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Good morning everyone!

I got some news for you, My new collection EX-LIBRIS will drop on fx(hash) 2.0 this wednesday January 10 at 13:00 EST, the max supply is set a 256 and mint price is 0.016E.

Each holder will be able to redeem their bookmark (or set) after minting. All bookmarks will be signed and printed on Epson Cotton High-Quality Rigid Paper. Price for physicals will mostly cover shipping prices and will vary depending on the type of format chosen.

Here is the link to the project if you want to check it out: https://www.fxhash.xyz/generative/slug/ex-libris

Here’s a small teaser trailer I made :)

The concept of EX-LIBRIS came to life just days before going to the Art Blocks Marfa Weekend back in September. I decided last minutes to craft some cute little bookmarks to give to my art friends as a memento.

To make these I use the format ratio 1:3. It a very unique format and I was surprised by it’s inherent potential for artistic expression. I’m using a particle system that draw trails on the canvas. It is a concept that I’ve used before (ie, Jeu de Ligne). It creates beautiful forms and textures and it’s really amazing to see the pattern build itself as time passes. I really feel that the constraint in width brought by particular format is really interesting. The particles seems more playful, more chatoic but at same time more calm. It’s a tough feeling to describe. “Positive excitement” might what I’m looking for.

The same excitement I had when I arrived in Marfa and met all these awesome people. I came back home full of mementos from other artist’s and I was really happy to have contributed to this. The “minting” happened on location, in a small texan village in the middle of the high desert.

The discussion that came from that exchange really pushed me to bring this collection to the blockchain and continue sharing that positive energy. I do it for the poor books. You know, I thought I was the only one using old wrinkled receipt as a bookmark when I read. Turn’s out, mostly everybody do this. It’s baffling. These books need all the help they can get. I decided to rise to that challenge.

In each minted artwork, there is a feature that reference a location that I visited while in Marfa. This feature influence the work visually. I will not spoil much but I can only say that it affect the rythm of the artwork. I will let you find out what is the correlating visual attribute.

While waiting for the 2.0 second release, I built a small dashboard for collectors and viewers. It'll grant you access to some quality-of-life settings. It can be modified using the keyboard or by clicking/tapping the corresponding buttons.

To access the dashboard the user should be in live view, I recommend fullscreen, and click on the “i” icon on the top right corner of the page.

Doing this will open up the dashboard with information about the piece current setting and a set of buttons to modify them.

There is two types of modifiable settings available.

The first set is the "print" settings. This allows modification for printing elements such as margins, resolution, and format ratio. Upon clicking the download button, the output will reflect these changes. Below is the list of print settings along with their keyboard activation key.

[R] -> Format Ratio : [square,A4,1:2,bookmark,skateboard] // Default is bookmark

[M] -> Margin: Switch margin config [0,50,100,150,200,250,300]

[P] -> Population settings: [400k,800k,200k] // Default is 400k

[F] -> Exposure : Total number of frames until done: [10,20,30] // Default is 10

[D] -> Print DPI : Switch resolution multiplier : [1,2,3,4,5] // Default is 1

Then there is the “preview settings that will permit you to visualize other stuff like border radius, the orientation of the piece and a nice presentation view with a bit of drop shadow. These settings will not change the output when you click on the download button.

[B] -> Border Radius : Switch border radius (visual only)

[T] -> Horizontal : Toggle horizontal mode: [off,on] // default is off

[V] -> Presentation : Toggle presentation mode: [off,on] // default is off

Everybody who will hold an EX-LIBRIS token will be able to redeem a single signed bookmark for free. The possibility to order a set of bookmarks is also possible but the price will be determined at the time of order.

It is also possible to redeem the token in any format present in the dashboard. These are the possible options

Square [1:1]

A4 [1:1.41]

Univisium [1:2]

Bookmark [1:3]

Skateboard [1:3.88] (I would really really really like it to print one on a deck 🛹)

**The price for all of these options will be determined at the time of order. DM me and I’ll get you covered.

EX-LIBRIS is really special to me. It captures the essence of a singular moment in time—a moment where I found my tribe as an artist. With an ethos rooted in uniqueness Individuality and relationships, I really hope this project will help your books get read.

Super hearthfelt thanks to Heeey, Neel, Haiver, Jos, MV, godmin, Matto, Martijn, Amy, Johan, David, Emily E, Emily W, Molly, Mike, Eddie, Ryan, Aaron, K.C, Duane, Jimena, Jeff, Anna, Jeres, Pedro, Paolo, Phil, Sour, Stephen, ixnay, Takawo, Joshua and all the others I forgot. Our discussions and interactions really helped me craft this beautiful collection. Never stop being awesome and inspiring. You guys rock!

And thank YOU for reading. If you like what you saw, do not hesitate to share this article or the whole EX-LIBRIS project with your space, friend, families and pets. Your are the backbone of everything I create. I couldn’t be more grateful for this. Now let’s go and tackle 2024!

Thanks for reading The Weekly Process by Jonathan Barbeau! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.