MAGNOLIA
presented by Sothebys Metaverse | Gamma.io
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Magnolia is composed of 4032 hand-embroidered cotton stitches on a grid-based cotton cloth canvas. Embedded within the geometric abstraction is a cryptographic aleatoric notation derived from the rhythmic biodata of the magnolia. Recognized as one of the first flowering plants during the Cretaceous period 100 million years ago, the magnolia is a primordial bloom that embodies wisdom and perseverance due to its existence within and throughout deep time.
To retrieve the biodata of the magnolia, sensors are directly attached to the plant to record the changes in electrical conductivity that transpire through the stomata, a direct channel between the plants’ internal autonomous systems and the conditions of the external world. Each significant change within the stomata is communicated to the sensor, initiating the recording process. This biodata is then sonified and notated as a rhythmic composition, where each embroidered line signifies the duration of an 1/8th note, encoding the magnolia's biological rhythms into geometric harmony.
Conforming to the principles of aleatoric composition, the rhythm is dependent upon chance and randomness determined by the magnolia's disposition at the time of recording. The stitches articulate a rule-based compositional procedure that notate the “beat” of the magnolia, effectively putting a stable frame around an autonomous system in (perceived) flux, utilizing tangible material expression to contingencies that constitute the world external to the magnolia.
The choice of stitching with two color values nods to the most basic form of computer code: base-2, wherein two binary values are utilized to constitute conversation, or in this case, rhythmic notation. The textural low-relief of embroidery encourages touch and tangibility of the digitally recorded provenance, crafting the concept of stitching as storage, where textiles store, index, and arrange data in meaningful ways that allow us to access and recite ephemeral data.
Magnolia is testament to my ongoing reverence of nature as muse in my arts practice, wherein I utilize a range of digital tools and generative processes (computer and analog) in service of evoking new meaningful approaches to how one might observe, process, and feel the natural world, particularly of pertinence as we enter the digital-age.
The artwork is inscribed on sat # 1945185800000000 (Aug 9, 2023, 11:56 AM), a satoshi that was mined on the day the magnolia biodata was originally obtained.
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Magnolia debuted through Sothebys Metaverse in collaboration with Gamma.io, as part of the “Natively Digital: Art on Bitcoin” on 22nd May 2024.
With an evaluation of 3000 - 5000USD, it sold for 7,200USD
MAGNOLIA
[SOLD]
Magnolia, (ed. 1/1), Mia Forrest, 2024, hand embroidery (cotton thread, cotton cloth), 650mm x 650mm (25.5 x 25.5in).
Artwork attached to cotton rag matboard, encased in a Tasmanian Oak Frame, museum-grade ultra vue glass
Digital Medium: Ordinal Inscription, .webp, Sat # 1945185800000000, (Aug 9, 2023, 11:56 AM), a satoshi that was mined on the day the magnolia biodata was originally obtained