The AI-driven artistic project initiative will launch on February 19th, 2025 by combining blockchain technology with literature and photographs. The AI project HOWL.camera by Ross Goodwin creates a digital interpretation of Howl by Allen Ginsberg as a partnership between theVERSEverse and the Allen Ginsberg Estate. The Fahey/Klein Gallery in Los Angeles will be the first venue to exhibit the project and be available on fx(hash).
Through AI and generative tools, Goodwin transforms HOWL into an interactive visual experience. Through Markov chains image recognition techniques and ascii representations the project unites Ginsberg’s black-and-white photographs and poetry to create blended artwork. The work continues Ginsberg’s custom of using technology in his art after his early experimentation with recording devices and cameras for literary expression.
Interactive and Blockchain-Based Art Experience
Visitors can interact with Howl through a life-size projected version at the HOWL.camera installation. The digital platform enables visitors to interpret the poem dynamically through their human movements or gestures providing new perspectives on this famous literary work. At this event, visitors will have the opportunity to join Ross Goodwin, Nicholas Fahey, and Elisabeth Sweet during a panel discussion that examines the aesthetic changes in literature and photography through computational methods.
Collectors will have the opportunity to participate through fx(hash)’s fx(params) platform, where they can select a preferred Ginsberg photograph as the foundation for their unique edition. Each piece will integrate AI-powered transformations, ASCII art, and elements of Ginsberg’s recorded poetry. The artwork will be minted on the Tezos blockchain, ensuring authenticity and permanence in the digital art space.
A Milestone in the Fusion of AI, Literature, and Blockchain
HOWL.camera operates through funding from the Tezos Foundation as it demonstrates Web3 technology’s growth towards integrating literary heritage. Tezos helps drive eco-friendly blockchain operations enabling support for digital art projects in collaboration with organizations such as the Musée d’Orsay, the Serpentine, and the Museum of the Moving Image.
The Tezos R&D Hub in London through its Trilitech division directs oversight under Aleksandra Artamonovskaja who leads the mission to transform the way people engage with classic literature in modern digital platforms. The usage of AI, blockchain, and interactive technology by HOWL.camera presents a modernized version of Ginsberg’s groundbreaking poetry while demonstrating Web3’s cultural sector potential.
