Angelo Sotira knows something about the digital art revolution. In 2000, he co-founded Deviantart, an online social platform that helped a generation of artists find audiences long before the idea of “Web3”, rather than a dorm’s thought experiment. Twenty-four years later, after a technology exited, he returned to a new mission: not only a creative sport, but also a collectible action. Last month, Sotira (Né Sotiracopoulos) unveiled the layers, a hybrid platform and high-end display designed specifically for code-based art, as a turnkey collection for those who seriously bring the generated work into the house.
At the heart of Layer is solving one of the biggest challenges of generative art appreciation: its presentation. Generated works based on code – eg, refik anadol’s Unsupervisedpart of MOMA permanent collection – constantly evolving, responsive data, time of day or user interaction. From Samsung’s framed TVs to Meural’s canvas and muse frames, the market is increasingly spreading with digital art frames, but Layer has unapologetically attracted the top of the market at a price of $22,000. What proves to be expensive is that unlike most of the content on the market, it is not just another framework monitor to pull files from a cell phone library or digital wallet. In addition to serious screen resolution, it also has a powerful dedicated GPU designed to render dynamic-based code artwork in real time with zero real-time compression loss. It is also very sleek and is packed in milled aluminum. On LinkedIn, tech entrepreneur Derek Labian described Layer as “digital canvas, more like a high-end computer, but with the industrial design and look of the most polished Apple products.”
Currently, Layer to pre-installed with works from 100 artists, including Casey Reas, Zach Lieberman and Rik Oostenbroek, selected from a team of more than 100,000 reviewed curators, with a combined experience of more than a century. To make it sustainable, the artist compensated through a subscription model, which pays royalties based on the time each work is displayed. Observer caught up with Sotira to learn more about the company’s strategy and what a wider audience needs to embrace digital local art as “real art.”
Who is the collector? Are you targeting local crypto buyers or traditional collectors of newbie digital art?
Our collectors are anyone attracted to the digital art planning that is created by many of the world’s leading digital artists and intentionally bring it to your home. It is suitable for any family who want to take home about digital art education to learn and experience through code-based, node-based and super-resolution artworks such as macro photography of moving chemical reactions or fusion paint and ink. Digital art expresses itself in countless ways – adventure is endless and layers make participation dedication possible. Today, this opportunity is only available to founding members and presentation partners who bring a layer to life at a time. Layer provides a seamless way to interact with the digital art world, allowing collectors of all backgrounds to experience and support groundbreaking artists in a completely new form.
Do you think that hierarchy in the legalization of digital art may be for a wider skeptical audience?
Yes! This is a good question because it is the heartfelt purpose of the layer. We often believe that the beauty and potential of the medium are trapped under the bad decisions of countless visits to it. So, yes! We believe that tiers play a meaningful role in the wider (and sometimes more skeptical) legitimizing digital art. We achieve this from a simple perspective at the root of our thinking. What design will make this medium acceptable in the optimal space and context. How should it behave and how to satisfy a bright or dark day? What works is the test of time in life? What objects would I invite into my private spaces that provide digital art without raising my eyebrows?
One of the biggest obstacles to the widespread appreciation of digital art is the lack of thoughtful, dedicated medium of experiential experience. Change this layer by providing a platform and canvas designed specifically for digital engineering. By bringing museum-quality experiences into everyday spaces and compensating artists with direct royalties, we will help transform perceptions of digital art into timeless and important.
What does it mean to design a display that meets artist and collector standards? How is this layer different from a standard monitor?
Designing a display that meets the standards of artists and collectors means respecting the integrity of the artwork while providing an experience worthy of a museum-level representation of digital art. With layered canvas, every detail is considered – from ultra-high resolution and P3 colors to True Black and powerful GPUs, which enables the entire medium of generating art to run locally for the first time in an integrated canvas. The layers are designed for digital art only. It can support complex generated works in real time, operate in full silence, and has a curation platform that intelligently sequences art based on the conditions of the space, the time of day, and over time. You can interrupt – but not.
You describe the layer as “Museum Quality”. Technically, what does this mean – how do you compare to other digital art display platforms such as unlimited objects or meta accounts?
Layers are designed from scratch from the first principles in a project we call layer levels. What is the ultimate destination for the best way to watch digital art? One example: We introduce the relationship between the CIE 1931 color space-visible spectrum and human color perception. No screen technology today can reproduce the real body of a beautiful bird, and people’s eyes see many colors. We then use the layer rating standard to produce the layer canvas. What are the best technologies available for every decision point in the world today? This layer of canvas is a state-of-the-art experience including super resolution, P3 color, ultra-low reflectivity, True Black and a powerful GPU. We believe we have set a new bar for how digital art is presented.
Layer is launching with original works by 100 artists. What is your strategy for choosing these names? Is it about heritage, innovation or both?
Our process always starts with our design philosophy for the layer: “less movement.” Our curatorial strategy celebrates minimalism and simplicity while emphasizing emotions and emotions. The whole experience of the layer is the beauty and restraint we hope to foreshadow. The selected artists and works are avant-garde with attitudes and beliefs. Graphics and compositions are soft and wrapped at once, in other cases, cut with grit and edges. We are entering the future of digital art with artists with deep reputation and roots. Beauty and restraint. We want to commemorate the pioneers who helped shape the generative art movement and those who brought the artistic medium of each and every human being to the audience of fine arts. It is at its core and we want to celebrate the work we believe in elevating digital art in the minds of a wider, more skeptical audience.
Where do you think the Digital Art Fair goes into over the next five years? What steps are you taking to make sure the layers are not outdated?
The layers are curated, edited media players and layered canvas. We will continue to curate the artist development with what we consider eternal. We will continue to develop our software platform – our team has extraordinary consumer technology experience and deeply enjoy the journey that satisfies customers. Today, our hierarchical standards are far from enough, so our hierarchical canvas will continue its development journey over the years and maintain its state-of-the-art position. This is a comprehensive love.
