The Core is a spatial art experience and virtual world for the art of joshachaplin
CORE is an interactive canvas that explores a direct and immersive dialogue between the observer and the artist as well as the intricate balance between space, form, and storytelling.
Crafted over the course of 2022, the world will continue to be built upon, expanded, destroyed, and rebuilt in the years to come. A real-time and ever-changing piece of art (or journal), depending on the way you experience it.
A trialing, up and down experience over the past 12 months finally comes to an end today with its release. THE CORE has been the longest amount of time I’ve worked on any canvas. It’s been an escape, a place to flow and work with, back and forth, a giver of lessons, a teacher, and a project that has taught me a lot about myself as I spilled the deepest depths of my soul into its space in the form of art.
THE CORE is a virtual and spatial art experience built around my art. All the art that I have ever made is tangible in this world, with the environments around these pieces morphing to house their guests. Telling of further story and narrative.
You can access it here: https://joshachaplin.com/the-core
THE CORE is centered around the ominous and abstract sculptural form that occupies the centre of the virtual world. It is a representation of the self (Core / Self) and an opposite to the sculpture ‘Creator’ (https://joshachaplin.com/digitalart/creator).
The experience is a deeply personal delve into my own life and experiences, and the people that I hold close occupy the space in some form or another.
Around it, lies different installations of bodies of work traversing themes of the digital and natural worlds, data, philosophy, spirituality, truth and meaning.
Some you can buy in the form of NFTs, that already exist on web3 marketplaces, others remain off-chain and are purely for observing leisure. The work would also be available in physical format if requested.
The experience launches with 5 main areas.
The Clarity Domes
A distinct, vibrant and saturated section of the world that contrasts the dreamscape of the world itself. Here you can find paintings, more traditional work and the body of work called ‘The Condition’. This area symbolizes the connection to the natural and is a manifestation of a love for nature.
Sculpture Houses
Similar to The Clarity Domes, this section is inherently traditional and houses sculpture work. Only one house exists currently but in the future, this will change. This area is a manifestation of a meditative, peaceful and crafted way of life. Harmonious in the way it is approached.
The centerpiece, a preserved and undying tree with a towering saturated presence over the achromatic world, is preserved and revered.The Obelisk
This area houses the Creator sculpture along with a collection exploring a mini-narrative that links many of my pieces of work. This area embodies a spiritual and ruinous theme. Greatly inspired by one of my favorite writers, Sam Harris’s quote ‘I still considered the world’s religions to be mere intellectual ruins, but I now understood that important psychological truths could be found in the rubble.’
To walk through this area is to walk through my thoughts and art on everything from spirituality, god, philosophy and truths. Which is an internally confusing and deeply interesting topic for me to explore.Meta Realms
The more futuristic area of the lot. This zone houses my body of work that explores the digital realms or the buzzword ‘Metaverse’. The area takes the form of a transporter. Themes of exploration, infinity and possibility live here. Digital worlds are a big part of what I do as an artist and their place in the future is explored in this oasis of technology.
Projection Halls
Similar to Meta Realms, designed without the laws of the real-world to conserve the idea. The grand halls of projection adheres to present the works of art that warrant being on massive displays, slowly panning over the details and bloomed imagery. Two bodies of work live here - Future Landscapes and Reverence, both art that explores environments and landscape. The imagery will one day be exhibited in the real world the way it does here, THE CORE just beat IRL to it.
Although there are 5 main areas upon launch, there are still unlisted areas to explore and discover, some hold further stories and art. Some unlock further pieces of the puzzle. It is recommended to be curious and open-minded when exploring this world, follow your curiosity and let it direct you to a place of interest.
In the design of this world, I really wanted to forget about the rules and natural laws of the world we know. When designing architecture it is so easy to design based on known limitations. I wanted to break that mould. I designed with no restrictions in mind, because that is what the metaverse will be. It will be a creator’s perfect canvas, a medium in which there is limitless possibility.
I also reined it in, in areas. To respect certain ideas and themes. I felt there ended up being a striking equilibrium between the past and future, old and the what will be. Which I think talks a lot about myself as a person and the idea’s I hold.
I designed THE CORE to be a notebook of the digital age, to hold provenance for when I’m no longer around. To be still useable by people that have ascended my lifetime, they can experience the mind of an artist in a spatial state. Does this mean virtual worlds have a soul or a conscious footprint? Who knows, but I’m here to explore this and see how we can apply meaning to the architecture of our future lives.
While this is the end of this part of the journey, the beginning of THE CORE virtual world has just begun. The world will be a canvas I will come back to indefinitely, to touch up, adjust, destroy, and rebuild the space as new art and stories are to be told. With preservation and provenance in mind, THE CORE will be one of the biggest projects of my artistic career and will hope to tell a story of the self in a more experiential way.
One year of The Core
Oct 7
Written By Joshua Chaplin
It’s been a year since I released the project CORE, one of my biggest pieces of art released to date.
This canvas continues to be a brilliant escape for my creativity. Whilst it’s been a fairly busy year for me in my personal life and in other areas of work. I have found myself coming back again and again to experiment, research, and make art in it’s spaces.
A year gives a good amount of time to think about a project like this and it’s meaning and purpose. I believe it stays true to the fact that it is first and foremost a piece of art as well as a journal for my passions and thoughts of the time. Capturing emotions and memories in a spatial state is somewhat of an odd notion but I do feel this is something that will become more and more of a commonality as we step into the future.
Here’s a run down of events and milestones in it’s first year -
The Core has had an incredible run of showcases having been exhibited on 2 continents. Firstly, The Core visited North America and was exhibited in New York as a part of the CADAF 2022 exhibition at Web3 NYC gallery on 5th Avenue. Secondly, and as one of the proudest moments in my career so far - The Core was exhibited at ‘Ipotesi Metaverso’ in the grand Palazzo Cipolla in central Rome alongside the likes of Refik Anadol, Pak, Sashastiles, fuse and Krista Kim.
Since its launch, the project has amassed a collector base of 270 people, mainly from the genesis collection released at the start of the project. The genesis collection of artworks is comprised of Essence, Arrival of the Source and Surrender.
Essence, a free mint of 500 editions, minted out within a few hours. Surrender was airdropped to collectors of prior artworks and supporters of the project. Arrival is the only 1/1 in the series thus far remaining in my personal collection.
I published the very first spatial art piece called ‘Where Oceans Meet’ which exists as a Realm inside of CORE. This piece of art essentially sits as it’s own playable world inside the experience which can be traveled to via a portal sitting in the main CORE experience.
Alongside this, the concept of Realms was released. Realms exist as subworlds inside The Core, they offer new ways of traversing spatial art that contain different themes and experiences.
Around halfway through the year I migrated the experience from Unreal Engine 4 to Unreal Engine 5. From a technical point of view, this is a big leap in helping me realize some of the artistic visions I have for the world and my art. The technologies that come with the new engine version such as Lumen allow me to use light in ways I’ve always wanted which were impossible previously. While the tech is still fairly new and expensive to run, it’s been very promising in my recent work. So expect much more crazy lighting directions and fidelity in new releases of the world.
The soundscapes crafted by Dreone for the world called ‘Auras of the Core’ have surpassed a total of 40k streams on Spotify. The tracks that underpin the rooted and mysterious nature of the experience called ‘Self, ‘The Core’ and ‘Revere’ have also been released on Apple Music. Working with Dreone is always a pleasure, as a listener of his work even before working with him, getting to collaborate on some of the rich soundscapes that occupy the space is a thrill artistically.
While the world sees many big events and pivotal upgrades, the world is constantly micro-changing. As I continue to work in it’s space the art that once existed may change or even be removed over time. I took a glance at screenshots and videos from its launch to where the world currently sits and it was a huge surprise. A lot of the changes have come around from the existing work in the world being built upon further as I’ve continued to expand on some of the ideas there. Notably, some of the technical changes such as the engine upgrade have definitely provided overall graphic enhancements.
To short summarise the year in full -
Exhibited on 5th Avenue NYC at CADAF 2022
270 unique collectors of CORE artworks
Launched the first spatial art piece in the world called ‘Where Oceans Meet’ alongside the Realm concept.
Exhibited at Palazzo Cipolla’s Ipotesi Metaverso in Rome, Italy
Migrated project from Unreal Engine 4 to Unreal Engine 5.
The Core soundscapes ‘Auras’ crafted with Dreone streamed over 40,000 times on Spotify.
Regular updates and entries to the space including improved avatar movement, spatial art, and graphics.
One year celebrations
As a celebration of the one-year mark, I’ll be releasing a version of the experience with some major changes from the past couple of months, along with a sneak peek preview of a new piece of art in development.
The Year Everything and Nothing Happened
(Artwork in development)
One of the big things I wanted to experiment with when I was first concepting The Core was the idea of replicating memories. The idea of revisiting memories or moments that have been crafted into a spatial state to be experienced is a fascinating idea to me.
A key memory stood out to me that I wanted to explore this concept with and that was one from the Pandemic Era. During the first lockdown I was living in London and on a sunny spring morning I walked from my flat in Clapton into central London, through Shoreditch, Finsbury past the Barbican, and Farringdon. It is still one of the most surreal memories I hold. Seeing a city that is normally so chaotic and bustling with life basically deserted and lifeless felt like I had been placed in a simulation in which we as a species had been wiped out or vanished. They are sights, not many humans see in their lifetimes.
My latest work ‘The Year Everything and Nothing Happened’ is greatly inspired by this particular experience I had. This piece of artwork will be a 2D composition with an experiential state inside The Core experience. This means observers will be able to collect this piece of art but they can also experience it.
Something else
While I’d love to share all the information I have, that wouldn’t make it quite as fun. There is something else being worked on for experience on the collectible side, something that captures evolution inside the project. But more on this when it’s ready.
Concluding
There has been considerable changes to the world recently, even on a micro level, randomly walking through the experience you may see some new features. A lot of it is in line with a particular direction my work is taking, both technically and artistically, if you catch onto these, expect to see them in new pieces of art in the years to come.
In a few months from writing this, I will be heading to New Zealand to live there for a while. The other side of the world to where I currently sit. I feel quite numb to the upcoming uprooting and enormous changes to my life, but I know soon that will be replaced with a feeling of both immense excitement and fear. Fear of whether what I am doing is the right thing to do and also a fear of the unknown.
While I know that these feelings are normal for most in situations like this - I know personally that the feeling of being in new places and being around new people and cultures is something that makes me feel alive and present. In these scenarios, time slows down for me. Visual and audio stimuli are received much more clearly. Moments are cherished and long to be forgotten. For me, they are the better moments in life. Exploring new horizons and not getting too comfortable are precursors to joy.
Kaewa comes at a time in my life in which the road ahead seems a little more unclear than it’s been in the past, and following a linear trail doesn’t seem like the obvious thing to do.
Kaewa is a Maori word and roughly translates in English to (to wander, roam). This piece reflects on the mixture of feelings leading up to this event in my life and the advent of exploration ahead. A fusion of euphoria, fear, mystery, confusion, and inquisitiveness.
This piece of work that I’ve been working on for the past 2 months uses my normal methods of world creation through Unreal Engine; using all the normal tools in VFX, asset and scene layouts and rendering. However, this was my first time directly utilizing AI inside the scene itself. To express the notion of there being more horizons and worlds ahead, in the portals I used a mixture of AI-generated imagery as different marker biomes in which the observer can be transported.
The merging of the CORE’s canvas with present thoughts leads me to this piece of art: Kaewa. A reflection of the possibility of seeing the worlds beyond our walls, an urge to explore and want to see more. This piece of work comes at a point in my life in which there is much anticipation and excitement for ‘the next stage’ and a new frontier.
CORE in many ways encompasses this notion; it’s open, and expansive and allows observers to explore new horizons. It’s full of possibility.
As I build out the platform and new worlds are added, Kaewa is the idea I will follow in search of new environments, new ideas, and new versions of the self.
Earlier this year I released The Core’s first spatial art piece and alongside it, the realm concept. Realms are to be thought of as worlds within worlds, a layer deeper than the main CORE experience.
A limitation I found when designing in the main CORE world was the ability to alternate themes and colourways, keeping visual direction consistent whilst building the interoperability of different zones. With the world being a bright white unsaturated dreamscape, it was hard for example to then develop an area within it as an open, green vibrant saturated forest. While The Core does have some blending between colour and value, I never wanted to drift to far from the main thematics of the experience. Thus, it was hard to create pieces of art that go against this creative direction and then be integrated into the main experience in the form of an installation or environmental zone.
This is where realms come in. They are portals to alternate worlds within the main experience. The observer is able to teleport or ‘transfer’ to another level inside the world. Which often tend to be quite different from the visuals of the main experience.
Where Oceans Meet was the perfect art piece to launch this concept, due to the variations in visual style. I feel both The Core and Where Oceans Meet’s visual direction align but having the blues of the sky and the water integrated in CORE as an environmental piece would have been hard to do.
WHERE OCEANS MEET
Released back in April of 2023. Around 7 Months ago as of writing this. This piece of art is one of my more important pieces released to date. I feel like it personally solidifies a visual direction I was working towards with CORE, but with elements of improved expression through colour and luminance work.
This piece of work was built during the Palazzo Cipolla exhibition ‘Ipotesi Metaverso’ and exhibition goers were able to experience this piece firsthand during its development, it was released a month or so later onto the streamable version for the public to see and experience.
It is deeply personal too. During this period I was made aware of an underlying health issue.
Generally and luckily, I have been mostly healthy throughout my life and have not had any major issues making me doctor/hospital bound or that required any medication. This has been the first time since I’ve had that bubble burst of being young and healthy forever and it has called into question my mortality.
Where Oceans Meet is a part of a lyric from one of my favorite musicians of all time - Architects. A song called Momento Mori. It features a quoted section of Alan Watts’s lectures on the present and change.
It follows long-time inspirations from Alan Watts and philosophical concepts around life, death, time, and the universe. The influence is quite stoic visually but through various meanings more Eastern which I think is similiar with most of my work.
Moving forward, standalone artforms that can exist as separate miniature experiences will be implemented as realms and can be accessed via portals inside the world, so when you are next walking around in there make sure to enter if you see something that looks traversable.
Te Aotūroa is a body of work exploring the beautiful natural landscapes of Aotearoa New Zealand, their digital footprints and their connections to stories and peoples of new and old.
Each piece is built in a particular area of the country, with an examination of the local environment, its nature and ways of life. An overlay of the digital world in varying forms is imagined depending on the populous and development of the location.
The basis of this series is divided into three different pieces of work.
Waimamaku Stream / Te Tai Tokerau
The Haven / Te Tai-o-Aorere
Plains of Old / Waitaha
With this series of works, I explored the merging of both the natural and digital worlds.
My work has always touched on this theme throughout the years. But being in a country like this, so far removed and isolated from the rest of the world, in all its natural beauty inspired me to focus on these elements with renewed awe. The art takes on the form of environments I got to call home during the year here, from the Northlands to Tasman Bay and Canterbury. The works, depending on location also explore local Maori lore and legends, from creation story’s to the tribes that got to call these area’s home at one point or the other.
Since I started making Digital Fine Art my work has always been visually digital heavy and I believe that is because of my experiences of the time. Generally, I would be making them whilst living in cities like London and whilst travelling in places like Florence or Edinburgh. I’d always try to push natural elements like plants/foliage and making it more nature-centric, but I found it hard. With this series Te Aotūroa, I feel like this might be the first time I have been truly able to work on nature elements because of the present experience.
Depending on the piece, the digital elements are prevalent or minuscule depending on the isolation experienced. In the first two pieces, the experiences were more nature-centric whereas the third was mostly in a city, which highlights more of a digital footprint.
Waimamaku Stream / Te Tai Tokerau
The first piece.
The sound of Cicada’s was deafening, the nearby water in the bay gently rising and fading with the sounds of birds and sea creatures.
The cicadas greatly inspired my direction with this piece. Pukenui and the Northland region was naturally very dense in foliage, with a very tropical and humid climate. I stayed here during the last month of Summer.
Waimamaku Stream tells a story of my renewed connection to a land I admire greatly. A retreat and a place of peace after years of urban settings back in the UK.
Waimamaku Stream takes inspiration from the tale surrounding Tāne Mahuta and the separation of the Mother and Father (Papatūānuku & Ranginui). Giving us the land and trees we see today. The sacred Te Aroha tree also resides in this piece, acknowledging key sights of the Northlands.
The Haven / Te Tai-o-Aorere
The Second Piece.
The Tasman area including the bay and the Abel Tasman National Park, all the way up towards Collingwood was an ecological treat. Te Waikoropupu Springs in particular was an extraordinary place. The spiritual aspects of the springs to the Maori left a lasting impression.
Nelson stood out to me through its history as one of the earliest colonial settlements in the country, and it’s easy to see it when around the town. The natural harbour when seeing it from the vantage points of the surrounding hillsides gives this feeling of awe in what nature can do and provide for us to use. A refuge for ships after months at sea, a new home for people looking for a new life.
The Haven comes as this admiration for the Abel Tasman area, its ecological diversity but also a real appreciation for the small townships of Aotearoa like Nelson.
Plains of Old / Waitaha
The Third piece.
I spent most of my time in this particular environment. Canterbury and Christchurch were where I was mostly based in my time here. My home away from home. A place I’ve become very fond of. Christchurch is the second biggest city in the country, but it still felt small. The Canterbury plains were central to this piece.
Christchurch is featured in this composition and gives the piece more of a digital footprint. From here the surrounding ranges that border the Canterbury plains take form.
This piece honours the Ngāi Tahu (People of Tahu) and the diverse culture Christchurch now embodies. Plains Of Old also pays homage to a structure in the landscape that is reminiscent of my home. Agriculture is a cornerstone of the Canterbury way of life, similar to the rural area’s of England and the expanses of rolling green hill’s that grow the food we eat. The connection between these ways of life somehow makes me feel at home despite being the other side of the world. A common connection of people and bloodlines through time.