AI Pioneers and Beat Poetry Collide: Allen Ginsberg's HOWL Reimagined Through Revolutionary AI Art Experience On Tezos

Following their groundbreaking "After Ginsberg" exhibitions at Paris Art Fair, Fahey/Klein Gallery in Los Angeles, and Unit London in 2023, theVERSEverse announces HOWL.camera, a new digital reimagining of Allen Ginsberg's seminal poem by AI artist Ross Goodwin. This project deepens the ongoing collaboration between theVERSEverse and the Allen Ginsberg Estate, which began with their successful partnership exploring Ginsberg's textual and visual legacy in the web3 space.

Launching February 19, 2025 on fx(hash) with a party at Fahey/Klein Gallery in Los Angeles, HOWL.camera continues Ginsberg's own tradition of embracing new technologies. Just as Ginsberg experimented with tape recorders and cameras to create multimedia versions of his work, HOWL.camera transforms his revolutionary 1955 poem into a dynamic, AI-powered visual experience. 

HOWL.camera began with a question: Can AI help us read human poetry with fresh eyes? The result is a hybrid poetic language – part word, part image – that expresses something urgent and new as it howls across the screen.

“This work uses Ginsberg's poem Howl as the dynamic lens for a computational representation of his photography. These days, there's a lot of emphasis on large language models, but in this case, I wanted to show what a small language model could do. Overall, it represents a new experiment in speculative photography, merged with generative text.” – Ross Goodwin

Using advanced generative tools, Goodwin creates a unique intersection of language and imagery by translating Howl's text into dynamic ASCII representations of Ginsberg's black and white photography. The project incorporates Markov chains and image recognition technology to explore "post-photography" as an interface for both semantic and sensory interpretation, where Ginsberg's spoken words merge with pixelated visual elements. Collectors can participate in this artistic fusion through fx(hash)'s fx(params) platform, selecting their preferred Ginsberg photograph as the foundation for their unique edition. Each piece transforms the chosen image through AI interpretation and ASCII art techniques, weaving in elements of Ginsberg's recorded poetry. The art will be minted on the Tezos blockchain.

Funded by the Tezos Foundation and minted on the Tezos blockchain, this project represents a significant milestone in the intersection of literary heritage and blockchain technology and is joining a portfolio of cultural partnerships within the Tezos ecosystem that includes the Musée d'Orsay, the Serpentine, and the Museum of the Moving Image.

"By bringing Ginsberg's revolutionary voice into Web3, it’s not just preserving cultural heritage – but also transforming how we experience and interact with canonical literature in the digital age," says Aleksandra Artamonovskaja, Head of Art at Trilitech, Tezos R&D Hub in London.

Launch Event Details:

Location: Fahey/Klein Gallery, Los Angeles

Date: February 19, 2025

148 North La Brea Avenue

RSPV via this link: https://partiful.com/e/uM8k02XeZRgsN5jEHyfR. 

Schedule:

7:00 pm: Doors open

7:30-8:15 pm: Panel with Ross Goodwin, Nicholas Fahey, Elisabeth Sweet

“HOWL.camera: into the darkroom" explores Ginsberg's era-defining poem and iconic photographs through Goodwin's computational aesthetics through conversation with Ross Goodwin and Nicholas Fahey, moderated by Elisabeth Sweet

8:15-9:00 pm: Experience HOWL.camera

In this installation, the poem will come to life via an interactive camera. Visitors will engage with a life-size projection, where their live input will trigger dynamic reinterpretations of HOWL, allowing them to "read" the poem through their movements and gestures. Our aim is to bring poetry to life in a deeply embodied way.

Release Details:

Launching on fx(hash) February 19, 2025

Limited to 128 editions

About theVERSEverse

Founded in 2021, theVERSEverse is an experimental literary gallery where poem = art. theVERSEverse is a literary gallery where poem = work of art. Founded in November 2021 by Ana María Caballero, Kalen Iwamoto, and Sasha Stiles, theVERSEverse is a collective of poets, writers, artists, editors, curators, and creative technologists working to unlock the literary potential of the blockchain. Leveraging web3 tools to unlock creativity, theVERSEverse strives to empower writers artistically, technologically, and financially. Elisabeth Sweet joined in May 2022 to support communications and community outreach.

About Tezos

Tezos is a cutting-edge, energy-efficient blockchain. Tezos is used by thousands of artists around the globe to create and sell digital art, and cultural institutions including Serpentine, Musée d'Orsay, and LAS Art Foundation for their innovative approaches to cultural programming.