# Memories of Digital Data by Kazuhiro Tanimoto

## The work and its context

Memories of Digital Data is project 428 on the Art Blocks V2 core contract 0x99a9b7c1116f9ceeb1652de04d5969cce509b069, published under the canonical slug memories-of-digital-data-by-kazuhiro-tanimoto and credited to Kazuhiro Tanimoto. The indexed project record reports a completed edition of 450 of 450 invocations, runtime p5@1.0.0, and the official description: When I started using a computer, I believed that digital data could be stored forever. I saved my favorite picture files and small free software files to floppy disks with a capacity of roughly 1 megabyte and stored them carefully. Those floppy disks were my treasure. Later, when the disks deteriorated and became unreadable or were lost, the data became memories with a deep feeling of loss.  Blockchains have arisen. Are these truly persistent?  After all, digital data are also a type of memories. They are stored in a person's mind, deteriorate, and one day will be lost with that person.  I find the fragility and beauty in them. 　      　 In this work, I attempted to represent a fictional collapsed blockchain world with visuals and sound. 　 The chain has already been abandoned, and the few nodes that remain barely alive are just maintaining their appearances. Visualizing the remnants of blocks that no longer serve their original purpose, they form something like a submerged city. Then, a large amount of data that has lost its connection to the blocks and has deteriorated to the point that it can no longer be opened, flutters through the sky. The countless remnants of data form a cloud, which undulates like a wave. The details of the data cannot be confirmed, however, they can be seen as glittering lights. As I try to recall the contents of the data that can no longer be opened, I am filled with vague memories and a sense of nostalgia.  This work started with generating sound by code. The sound of rippling waves can be heard by clicking on the screen. Since it would be impractical to store huge sound data on the blockchain, the sound was formed from white noise. In order to reproduce the sound of rippling waves, it was necessary to deepen my understanding of the structure of the sound by referring to academic papers. Then the sound was completed, and the visual imagination expanded from there.  I like to visit the sea near my home and in other places. Different seascapes can be seen from different locations and angles. When I am there, idly gazing at the seascape and listening to the sound of the waves, I sometimes feel as if I am the only human there and the world has gone to ruin. If the world were ruined, this seascape and the sound of the waves would remain for a long time. This feeling and the fragility felt in digital data are the basis of this work. I imagine that the heaven or the graveyard where the lost data flies up in the sky and arrives may be a seascape like this.  The reason why I used data as lights and clouds drifting in the sky and moved them like waves is because I wanted to depict unrealistic behavior with a realistic subject matter and to express a beautiful and bizarre world in which these intertwine.  For the visual expression technique, I further pursued and evolved the drawing system that I have developed in "GHOST IN THE CODE" and my other works. Everything is composed of rectangles, indicating that this world is beginning to become low-resolution. Depth is linked to the size of the rectangles, and distant objects are represented by small rectangles as if they were in focus. Dispersion in the position and color of the rectangles indicate the degree of deterioration of the world. Moreover, the sky, blocks, and the surface of the water are identified and each has its own characteristics.  Algorithms generate various compositions, colors, and other features. I have attempted to make each output feel nostalgic and fresh at the same time. The blocks, which have lost their original meaning, are contrasted with the data, which exists in isolation from them, in stillness and movement. Occasional red clouds or blocks mean that they are corrected as red, the first color, due to missing information.  Through these integrations, I have attempted to create a work that can be stored on a blockchain, and that is both visually and sonically interactive.  [NOTE]  -To save the image press the 'S' key. -To change the flow velocity press the '↑' or '↓' key.  Modern hardware and browser hardware acceleration is recommended. The Chrome browser on a desktop with a high-end GPU is optimal. On iOS, the best experience is available on iOS 15 or later. [^S01][^S02]

Those figures are current index observations retrieved on 2026-09-19, not a reconstruction of the original public sale announcement. Atlas position is a catalogue ordinal and is not the on-chain project ID. The live collection page and the Hasura projects_metadata row agree on title, slug, contract, and project ID after a filtered query that used the exact slug. [^S01][^S02]

Contract 0x99a9b7c1116f9ceeb1652de04d5969cce509b069. Aspect ratio indexed as 1.67. Website https://www.kazuhirotanimoto.com/works/memories_of_digital_data/.

This essay treats the stored artist program, four independently identified outputs, and a freshly checked AB5D holding (or an explicit collection gap) as primary evidence. Metadata traits are cited only when they were returned for the same V2 contract token IDs that were visually inspected. They do not replace looking at the pictures. [^S04][^S09]

## Conception and development

The official project description is the development account used here. Interview or dossier sentences that name a different slug are not treated as statements about this series. When I started using a computer, I believed that digital data could be stored forever. I saved my favorite picture files and small free software files to floppy disks with a capacity of roughly 1 megabyte and stored them carefully. Those floppy disks were my treasure. Later, when the disks deteriorated and became unreadable or were lost, the data became memories with a deep feeling of loss.  Block

The development account used here is the specific source named in the citations, not a paraphrase of an artist-dossier page. Where that account is an official project description written in the artist's voice, that limit is stated rather than upgraded into an unpublished studio diary. Where an interview exists, the sentences that actually name Memories of Digital Data are the ones relied on. [^S07][^S01]

Secondary pages that only repeat the marketplace listing are not treated as independent conception sources. [^S02][^S07]

## How the work was constructed

The complete artist program for slug memories-of-digital-data-by-kazuhiro-tanimoto was retrieved from projects_metadata.script filtered by that exact slug. The UTF-8 payload is 28627 bytes with SHA-256 2c5df29968520791fa057712fad5a6d29d3de78162e1f5a5f753ad9452bdddf8. Runtime on the project record is p5@1.0.0. The script was read in full; it was not executed in this research session. [^S03]

The stored generator is 28627 bytes, SHA-256 2c5df29968520791fa057712fad5a6d29d3de78162e1f5a5f753ad9452bdddf8, runtime p5@1.0.0. Detected source markers: setup, draw, WEBGL, createCanvas, mousePressed, keyPressed, AudioContext, tokenData, hash, colorMode. Named functions include draw, genBtex, genCvs, genMp, genSen, genSkBg, generateNoise, keyPressed, mousePressed, mouseReleased. tokenData.hash is read in source. Output then follows the drawing path those functions implement. Token 0 observation: Inspected media-proxy PNG is 2400x1438px, mid-tone and strongly coloured (mean RGB 148,81,91). File size 9074232 bytes. Indexed features: Tone Normal; Scene 9; Block color Red; Cloud color Red; Light source Front light; Color collapse 0; Crepuscular rays 0; Wave Frequency 1 300

Visual claims come from inspected media-proxy PNGs plus indexed token features.

Seed handling is visible in the retrieved program: tokenData.hash is read in source. Time and interaction behaviour in code is: Loop behaviour inferred only from source keywords. The inspected PNG is a static frame. A handler found in source is not the same thing as a control that was pressed in a live renderer during this session; tested controls are listed only when an actual key or pointer action was performed. [^S03][^S10]

External dependencies are those declared by script_type_and_version plus any library identifiers inside the file. Public visibility of the stored script does not grant a right to redistribute the raw artist source in this package, so the analysis cites functions and byte length rather than reprinting the program. [^S03][^S06]

## The mint

Indexed chronology for project 428 on 0x99a9b7c1116f9ceeb1652de04d5969cce509b069 is as follows. First token minted_at is 2023-02-18T09:20:23+00:00. activated_at is 2023-05-03T17:37:23+00:00. start_datetime is 2023-05-12T14:00:00+00:00. completed_at is 2023-05-12T14:57:47+00:00. Invocations stand at 450 of a maximum 450, with complete=true on the retrieved row. [^S02][^S04]

Calculated intervals from those timestamps: first mint to activation is 74.35 days; activation to start_datetime is 8.85 days; start_datetime to completion is 57.8 minutes; first mint to completion is 83.23 days. These are differences of indexed clock fields, not a claim about when a web storefront button became visible to every collector. A first mint that precedes start_datetime is treated as an early or reserved mint unless a separate allocation record is produced. [^S02][^S04]

Indexed clocks: first 2023-02-18T09:20:23+00:00, activated 2023-05-03T17:37:23+00:00, start 2023-05-12T14:00:00+00:00, completed 2023-05-12T14:57:47+00:00. Early first-mint timestamps are not labelled reserved without a separate allocation record.

Historic per-token ETH prices for the original public sale were not recovered from a primary price table during this session and remain unresolved. Any floor price visible on a marketplace page in 2026 is a current listing observation, not the 2021 ask. [^S01][^S02]

## Copyright and licensing

The project record stores the artwork licence label 'CC BY-NC 4.0'. That string includes an explicit 4.0 version and is treated as Creative Commons version 4.0. Code rights for the artist program are not separately labelled on the same field; they are treated as unknown rather than assumed identical to the artwork deed. [^S02][^S06]

Artwork label copied exactly as 'CC BY-NC 4.0'.

Third-party runtime p5@1.0.0 is a separate rights object from both the artwork outputs and the artist source. p5.js, three.js, and ordinary browser JavaScript each keep their own licence texts. This package does not redistribute those libraries. [^S03][^S06]

Original essay prose in this package is dedicated CC0-1.0 by the research operator. That dedication does not change the artwork, code, or dependency licences.

## Close reading of examples

Memories of Digital Data #0 is token 428000000 on 0x99a9b7c1116f9ceeb1652de04d5969cce509b069, minted 2023-02-18T09:20:23+00:00. The canonical token page returned HTTP 200. The inspected media-proxy PNG is a static frame. Inspected media-proxy PNG is 2400x1438px, mid-tone and strongly coloured (mean RGB 148,81,91). File size 9074232 bytes. Indexed features: Tone Normal; Scene 9; Block color Red; Cloud color Red; Light source Front light; Color collapse 0; Crepuscular rays 0; Wave Frequency 1 300 Indexed features returned for this V2 token: Tone Normal; Scene 9; Block color Red; Cloud color Red; Light source Front light; Color collapse 0; Crepuscular rays 0; Wave Frequency 1 300.  [^S04][^S05][^S09]

Memories of Digital Data #1 is token 428000001 on 0x99a9b7c1116f9ceeb1652de04d5969cce509b069, minted 2023-02-18T09:20:23+00:00. The canonical token page returned HTTP 200. The inspected media-proxy PNG is a static frame. Inspected media-proxy PNG is 2400x1438px, mid-tone and muted or near-neutral (mean RGB 134,109,114). File size 6760504 bytes. Indexed features: Tone Normal; Scene 1; Block color Normal; Cloud color Normal; Light source Front light; Color collapse 2; Crepuscular rays 4; Wave Frequency 1 300 Indexed features returned for this V2 token: Tone Normal; Scene 1; Block color Normal; Cloud color Normal; Light source Front light; Color collapse 2; Crepuscular rays 4; Wave Frequency 1 300.  [^S04][^S05][^S09]

Memories of Digital Data #10 is token 428000010 on 0x99a9b7c1116f9ceeb1652de04d5969cce509b069, minted 2023-05-12T14:28:59+00:00. The canonical token page returned HTTP 200. The inspected media-proxy PNG is a static frame. Inspected media-proxy PNG is 2400x1438px, mid-tone and strongly coloured (mean RGB 145,72,61). File size 7566086 bytes. Indexed features: Tone Normal; Scene 3; Block color Normal; Cloud color Colored; Light source Front light; Color collapse 2; Crepuscular rays 0; Wave Frequency 1 400 Indexed features returned for this V2 token: Tone Normal; Scene 3; Block color Normal; Cloud color Colored; Light source Front light; Color collapse 2; Crepuscular rays 0; Wave Frequency 1 400.  [^S04][^S05][^S09]

Memories of Digital Data #20 is token 428000020 on 0x99a9b7c1116f9ceeb1652de04d5969cce509b069, minted 2023-05-12T14:34:23+00:00. The canonical token page returned HTTP 200. The inspected media-proxy PNG is a static frame. Inspected media-proxy PNG is 2400x1438px, mid-tone and muted or near-neutral (mean RGB 123,121,121). File size 9064470 bytes. Indexed features: Tone BW; Scene 1; Block color Red; Cloud color Normal; Light source Back light; Color collapse 2; Crepuscular rays 0; Wave Frequency 1 300 Indexed features returned for this V2 token: Tone BW; Scene 1; Block color Red; Cloud color Normal; Light source Back light; Color collapse 2; Crepuscular rays 0; Wave Frequency 1 300.  [^S04][^S05][^S09]

The AB5D header candidate is token 428000328 (edition 328), currently indexed to 0xdd19308a9731cdecb67e0d80ca6823394208c045, which is one of the three linked addresses returned for username ab5d on 2026-09-19. That ownership match is a present-tense index observation, not proof of continuous custody since mint. Inspected media-proxy PNG is 2400x1438px, mid-tone and strongly coloured (mean RGB 129,81,59). File size 8703486 bytes. Indexed features: Tone Normal; Scene 5; Block color Normal; Cloud color Colored; Light source Back light; Color collapse 2; Crepuscular rays 2; Wave Frequency 1 400 [^S08][^S04][^S09]

Motion, interaction, and audio: Loop behaviour inferred only from source keywords. The inspected PNG is a static frame. The static PNGs document halt or preview states. They are not by themselves proof that a live loop is still running, nor proof that a work is silent. No soundtrack was heard from these pages during this session. [^S09][^S10][^S03]

## Significance and limitations

Memories of Digital Data is project 428 by Kazuhiro Tanimoto on 0x99a9b7c1116f9ceeb1652de04d5969cce509b069. The close readings above are the evidence for what the stored program outputs.

Unresolved research questions that remain after this pass: (1) What was the exact public-sale unit price in ETH at start_datetime, supported by a contemporaneous primary source rather than a later floor? (2) For tokens whose live renderer was not stopwatch-timed, what is the measured wall-clock period of one full cycle or one completed progressive draw? (3) What contemporaneous primary source records the original public unit price in ETH? (4) Incomplete Control aside, do any of the three current AB5D wallets later acquire or dispose of the header token used above after 2026-09-19? [^S02][^S08][^S10]

This package is a draft for human review. Structural validation tests file shape, not the truth of seeing or of licence interpretation.

[^S01]: Art Blocks. [Memories of Digital Data by Kazuhiro Tanimoto collection page](https://www.artblocks.io/collection/memories-of-digital-data-by-kazuhiro-tanimoto). Accessed 2026-09-19.
[^S02]: Art Blocks Hasura index. [projects_metadata record for memories-of-digital-data-by-kazuhiro-tanimoto](https://artblocks-mainnet.hasura.app/v1/graphql). Accessed 2026-09-19.
[^S03]: Kazuhiro Tanimoto. [Memories of Digital Data on-chain artist program](https://artblocks-mainnet.hasura.app/v1/graphql). Accessed 2026-09-19.
[^S04]: Art Blocks Hasura index. [tokens_metadata for sampled Memories of Digital Data token IDs](https://artblocks-mainnet.hasura.app/v1/graphql). Accessed 2026-09-19.
[^S05]: Art Blocks. [Canonical token pages for sampled Memories of Digital Data outputs](https://www.artblocks.io/token/1/0x99a9b7c1116f9ceeb1652de04d5969cce509b069/428000000). Accessed 2026-09-19.
[^S06]: Creative Commons. [Reported artwork licence label CC BY-NC 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/). Accessed 2026-09-19.
[^S07]: Kazuhiro Tanimoto. [Memories of Digital Data official description](https://www.artblocks.io/info/spectrum/in-conversation-with-kazuhiro-tanimoto-memories-of-digital-data). Accessed 2026-09-19.
[^S08]: Art Blocks. [AB5D linked wallet set and profile index](https://www.artblocks.io/profile/ab5d). Accessed 2026-09-19.
[^S09]: Art Blocks media proxy. [Static PNG renders of sampled Memories of Digital Data tokens](https://media-proxy.artblocks.io/0x99a9b7c1116f9ceeb1652de04d5969cce509b069/428000000.png). Accessed 2026-09-19.
[^S10]: Art Blocks. [Live generator renderer for Memories of Digital Data](https://generator.artblocks.io/0x99a9b7c1116f9ceeb1652de04d5969cce509b069/428000000). Accessed 2026-09-19.