The world’s No. 2 cryptocurrency exchange had just filed for bankruptcy, its boy genius CEO had resigned, and millions upon millions of dollars were disappearing from his company’s wallets in real time with no explanation. But hundreds of miles from the noise of urban financial panic, in an old cattle feed mill in the West Texas desert, dozens of crypto culture makers bobbed their heads and waved their hands to a synchronized display of vibrating squiggles.
The squiggles were Chromie Squiggles, the second explosively successful generative NFT art project from Art Blocks. To the delight and apparent awe of the barn’s occupants, these usually-static Squiggles were dancing for the first time, in sync with the ear-splitting tunes of English DJ Jamie xx.
“Squiggle!” one reveler next to me kept yelling, as he raised his hands towards the vibrating monitors, jumping in place. “Squiggle, squiggle, squiggle, squiggle!”
“Pray to the squiggle!” his friend yelled giddily.
It was November 11, 2022, and 500 admirers had descended on the tiny town of Marfa, Texas, for Art…
