07/07/2022 No bids on Chevy’s first NFT, even though it came with a free Corvette Z06

Chevy’s first foray into non-fungible tokenswas a non-fungible dud. The automaker netted zero bids for its first NFT during an auction last month,even though the digital drawing came with a free 2023 Corvette Z06,according toCorvette Blogger.

The NFT, which depicts a lime green Corvette Z06 blasting through a cyberpunk landscape, was created by artist Nick Sullo, who goes byxsulloonline. The winning bidder would have also received a unique “Minted Green” Corvette Z06, which will be the only car painted in that color, and an option code RFN, which will “forever associate” the car with the NFT auction. And the Corvette’s VIN number will be in binary because NFTs are digital and computers use binary and you get it.

But alas, there was no winner to ascribe to the blockchain, because mighty Chevy struck out. The automaker was only accepting bids in Ethereum (most NFTs are purchased using Ethereum), the price of which has been extremely volatile in recent weeks. The cryptocurrency has dropped more than 64 percent since April 1st, whilethe most lauded NFTshave seen their floor price — price for the lowest one on the market — drop more than 70 percent.

Basically, they pulled aMorbius.

The auction was held from June 20-24. SuperRare, the NFT marketplace that oversaw the auction,tweeted on June 24ththat it would reopen bids for 24 hours because some users “missed” the window. But apparently that didn’t work: the auction closed yet again with zero bids. Basically,they pulled aMorbius.

Trevor Thompkins, a spokesperson for Chevy, shrugged off the disappointment in a statement toCorvette Blogger.“Our first step into Web3 has been educational, and we will continue to explore ways to leverage technology to benefit our customers,” Thompkins said.

Of course, the real loser in this story isn’t Chevy, which will no doubt move on from the experience a little older and a little wiser about the volatility of Web3. The real loser is DonorsChoose, an education charity, which was designated by Chevy as the beneficiary of the auction.

This could serve as a warning to other automakers who are tempted to dip their toes in the NFT marketplace: swim at your own risk.

Arts

https://www.theverge.com/2022/7/4/23194242/chevy-corvette-nft-auction-no-bids

Interesting NFTs
#65952
By OthersideDeployer
Alex in Wonderland
A figure, Alex, stands mostly naked in the midst of a physical and psychological maelstrom. He is clad only in nostalgic 80’s era socks, on a tenuous island between active waters and a variety of shark denizens. Sharks on the right side of the image are all beached, including a shark with a quartz crystal snout, an orange shark wrapped in a life buoy, and a shark further in the distance wearing an 80’s style shirt with the number “88”. On the left side is the largest shark, wearing bright glossy red lipstick and brandishing prominent teeth with braces. She is cordoned off from the figure by a roped float divider, and within her thought bubble is a warning symbol. Behind the figure, hovering in the air, are Grey aliens emerging from the distance, out of a series of elliptical UFO shaped interdimensional membranes. The Greys take on the visual form of spermazoa ostensibly impregnating the interdimensional thresholds. As is typical, these Greys inhabit a zone just behind the unconscious topology of Alex’s dissociative mind. Though Alex’s bottom half is representative, his top half mutates into a psychological cornucopia. In a manner akin to “Auto-Erotic Sphinx”, a predecessor work, the figure has self suctioned—an act of sensual infatuation, enjoyment, and exploration. Upward exists the figure’s primary conscious eye, adorned with a revolutionary beret emblazoned with a Bitcoin badge. The figure’s summit features the nose of a fighter jet facing off against video game Bullet Bills, one of whom is marked by a communist North Korean star. A cropped section of a UFO observes the contest. Alex’s mind branches both left and right. To the left is more singular embodied consciousness, manifesting two eyes and a Ganesh trunk grasping crayons. The right branch dissociates upward diagonally, emerging into an array of eyes, faces, teeth, tail, a unicorn horn, and much more—all of which participate in expressing his unconscious being; a democracy of psychic factions representing thought impressions and associations. All illumination and darkness– fernal, infernal, high consciousness and corporeal underbelly–reside in this realm. In the distance are relatively languid, light clouds, and against the firmament hovers a colossal distant eye peering over the scene and far beyond. This painting possesses underlying genetic traits with previous works such as “Auto-Erotic Sphinx with Toys”, “Dionysus”, and “Fuku-Shiva”. The work serves also as a nod to an earlier period of art inspiration during late teens and early twenties— born out of the nakedness, vulnerability, curiosity, and wonder inherent to coming of age and all subsequent psychedelic revelation.
Playtime At Le Mans
Playtime At Le Mans | From [The Room] series A creation which focuses on minimalism and the beautiful characteristics of the famous Le Mans Porsche 917K. Do you prefer the relaxed day cycle of the Gulf Blue... or the more engaging and exciting Gulf Orange. What mood are you in? Will you win over your imagination. The cycle of time lives on...
Paradigm Shift I
Collage originally created in 2021. Digital, New media. Movements: Neo-cubism, Neo-Constructivism, Pop Art, Dada. Artist: Sephora Venites
Who Is The Creator 2
The idea for this piece was borne out of a tweet of mine that caused a bit of a stir. I’d posted a link to a blog article I’d written a number of months previous titled ‘Who is the Creator’ discussing various types of creative collaborations and why I hire people to work on my animations. It generated a lot of debate around creation and attribution with the community split on whether it’s right or wrong for an artist to hire other professionals to help them realize their art projects. I decided to push the boundaries even further and see how the cryptoart community responded. What if I quite literally had nothing to do with the physical or digital elements of the work other than coming up with the concept and coordinating it? I decided there was one artist in the space who could add huge value to this idea on levels that none other could and so I gathered my courage and contacted the great José Delbo to ask him if he’d be interested in a very unique collaboration. I explained to him that to make this piece ‘work’ he couldn't have any say in what I produced and moreover, he wouldn’t even be allowed to see the animation until it was dropped on MakersPlace. To my surprise, Mr Delbo agreed to my proposal. The animation tells the story of the creative process, which includes my roles as writer, director, and producer working with a team and making edits and changes ‘in real time’. The dialogue between myself and my ‘hired guns’ plays out in front of the viewer. The music written for the piece adds to the nostalgia of the comic book superhero theme but other elements such as the snapping and kicking of the pencil and the signing of my signature at the bottom incorporates further layers and challenges the viewer to ask important questions, such as, is the ‘Art’ the final animation (the creation) or is the ‘Art’ the concept/credit for the creation itself?