# New Worlds by Robert Whitman

## The work and its context

New Worlds is project 4 on the Art Blocks V2 core contract 0x64780ce53f6e966e18a22af13a2f97369580ec11, published under the canonical slug new-worlds-by-robert-whitman and credited to Robert Whitman. The indexed project record reports a completed edition of 500 of 500 invocations, runtime three@0.124.0, and the official description: Robert Whitman’s genesis NFT project, New Worlds, transports viewers to otherworldly, cosmic landscapes beyond the Earth. Each of the 500 generative, interactive, and unique New Worlds NFTs centers on an imagined celestial body in space. The planets, and, in some cases, black holes, feature distinctive colors, patterns, shadows, and topographies on their surfaces, and they are situated in vast skies rendered in varying hues, opacities, and gradients. Some planets in the series are surrounded by rings, and they may have up to three moons in their orbits. Viewers can navigate around the planets and explore their sublime environments by zooming in and out and dragging their cursors on the screen. New Worlds will be presented in Whitman’s upcoming solo show with Pace Gallery, on view at 508 West 25th Street in New York from January 18 to February 3.   The New Worlds NFTs are based on Whitman’s mesmeric projections of planets and moons, which he presented in his solo exhibition Turning at Pace in New York in 2007, as well as new images from the James Webb Space Telescope, which sent its first pictures back to Earth in 2022. A pioneer of performance and multimedia installation art, Whitman has been producing exploratory and collaborative work for more than 60 years. He was at the vanguard of scientifically and technologically engaged art making during this period, co-founding the Experiments in Art and Technology (E.A.T.), a collective that supported creative partnerships between artists and engineers, in 1967. Whitman was also major figure in the ephemeral Happenings, a hybrid art form spanning installation, performance, and other mediums, presented in New York in the late 1950s and early 1960s by a group of artists that also included Claes Oldenburg, Allan Kaprow, Jim Dine, and Red Grooms.  Whitman’s web3 debut reflects the limber and timeless nature of his influential and rigorous practice, which left an indelible mark on 20th century art history. As part of the artist’s forthcoming exhibition at Pace in New York, Pace Live, the gallery’s interdisciplinary platform for commissioning and presenting new live art performances, will stage live renditions of his seminal 1960 performance work American Moon. Whitman’s first NFT project can be understood in conversation with this disorienting, madcap performance, which premiered nearly a decade before the first moon landing. New Worlds, Whitman’s most technologically ambitious artwork to date, forges new through lines across the artist’s storied and experimental career, traversing his digital and physical investigations of universes beyond our own.  New Worlds are interactive and can be explored in 360 degrees and from varying vantage points by using a mouse or trackpad. [^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 0x64780ce53f6e966e18a22af13a2f97369580ec11. Aspect ratio indexed as 1.0. Website https://www.pacegallery.com/journal/robert-whitman-new-worlds.

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. Robert Whitman’s genesis NFT project, New Worlds, transports viewers to otherworldly, cosmic landscapes beyond the Earth. Each of the 500 generative, interactive, and unique New Worlds NFTs centers on an imagined celestial body in space. The planets, and, in some cases, black holes, feature distinctive colors, patterns, shadows, and topographies on their surfaces, and they are situated in vast ski

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 New Worlds 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 new-worlds-by-robert-whitman was retrieved from projects_metadata.script filtered by that exact slug. The UTF-8 payload is 34787 bytes with SHA-256 32862a5142937c9a3ebf63e3363dda80cf1609b818bbd6eaa71ece3c387af716. Runtime on the project record is three@0.124.0. The script was read in full; it was not executed in this research session. [^S03]

The stored generator is 34787 bytes, SHA-256 32862a5142937c9a3ebf63e3363dda80cf1609b818bbd6eaa71ece3c387af716, runtime three@0.124.0. Detected source markers: requestAnimationFrame, Tone, THREE, WebGLRenderer, tokenData, hash. Named functions include S, _, b. tokenData.hash is read in source. Output then follows the drawing path those functions implement. Token 0 observation: Inspected media-proxy PNG is 2400x2400px, dark and muted or near-neutral (mean RGB 22,38,53). File size 6243871 bytes. Indexed features: Axis 30°; Moons 1; Rings Absent; Base Color Jade; Turbulence On; Color Overlay On; Celestial Body Planet; Starfield Density 7.1

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: Source contains a continuing-draw or audio/WebGL constructor. The inspected PNG is one frame. Live timing and soundtrack were not captured this session. 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 4 on 0x64780ce53f6e966e18a22af13a2f97369580ec11 is as follows. First token minted_at is 2023-01-06T15:27:23+00:00. activated_at is 2023-01-06T16:48:35+00:00. start_datetime is 2023-01-25T17:00:00+00:00. completed_at is 2023-01-25T17:40:47+00:00. Invocations stand at 500 of a maximum 500, with complete=true on the retrieved row. [^S02][^S04]

Calculated intervals from those timestamps: first mint to activation is 1.35 hours; activation to start_datetime is 19.01 days; start_datetime to completion is 40.8 minutes; first mint to completion is 19.09 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 2023-01-06T15:27:23+00:00, activated 2023-01-06T16:48:35+00:00, start 2023-01-25T17:00:00+00:00, completed 2023-01-25T17:40:47+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 three@0.124.0 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

New Worlds #0 is token 4000000 on 0x64780ce53f6e966e18a22af13a2f97369580ec11, minted 2023-01-06T15:27:23+00:00. The canonical token page returned HTTP 200. The inspected media-proxy PNG is a static frame. Inspected media-proxy PNG is 2400x2400px, dark and muted or near-neutral (mean RGB 22,38,53). File size 6243871 bytes. Indexed features: Axis 30°; Moons 1; Rings Absent; Base Color Jade; Turbulence On; Color Overlay On; Celestial Body Planet; Starfield Density 7.1 Indexed features returned for this V2 token: Axis 30°; Moons 1; Rings Absent; Base Color Jade; Turbulence On; Color Overlay On; Celestial Body Planet; Starfield Density 7.1.  [^S04][^S05][^S09]

New Worlds #1 is token 4000001 on 0x64780ce53f6e966e18a22af13a2f97369580ec11, minted 2023-01-25T17:21:23+00:00. The canonical token page returned HTTP 200. The inspected media-proxy PNG is a static frame. Inspected media-proxy PNG is 2400x2400px, dark and muted or near-neutral (mean RGB 47,10,56). File size 4311227 bytes. Indexed features: Axis 0°; Moons 2; Rings Absent; Base Color Aurora; Turbulence On; Color Overlay On; Celestial Body Planet; Starfield Density 73.0 Indexed features returned for this V2 token: Axis 0°; Moons 2; Rings Absent; Base Color Aurora; Turbulence On; Color Overlay On; Celestial Body Planet; Starfield Density 73.0.  [^S04][^S05][^S09]

New Worlds #10 is token 4000010 on 0x64780ce53f6e966e18a22af13a2f97369580ec11, minted 2023-01-25T17:38:35+00:00. The canonical token page returned HTTP 200. The inspected media-proxy PNG is a static frame. Inspected media-proxy PNG is 2400x2400px, dark and muted or near-neutral (mean RGB 14,2,36). File size 2529967 bytes. Indexed features: Axis 45°; Moons 0; Rings Absent; Base Color Amethyst; Turbulence Off; Color Overlay Off; Celestial Body Shadow Planet; Starfield Density 24.2 Indexed features returned for this V2 token: Axis 45°; Moons 0; Rings Absent; Base Color Amethyst; Turbulence Off; Color Overlay Off; Celestial Body Shadow Planet; Starfield Density 24.2.  [^S04][^S05][^S09]

New Worlds #20 is token 4000020 on 0x64780ce53f6e966e18a22af13a2f97369580ec11, minted 2023-01-25T17:39:23+00:00. The canonical token page returned HTTP 200. The inspected media-proxy PNG is a static frame. Inspected media-proxy PNG is 2400x2400px, dark and muted or near-neutral (mean RGB 39,68,49). File size 7700588 bytes. Indexed features: Axis 60°; Moons 1; Rings Absent; Base Color Silver Moon; Turbulence On; Color Overlay Off; Celestial Body Planet; Starfield Density 33.9 Indexed features returned for this V2 token: Axis 60°; Moons 1; Rings Absent; Base Color Silver Moon; Turbulence On; Color Overlay Off; Celestial Body Planet; Starfield Density 33.9.  [^S04][^S05][^S09]

The AB5D header candidate is token 4000113 (edition 113), 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 2400x2400px, dark and muted or near-neutral (mean RGB 48,16,21). File size 5533449 bytes. Indexed features: Axis 0°; Moons 1; Rings Absent; Base Color Flame; Turbulence On; Color Overlay Off; Celestial Body Planet; Starfield Density 7.9 [^S08][^S04][^S09]

Motion, interaction, and audio: Source contains a continuing-draw or audio/WebGL constructor. The inspected PNG is one frame. Live timing and soundtrack were not captured this session. 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

New Worlds is project 4 by Robert Whitman on 0x64780ce53f6e966e18a22af13a2f97369580ec11. 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. [New Worlds by Robert Whitman collection page](https://www.artblocks.io/collection/new-worlds-by-robert-whitman). Accessed 2026-09-19.
[^S02]: Art Blocks Hasura index. [projects_metadata record for new-worlds-by-robert-whitman](https://artblocks-mainnet.hasura.app/v1/graphql). Accessed 2026-09-19.
[^S03]: Robert Whitman. [New Worlds on-chain artist program](https://artblocks-mainnet.hasura.app/v1/graphql). Accessed 2026-09-19.
[^S04]: Art Blocks Hasura index. [tokens_metadata for sampled New Worlds token IDs](https://artblocks-mainnet.hasura.app/v1/graphql). Accessed 2026-09-19.
[^S05]: Art Blocks. [Canonical token pages for sampled New Worlds outputs](https://www.artblocks.io/token/1/0x99a9b7c1116f9ceeb1652de04d5969cce509b069/4000000). 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]: Robert Whitman. [New Worlds official description](https://www.pacegallery.com/journal/robert-whitman-new-worlds). 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 New Worlds tokens](https://media-proxy.artblocks.io/0x99a9b7c1116f9ceeb1652de04d5969cce509b069/4000000.png). Accessed 2026-09-19.
[^S10]: Art Blocks. [Live generator renderer for New Worlds](https://generator.artblocks.io/0x99a9b7c1116f9ceeb1652de04d5969cce509b069/4000000). Accessed 2026-09-19.