Context: Views on Crypto and Culture Boys Club

Blake speaks with Francisco Alarcon (FAR) - artist, engineer and co-founder of Taproot Wizards. They dive into all things art on Ordinals, for a fresh look on the topic.
FAR outlines the differences between creating art on Ordinals and Ethereum including their unique technical capabilities, community expectations and aesthetic trends.
They also talk about the differences (if there is any) between “Bitcoin Art” and “Ordinals.”
The convo continues with FAR chronicling the incredible origin story of Taproot Wizards, one of the fist PFP collections on Ordinals, which was also responsible for the largest transaction in Bitcoin’s history at that time. It’s a fascinating recount of the project and speaks to how the culture of Bitcoin has developed over the past decade.
They wind down by discussing Taproot Wizard’s second collection, Quantum Cats and its unique functionalities, including its ability to evolve over time. Blake also asks how one of FAR’s pieces from this collection ended up at a Sotheby’s auction.
There are so many nuances around Bitcoin and Ordinals that can only be understood through an artistic lens, which is what this conversation aims to do!
FAR: https://twitter.com/0xfar
TapRoot Wizards: https://twitter.com/taprootwizards
Quantum Cats: https://twitter.com/quantumcatsxyz
Sotheby’s Metaverse: https://twitter.com/Sothebysverse
Boys Club Newsletter: https://boysclub.beehiiv.com/
Blake: https://twitter.com/blakefinucane
 

Blake speaks with Natalie Stone, General Manager for CryptoPunks at Yuga Labs.
This is a CryptoPunks interview like you’ve never heard before! There is so much new info that will make you appreciate the collection and crypto art even more.
Natalie walks Blake through the 3 pillars of the CryptoPunks brand and explains “the North Star” that the collection is always orienting towards.
Blake also asks Natalie if and how she tracks the Punks floor price, how she communicates and maintains her relationship with the Punks community, as well as about the Proof Collective and how Yuga is managing another art centric brand alongside Punks.
Natalie even previews the new CryptoPunks’ book called CryptoPunks: Free to Claim and hints at some of the incredible contributors like the Chief Creative Officer at Balanciaga, Martina Tiefenthaler.
They also talk in-depth about Punks place within the traditional art world… after listening, you’ll be left with a deeper understanding of the power of art (the ultimate goal for the Context Podcast!). You’ll also have a stronger grasp on the significant role Punks play(ed) in the development of the contemporary digital art movement and how they continue to push the bounds of creativity in crypto at large.
Links:
CryptoPunks: https://cryptopunks.app/ 
Free to Claim: CryptoPunks Book: https://hub.cryptopunks.app/goods 
Natalie Stone: https://twitter.com/NaughtalieStone 
Blake Finucane: https://twitter.com/blakefinucane 
Boys Club Newsletter: https://boysclub.beehiiv.com/ 

Context presented by Boys Club is partnering with Sotheby’s for Season 3! Each month, we'll be working with Sotheby's to bring you an episode on a different digital art based theme. The goal over this season is to help you more deeply engage with digital art and better understand how it intersects with crypto.
For the first episode of the season, Blake will be speaking to the brilliant Michael Bouhanna, Vice President and Head of Digital Art and NFTs at Sotheby’s. They’ll be discussing the last 10 years of digital art, and how crypto technology has impacted it.
They walk through the definitions of Generative Art, A.I. Art and Ordinals, how an auction at Sotheby’s gets put together, who a typical digital art buyer is, and the barriers to buying something that’s immaterial.
They also talk about Jackson Pollock, Sol LeWitt and how art history can be used as a tool to better understand digital art today (FYI: digital art is over 60 years old).
It's a super informative episode and really sets the stage for the entire season, with lots of art history intertwined.
 
Links:
Sotheby’s Metaverse: https://twitter.com/Sothebysverse
Digital Art Through the Decades Auction: https://www.sothebys.com/en/auction-catalogue/2024/revolutionaries-digital-art-through-the-decade?s=intro
Michael Bouhanna: https://twitter.com/michaelbouhanna
Blake Finucane: https://twitter.com/blakefinucane 
Boys Club Newsletter: https://boysclub.beehiiv.com/

Blake speaks with Sebastian Sanchez, Digital Art Sales Manager at Christie’s. Sebastian gives a behind the scenes look at how an auction gets put together (selecting artists, pricing, display, collectors) while talking though Christie’s latest sale Next Wave: The Miami Edit, taking place at Art Basel Miami Beach. 
Sebastian also details some of Chritie’s major partnerships this year including Gucci and The Keith Haring Foundation.
Blake winds down the episode by asking Sebastian to define both Generative Art and AI Art and explain their importance. And if you weren’t sure about what makes a great digital art work…Blake asks Sebastian to define that as well.
This is a super comprehensive episode about digital art from its market dynamics to its art historical significance…its got you covered.
 
Boys Club Newsletter: https://www.boysclub.vip/newsletter 
Christie’s 3.0: https://nft.christies.com/ 
Sebastian’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/sebastianss527
Next Wave: The Miami Edit: https://nft.christies.com/auctions/next-wave-the-miami-edit-2023 
A Collector’s Guide to AI and Generative Art: https://www.christies.com/en/stories/ai-and-generative-art-collecting-guide-998d865bd6a84538a27f640da23b368f
Panter Xhita : https://twitter.com/PanterXhita
 
 

Blake speaks with the incredibly talented artist and digital fashion designer GLITCHOFMIND, who is part of the Syky Collective’s inaugural cohort, and the Designer Lead at Syky, Clare Maguire.
They have an enlightening convo about the definition and possibilities of digital fashion and how the genre is still being defined.
Glitch explains how digital fashion can encompass much more than just wearables for gaming characters and social media avatars. As part of his new collection called INTERLôR VOL. 1, he’s releasing highly intricate and detailed editorial  images, recalling what you might see in Vogue or Elle…pushing the traditional definition of what is considered “digital fashion.”
Blake also asks Clare to expand the branding and business strategy around digital fashion. They discuss how to create a successful digital fashion brand, how to come across authentic online and her trend predictions for the upcoming year.
The episode really highlights the future of digital fashion for next year and beyond. 
 
Boys Club Newsletter: https://www.boysclub.vip/newsletter 
GLITCHOFMIND: https://twitter.com/GLITCHOFMIND 
Clare Maguire: https://twitter.com/ClareMaguire
SYKY: https://www.syky.com/

On this special episode, Blake speaks with two incredible artists: Nancy Baker Cahill and Figure 31. She dives into their creative processes: why and how they make art with emerging technology (in particular the blockchain and augmented reality). This leads into an illuminating discussion about the distinct artistic properties of the blockchain (aka: its “medium specificity”), and how it can be uniquely used to challenge existing power structures.
Blake also asks them about their brilliant new pieces; Nancy’s work called CENTO is on view at the Whitney Museum of Art and Figure 31’s PROXY is currently apart of Wild.xyz’s group show called MATERIAL.
It’s a super fascinating conversation about how to combine creativity with technology, and communicate complex ideas through the blockchain and AR in a digestible way.  If you are working on any creative projects (artistic or otherwise), this convo its for you.
Note: This is the first live filming of Context! The episode was recorded in front of the attendees of the Wild.xyz Summit in New Orleans.
 
Boys Club Newsletter:  https://boysclub.beehiiv.com/ 
Figure 31 Twitter: https://twitter.com/figure31_
Info on Figure’s work PROXY: https://wild.xyz/wildxyz/exhibition-material/
Nancy Baker Cahill’s Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/nancybakercahill/
Info on Nancy’s work CENTRO: https://whitney.org/exhibitions/cento