Leander Herzog / Milian Mori
DOM1 #184

DOM is a series of 256 generative NFTs created in collaboration between Swiss artists Leander Herzog and Milian Mori. The work was published on the online platform fxhash.xyz, and six copies are part of the collection of the HEK (House of Electronic Arts).

The generative artwork combines image and sound elements in a browser-based real-time animation. Areas strictly kept in black and white flicker in newly generated patterns across the screen, at times evoking the aesthetics of animated barcodes. Different blocks appear, change, and move in a rhythmic interplay. The graphic elements are accompanied by continuously newly generated electronic sounds. However, the audiovisual animation is not a video, but rather a generative work reminiscent of 1990s glitch art in its form.

DOM generates a work in real time, where sound and image are in constant exchange. The audio code written by sound artist Milian Mori serves as the reaction point for the constantly newly generated image values, programmed by Leander Herzog. Rhythm and repetition are used as tools in this process. Unlike a music video, the sounds here are generated directly in the browser without relying on pre-existing audio components.

The title DOM refers to the English term Document Object Model, which is the foundation for dynamic websites. The generated animation consists of simple HTML elements (DIVs), the basic building blocks of the internet. DOM utilizes this structure not only as a technical framework but also explores its aesthetic and conceptual potential; thus, the website serves simultaneously as both tool and artwork.

Text: Nina Liechti