Le Random

In this episode, host Peter Bauman (Le Random's editor in chief) speaks with Regina Harsanyi (Associate Curator of Media Arts at the Museum of the Moving Image), Michael Connor, Executive Director of Rhizome, and artist Karyn Nakamura about Frieze Week in New York. In particular the discussion focuses on the week's programs on May 16th, with Rhizome's 7 on 7 at New Museum, as well as MoMI's Open Worlds: An Afternoon of Digital Art Encounters.They cover an anatomy of Frieze Week itself, (art fair, satellite fairs, Whitney Biennial, and all) before zeroing in on what each guest is bringing to the table. Connor traces the sixteen-year arc of 7x7, this year organized around the theme of "Containment." Nakamura discusses her own 7x7 project with Lucas Gelfond, which probes the geometry of meaning inside language models and the possibilities of interpretability research as artistic material. Harsanyi walks through the museum programming in depth.See our "New York Digital Art Guide"Monday's Editorial this week is an essay by Bauman on the relationship between protocol art and worldbuilding: The Cerebral SambaChapters 📖:00:00:00 Intro00:02:18 Frieze Week: What It Is and Why It Matters00:07:20 The Saturday Battle Royale: 7x7 vs. MoMI00:08:52 7x7: The Commons Residency and the "Containment" Theme00:13:11 Karyn Nakamura: Interpretability as Artistic Material00:16:19 MoMI x Tezos: Digital Materiality and the Fellowship00:18:38 Edgar Fabian Frias and the Nureyka Performance00:20:17 Travess Smalley's Pixel Rug Book and OONA00:23:52 The Artist/Technologist Binary00:35:20 Corporate Sponsorship and Artistic Subversion00:38:27 The Josh Kline Essay: Real Estate and Art Quality00:42:10 Rhea Meyers & Linda Dounia collaboration

In this podcast episode, host Peter Bauman (Le Random's editor in chief) speaks with artist and writer James Bridle about what we actually mean when we say "intelligence." They discuss whether building our most powerful technologies around such a narrow version of it is a fundamental mistake.They also unpack author Bridle's argument from Ways of Being that intelligence has always been a political construct, and that contemporary AI represents a reduction of a reduction. The conversation moves through the three effects Bridle sees AI concretely producing right now: consolidation of power, environmental destruction, and a spreading ontological crisis. They end by widening to consciousness, ecological thinking, and what a genuinely non-human intelligence might actually require.It is one of the more skeptical conversations Le Random has hosted on AI, and one of the most clarifying. Enjoy!Monday's Editorial: Keiken on the Worldbuilding LensChapters 📖:00:00:04 — Introduction: What Is Intelligence?00:02:01 — The Human Bias in How We Define Intelligence00:08:03 — Boosterism vs. Doomerism: Bridle's Dual Critique00:15:10 — Can Agentic AI Produce Ecological Intelligence?00:20:07 — Citizens' Assemblies and the Power of Diversity00:24:37 — Symbionts: A Third Way to Engage with AI?00:29:55 — AI Coding, Relationships, and What Actually Changes Us00:36:16— Three Real Effects of AI: Power, Environment, Uncertainty00:41:00 — Art, Ethics, and the Glitch Residency00:45:10 — Consciousness Beyond Language: Mountains, Machines, and Standing Waves

In this special podcast episode, host Peter Bauman (Le Random’s editor in chief) speaks with artist and filmmaker Lawrence Lek about NOX Pavilion at The Bass Museum of Art in Miami, an immersive installation centered on a self-driving car in a “therapy” program for malfunctioning AIs.They unpack Lek’s long-running NOX universe: a speculative rehab center where care can slide into control, and where machine interiority is treated as a technical defect. The conversation moves from the politics of nonhuman rights and legal gray zones (“it depends”) to Lek’s recurring fascination with autonomous creative agency and what it would mean for an AI to make art as a choice that conflicts with its intended function.In the second half, Lek and Bauman widen the lens to world-building: why a world isn’t one thing but multiple entry points, how ideas like Umwelt and worldview shape what any intelligence can perceive, and why Lek increasingly thinks of his simulations as “superficial models”—interfaces to reality rather than claims to foundational truth.Monday’s Le Random Editorial: "Embodying AI at NeurIPS 2025: Creative AI Track" by Luba Elliott and "Ian Cheng on Composing with Systems" by Peter BaumanChapters: 📖00:00:03 — Intro + Monday editorial highlights (NeurIPS / Luba Elliott)07:06:06 — From ecology to AI: nonhuman agency, rights, and “mature” discourse13:39:01 — Repairing AI interiority: Enigma’s “Revery” and malfunction-as-psychology19:58:05 — Legal personhood + Empty Rider: blame, responsibility, and the “it depends” machine27:35:09 — The crash test dummy: guide character, onboarding, and corporate voice32:11:06 — The empathy transition: why people resist empathizing with machines (for now)38:25:00 — Narratives vs “living code”: simulation stories and instantiated lifeforms44:21:06 — What counts as a world? Umwelt, worldview, and multiple entry points53:23:08 — Where immersive worlds may head: metaverse hangover, AI’s role, and formats shifting01:00:50 — Outro + goodbye

In this special episode, host Peter Bauman (Le Random's editor in chief) speaks with Paul Seidler and Paul Kolling from art collective terra0 about their project Autonomous Forest (2025)⁠. They cover the nearly decade-long journey from ⁠white paper (2016)⁠ as university students to the project's NFT launch in December 2025.The collective shares how the original idea in the white paper mutated with projects like Flowertokens, Premna Deamon and now Autonomous Forest. They also cover why working through German law and smart contracts creates better frameworks than pure speculation, how the project evolved from startup pitches to nonprofit governance, and what it means to build living systems that exist outside economic (and human) exploitation.Monday's Le Random Editorial on "Standout Artwork of 2025"Thursday's Le Random Editorial: "Zero 10 Part 1: Beeple Casts a Spell" by Kevin BuistChapters: 📖00:00:00 Intro: terra0 + “Autonomous Forest” (what it is)00:10:01 The long arc: Flower Tokens, Premna Daemon, and the road to Autonomous Forest00:17:02 The pivot: from “forest as economic agent” to removing ecosystems from the market00:22:00 Why blockchain matters: voting, trust, governance, and accountability00:26:03 Repeatability + policy experiment vibes — and where AI fits (and doesn’t)00:29:01 Legal fictions: “corporations as slow AIs” and the problem of intention00:32:04 Personhood for nature: who can speak for rivers/forests/nonhuman interests?00:38:04 Protocol art roots: relational aesthetics, software art, and law as medium00:41:01 World-building + generative art lineage (instructions → systems → protocols)00:49:00 Guattari’s “Three Ecologies,” land art links, and closing reflections

In this very special episode, host Peter Bauman (Le Random's editor in chief) speaks with artist Beeple (Mike Winkelmann) about a busy year of institutional shows, studio experiments, and what it means for digital art to edge closer to the canon.The artist traces how works like Human One, Diffuse Control, and Transient Bloom at institutions like LACMA, The Shed, Mori Art Museum and Toledo Museum of Art have shifted his sense of digital art’s inevitability. They also discuss why he thinks IRL encounters with screens, robots and installations are “higher fidelity” than years of online discourse. They then cover how his Charleston studio has become a public lab by hosting CryptoPunks nights, video game tournaments, and a Synthetic Theater event.The second part of the conversation mostly covers REGULAR ANIMALS, Beeple's robotic, AI-mediated dog pack for Art Basel’s new Zero 10 digital section. They look at the work as a prototype for long-form generative systems that sense and interpret the world in real time, plus much more!A written version of the conversation now available on our Editorials: https://www.lerandom.art/editorial/beeple-on-robot-dogs-as-canvasChapters 📖: [00:00:04]: Introduction and context[00:01:47]: Year in review and institutional milestones[00:03:11]: Embracing digital art as its own medium[00:06:19]: Studio as public outreach platform[00:10:05]: IRL experiences versus online discourse[00:11:28]: Market vibes versus institutional progress[00:15:37]: Conceiving the Art Basel presentation[00:19:58]: Rethinking generative art with new systems[00:23:16]: Running the studio like a gallery[00:27:37]: Robots as living, intelligent sculptures[00:31:29]: Are technologists artists and curators?[00:33:50]: Why we are not prepared for the future[00:39:30]: Nuance of AI within artworks[00:41:30]: Human intention amid AI-assisted processes[00:45:02]: Closing thanks and sign-off

In this episode, host Peter Bauman (Le Random's editor in chief) speaks with one of the most impactful forces in contemporary art, gallerist and curator Dr. Mimi Nguyen.They discuss Nguyen's path from statistics and design engineering into art and NFTs, opening galleries in London and New York, and a whirlwind year across Paris Photo, Art Basel Miami Beach’s new Zero 10 digital section, and the global fair circuit.They also cover the gap between crypto prices and on-the-ground energy, liquidity and taste, museums as signals, the technical realities of showing digital art, and what sustainable, future-ready gallery models might look like.Monday's Editorial with Karl Sims & Alexander Mordvintsev: https://www.lerandom.art/editorial/karl-sims-alexander-mordvintsev-on-merging-technology-and-biologyChapters 📖:[00:00:03]: Introduction and episode context[00:01:40]: Mimi’s background and career pivot question[00:06:11]: Sentiment versus reality in digital art[00:10:19]: Bridging to traditional art; audience and taste[00:10:35]: Sustainability of the current ecosystem[00:14:03]: Economic realities and institutions’ signaling role[00:15:11]: Big year recap and name pronunciation[00:16:50]: Lessons from a busy year; longer shows[00:21:30]: Plans and selectivity for next year[00:21:52]: Role of the gallery and collector relationships[00:23:00]: Technical realities of presenting digital art[00:27:30]: Adapting to new tech and outreach lessons[00:30:30]: Curating and choosing artists to represent[00:32:55]: Digital energy versus traditional market downturn[00:33:57]: Rethinking gallery models and cost structures[00:37:14]: Closing thanks and farewell

In this extra special episode, host Peter Bauman (Le Random's editor in chief) speaks with prominent AI researcher Ian Goodfellow about the legendary origins of GANs, their unexpected success and indelible impact on both twenty-first-century image making and AI research. This episode contains Peter and Ian's full conversation and serves as a companion to Monday's written interview, which covered the first half of the discussion only.Monday's editorial: https://www.lerandom.art/editorial/ian-goodfellow-on-inventing-gansChapters 📖:[00:00:03]: Introduction and cultural impact of GANs[00:03:30]: Ian explains GANs and game theory[00:06:12]: The Montreal origin story begins[00:10:51]: The first GAN and MNIST success[00:19:36]: Early reception and longevity surprises[00:21:22]: LAPGAN and DCGAN mark takeoff[00:23:54]: Is generative modeling deep learning’s culmination?[00:26:11]: Can GANs be creative or just mimic?[00:29:30]: GANs as tools; human creativity’s role[00:37:14]: On autonomous AI artists and personhood[00:41:50]: GANs’ role in text-to-image’s emergence[00:42:20]: Story from probabilistic graphs to media generation[00:51:30]: Key GAN advances: LAPGAN to StyleGAN and beyond[00:57:52]: Are engineers artists? [01:02:26]: Expected uses, misuse risks, and simulations[01:06:50]: Scale’s legacy, spending, and scaling laws[01:11:31]: AGI timelines and being wrong both ways[01:19:14]: Platonic representations across modalities[01:23:49]: Closing thanks and farewells

After releasing our London Digital Art Guide, a curated guide to London's digital art and culture, our editor in chief Peter Bauman is joined by the wonderful contributors who made the piece possible: Hannah Redler-Hawes, ‍Robert Alice, ‍Clara Che Wei Peh & ‍Abigail Miller. The panel unpacks London’s vibrant, intimate and collaborative digital art scene, from hidden gems and neighborhood walks to institutions, curators, and the city’s evolving role in global digital culture.See the London Digital Art Guide: https://www.lerandom.art/editorial/london-digital-art-guideSee the Art Walk Map: https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mid=1HpxjgPXiYhjJNhkX9wUYxIzFX8ysmM4&usp=sharingIt highlights the must-see galleries, neighborhoods and artists that shape the city’s renowned scene.Chapters 📖:[00:00:04]: Welcome and panel introductions[00:01:54]: Guide aims and Hannah Redler-Hawes's introduction[00:07:16]: Clara Che Wei Peh's Trip Planning section[00:14:20]: Robert Alice on Galleries, museums, and digital displays[00:21:07]: Abigail Miller on London artists across generations and schools[00:24:21]: Visitor itineraries for digital art lovers[00:28:18]: Unexpected spot: Science Museum games[00:30:31]: Art Date idea: Night ride under Leo Villoreal-lit bridges[00:32:20]: Institutions and on blockchain art[00:34:12]: Structural hurdles: conservation and mindset[00:37:09]: Curatorial realities and institutional capacity[00:41:43]: Closing thoughts and thanks

In this Le Random third quarter round-up, Editor-in-Chief Peter Bauman sits down with thefunnyguys (Le Random co-founder & CEO) and Conrad House (collection lead) to reflect on the biggest shifts in digital art this past quarter.They discuss how Toledo Museum of Art’s Infinite Images exhibition signaled a new era of institutional support for digital art and how MoMA’s debut of Sasha Stiles’s A Living Poem brought art and emerging technologies into a major museum lobby. They debate the fallout from Christie’s restructuring its digital art department, share insights on the launch of Raster, thefunnyguys' new artist-profile aggregator and marketplace, and dive deep into the rise of the Solana Avant scene on VVV — from Parker Ito’s and Biscuit’s schizocollage aesthetic to the generational shift it represents.Plus market sentiment, favorites of the quarter and much, much more.Chapters 📖:[00:00:00]: Introduction and agenda for Q3 2025 recap[00:01:38]: Toledo Museum’s digital turn and Infinite Images[00:04:15]: Sasha Stiles: A Living Poem at MoMA[00:08:56]: Christie’s digital restructuring debate[00:15:48]: The team on Raster[00:23:02]: Solana avant scene spotlight[00:40:31]: Market sentiment: Number-go-up but complicated[00:54:18]: Le Random Q3 focus and strategy[00:54:35]: Commission-led collecting: Juan RG and Copper Giloth[00:56:19]: Raster and Le Random[00:59:52]: Editorial themes and 100th article milestone[01:01:28]: Favorites of the third quarter[01:01:59]: Favorite group shows and releases[01:05:42]: Favorite solo releases and shows[01:11:12]: Favorite artists[01:12:44]: Favorite acquisitions: Juan RG commission[01:16:08]: Favorite editorials: Jasia's 100th, DEAFBEEF, Minne Atairu interview[01:19:50]: Looking ahead: FEMGEN 4 and guides[01:22:58]: Closing thoughts and thanks

In this conversation, the Le Random team reflects on 2025's noteworthy second quarter in digital art. Host Peter Bauman (editor in chief at Le Random) is joined by thefunnyguys (CEO) and Conrad House (Collection Lead).📖 Chapters[00:00]: Introduction and Podcast Overview[01:38]: Discussion on Digital Art Institutions[06:18]: New York as a Hub for Digital Art[10:50]: Le Random's Second Quarter Events (4)[27:17]: Favorites of the year: Exhibitions[32:58]: Notable Artworks and Projects[42:59]: Standout Acquisitions[48:00]: Favorite Editorials[51:42]: What we're looking forward to, especially Infinite Images at Toledo Museum of Art

In this conversation, the Le Random team reflects on a noteworthy start to 2025 in digital art. Host Peter Bauman (Editor-in-Chief at Le Random) is joined by thefunnyguys (CEO) and Conrad House (Collection Lead).📖 Chapters00:00:00 – Introduction00:01:29 – AI Ethics & Artist Consent Debates00:04:31 – Legal Uncertainty & Fair Use00:06:55 – How Artists Are Using AI Tools00:08:14 – Redistributing Value Through New Models00:11:02 – Silicon Valley vs. Academic Roots of AI00:14:11 – The Power Imbalance in AI Development00:17:36 – Why AI Agents Fell Short This Quarter00:21:45 – Functional AI Agents & DAO Experiments00:27:17 – Rethinking NFTs in Digital Art00:33:11 – Institutional Misalignment: Case of Sam Spratt00:40:50 – Manolo’s Return to Generative Art00:46:51 – Protocol Art & January’s Highlights00:51:08 – Q1 Standout Exhibitions00:55:57 – Favorite Projects, Acquisitions & Looking Ahead

In this conversation, the Le Random team reflects on a whirlwind 2024 in digital art and looks ahead to 2025. Host Peter Bauman (Editor-in-Chief at Le Random) is joined by thefunnyguys (CEO) and Conrad House (Collection Lead). Chapters 📖 Chapter 1: Introduction [00:00:05] - Host Peter Bauman introduces the podcast, the guests, and the agenda: reflecting on 2024 and discussing the outlook for 2025. Chapter 2: Themes of 2024 [00:01:26] - Discussion on the major themes of 2024, focusing on digital art platforms like fxhash, Foundation, Art Blocks, and their pivots or expansions. - The Artist Token Economy [00:02:43] - Exploration of the fxhash artist token economy and its implications for artists and collectors. - Platform Developments [00:03:30] - Conrad House talks about Rodeo's onboarding process and how platforms are adapting to market conditions. - Market Conditions vs. Institutional Acceptance [00:06:29] - Peter Bauman discusses the dual themes of market struggles and institutional acceptance of digital art in 2024. - Institutional Recognition of Digital Art [00:09:45] - Thefunnyguys and Conrad House reflect on the institutional acclaim for digital art and its impact on the market. - Maturing Market and Collectors [00:11:06] - Discussion on the maturing digital art market and the growing sophistication of collectors. Chapter 2: Exhibitions of the Year [00:14:30] - We share our favorite exhibitions of 2024, including Electric Dreams and Electric Op. Chapter 3: Projects of the Year [00:22:55] - We discuss our favorite projects from 2024, such as The Call by Holly Herndon and Mat Dryhurst. Chapter 4: Le Random acquisitions of the year [00:35:55] - Discussion on favorite team acquisitions and commissions of 2024, highlighting Deep ASCII, Florada, and others. Chapter 5: Artist of the Year [00:45:45] - We nominate our artists of the year, including Holly Herndon, Mat Dryhurst, and Rafaël Rozendaal. Chapter 6: Events of 2024 [00:54:04] - Reflection on the major events of 2024, such as the Generative Art Summit in Berlin and Bright Moments Venice. Chapter 7: Accomplishments of 2024 [00:59:11] - We highlight personal and team accomplishments from 2024, focusing on commissions and content. Chapter 8: Looking Ahead to 2025 [01:04:29] - We discuss the events and projects we're looking forward to in 2025, including NFT Paris and new exhibitions. Chapter 9: Market and Regulatory Outlook for 2025 [01:10:24] - Discussion on the potential impact of political and regulatory changes on the crypto and digital art markets in 2025. Chapter 10: Goals and Aspirations for 2025 [01:20:59] - We share our goals for 2025, including exploring new technologies, activations, and preservation efforts. Chapter 11: Closing Thoughts [01:28:28] - Final reflections on 2024 and excitement for the opportunities and challenges that 2025 may bring.

In this conversation, Peter Bauman (Editor-in-Chief at Le Random) interviews Regina Harsanyi and Jon Ippolito, two digital curators and experts in digital art's preservation. Harsanyi is the Associate Curator of Media Arts at the Museum of the Moving Image and an independent advisor on preventive conservation for variable media arts. Ippolito is a new media artist, writer and former curator at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum. He is also a professor of new media at the University of Maine, where he founded the Graduate Digital Curation Program. The conversation covers the complexities of digital art preservation, especially concerning blockchain and AI-based works. Links: https://transfergallery.com/data-trust/ https://dweb.grayarea.org https://DigitalCuration.UMaine.edu Chapters [00:00:04] Introduction to Digital Preservation [00:01:50] The Financial Reality of Digital Preservation [00:05:25] Industry-wide Challenges in Preservation [00:10:52] Variable Media: Why Preservation Matters [00:14:22] Legacy, Ethics, and Artistic Intent in Preservation [00:27:12] The Role of Museums and Institutional Standards [00:38:30] Blockchain Robustness as Storage Mechanism [00:43:15] Copyright Challenges in Blockchain-based Art [00:54:30] Strategies for Digital Preservation [01:04:02] Digital Conservation's Component Parts [01:13:40] Educational Resources for Collectors and Artists