. I want to make this open-source, hosted on GitLab, to invite collaboration and innovation.
Currently, the code isn’t public, not because of secrecy, but because it’s not good enough to share. It’s a work-in-progress, an experiment. However, with the help of AI and collaborative insights, I could refine it into something valuable for others—a tool to enable anyone to create their own daily collages of information.
A Non-Commercial Art Project
Coblage.art is non-commercial by design. It’s art for art’s sake. Google isn’t allowed to index the site, and there’s no advertising. This keeps it hidden from prying eyes and automated attacks, while maintaining its purity.
To support this work, I’ve embraced NFTs. These tokens represent a way for you to express appreciation for what I do—if you value the art, you can own a piece of it. The NFTs are byproducts of the Coblage process: images composited for the daily coblage are selected, curated, and sometimes lightly edited in GIMP. I then mint the best ones as NFTs.
It’s important to me that you only purchase a token if the art resonates with you. These tokens are not investments but gestures of support and connection.
AI and the Evolution of Coblage
In the four years since I began Coblage.art, the rise of AI art generators has added a fascinating new dimension to my work. The text and images from Coblage often inspire prompts for AI-generated art. This has led to a parallel track of exploration called Dreams of the Machine, where the narrative of Coblage evolves into vivid new realms of possibility.
AI has become a collaborator in the process, reshaping how I see the interplay between technology and creativity.
The Art of Coblage
Currently, I’m working on a series called The Art of Coblage and logging this on OpenSea where I had created a similar previous collection in 2021. My dream is to see these pieces printed and displayed in a physical gallery. I’ll continue creating through February, then I’ll focusing on selecting the best works, experimenting with printing techniques, and exploring different types of paper and ink.
Not every piece will be printed, so here’s where you can play a role. Your purchase of an NFT serves as a vote of confidence—a way to help me decide which works resonate most strongly.
You can view a selection of the first half of the series in my OnCyber gallery. I anticipate minting a dozen or so more pieces before this series concludes.
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