10/06/2022 The NFT slump is real

The consumer tradingboom has deflated, pushing unicorns and recently public companies alike into defensive modes. The decline in consumer trading activity is also extending to newer categories of assets, data indicates, like non-fungible tokens (NFTs).

PerThe Block’s data arm, weekly NFT sales declined by just over 70% from a high of nearly 1 million units in the third week of 2022 to a little more than a quarter-million in the most recent week in the dataset, which began in the final days of May. The decline in NFT sales volume is not new, but it has grown in severity in recent weeks, adding fresh heft to the argument that the crypto or web3 market is in a period of correction — what some describe as a “winter.”

The decline in NFT sales does not come amid a freeze in recent funding rounds for NFT-focused companies, however. A quick scan of TechCrunch headlines in fact shows the opposite. Sure,Yuga Labs of Bored Ape fame raised a $450 million roundfrom a16z at a lofty $4 billion valuation in March, but there has been much activity since that event.

In April,Glow Labs raised $4.15 million in seed capitalfor its NFT-related project that wants to help “creators to deploy a smart contract with no coding required in a matter of seconds, allowing them to create customized loyalty offerings without as much hassle,” as we wrote. In early May, Americana raised $6.9 millionfor its plans to help“brands and creators to turn physical items such as streetwear, collectibles, cars and artwork into NFTs.”

The list of recent NFT-related deals continues. Zora Labsraised $50 million in May; its protocol, TechCrunch said at the time, “allows artists and developers to create NFT marketplaces and collections.” Less than a week later,Arianee announced that it had raised $21 million for its work assisting “digital ownership and authenticity certificates on behalf of partner brands.” And in late May,Ayokenraised $1.4 million for its creator-focused NFT marketplace.

All those funding events are predicated on the NFT market growing. TechCrunch cited data in April, for example, that the NFT marketreached $41 billion in 2021, and another source said around the same time that the market could double this year.

Arts

https://techcrunch.com/2022/06/08/the-nft-slump-is-real/?guccounter=1

Interesting NFTs
Nyan Cat
Nyan Cat is the name of an animation uploaded on April 2 2011, and became a viral internet sensation. The design of Nyan Cat was inspired by my cat Marty, who crossed the Rainbow Bridge but lives on in spirit. I am the original artist behind the iconic GIF and have remastered the image for its 10 year anniversary. Owning this piece grants the following stats: Charisma +10 Luck +10 Happiness +15 ________________ 1400x1400 - 12 Frames
Discord Assembly
Discord logo factory. 3D animation, 10-second loop, 30 fps. Created using Cinema4D, X-Particles, Octane, and After Effects. Originally posted on TikTok (@jigpx) on 2/20/21. 47.5m+ views, 3.2m+ likes (as of 4/22/21).
Fidenza #77
Fidenza is by far my most versatile algorithm to date. Although the program stays focused on structured curves and blocks, the varieties of scale, organization, texture, and color usage it can employ create a wide array of generative possibilities. Additional project feature(s) => Scale:Jumbo, Turbulence:High, Colors:Party Time, Have Margin:No, Spiral:No, Soft Shapes:No, Super Blocks:Yes, Collision Check:No Overlap, Outlined:No, Shape Angles:Curved, Density:High
Gen #0 Peach Gold
Ugh! I'm Gen #0 Peach Gold. In high school, I was voted school jock. My secret indulgence is cantaloupe. I look forward to grooming with you.
Fuku-Shiva
The term “Fuku” refers to fortune or good luck. “Shiva” refers to the Hindu deity who represents strongly polar qualities, both severe and delicate. On a beach inspired by adventures on Phi Phi island in Thailand, three youths cavort. Two are representational figures and the third is psychologically rendered. A dynamic relationship ensues between the triad; a reciprocity of active and passive states. The boy on the right engages in maneuvers of evasion, defense, and is dressed in a speedo which reiterates the colors and symbolism of the caution tape on the left and upper right frame of the composition. In concurrent reaction the psychedelic figure shoots out a rocket powered paper airplane. The nude boy seated in the froth and sand approaches in passive repose, and is met with active attention but equal physical reserve by the psychedelic being. Perhaps the most naked figure is also the least representational. Looming large, dynamic, and active, it engages its companions playfully. Various symbols interject into the otherwise naturalistic scene, most notably a beach ball and two contaminated barrels nested in the sand. The upright barrel reads “FukuShima” in Kanji. The barrel laying down reads “Dharma”. To the left the scene is bounded by caution tape, reiterating the danger of the nuclear waste while also hosting alien archetypes, whose presence, as is the nature of these entities, runs up and just behind the consciousness of the psychedelic figure’s eggshell-like skull.