Projects
![]()
No projects found
Investors
New
DAO Treasuries
DATs
Lend / Borrow APRs
Chains
Categories
Spaces
Studio Hour Ep.2: DeltaSauce
Recorded: Jan. 21, 2026 Duration: 1:23:40Space Recording
Short Summary
In a recent discussion, artist Delta Sauce shared insights on his growth in the crypto art space, emphasizing the importance of community partnerships and innovative projects. He revealed plans for new marble sculptures that blend technology and art, highlighting trends in AI integration and the potential for fundraising and grants to support his creative endeavors.
Full Transcription
Thank you. Thank you. Music Thank you. well hello everyone um first and foremost i'm just going to sound check delta can you hear me? Yes, I can hear you. Can you hear me?
Perfectly. Amazing. We're all good to get started. So first and foremost, hello everyone. Welcome to Studio Hour by Shilla. So this is a space where we kind of slow things down a little bit
and we're going to talk about creative practice, authorship, taste, and then all of the invisible
decisions that go behind an artist's work. So today I'm joined by the one and only Delta Source,
an artist whose practice sits in that very, very interesting territory between AI, surrealism, memory, and authorship.
So it's very, very exciting.
And I just really want to hear a little bit more about your story, Delta.
Can you give us a really quick intro for those in the audience that may not know you?
Hello, everyone.
I am Delta Sauce. I've been, you know, in this place that
we call a space since 2021 on this journey with a lot of you guys here today. And I am an AI artist.
I primarily use AI to craft moments and memories and to, you know, slow us down a little bit,
take us back to, you know, the good old times and just like share those moments with people.
Amazing. I like how often you focus on memory. It's always really interesting because I feel like
a lot of your work has that very nostalgic feel to it. So I kind of wanted to rewind a little bit and look into the first time you kind of thought about approaching that topic of nostalgia and how it came about.
So for me, you know, initially when I got into the space, I did a lot of world building artwork.
And like, you know, funnily enough, like first thing I did when I got into the space was photography.
Like that's the first thing I ever minted on the blockchain was like photos that I took. And, you know, I got introduced to like, you know,
these tools, the AI tools back in the day. And, you know, around 2022, like I started to pivot
more to like these memory focused rooms, you know, and for me, it was just about like stopping and
just re-creating to the best of my ability, you know, the childhood rooms that I grew up in and like the experiences that I had.
And, you know, those sort of, you know, interconnected with other people's memories and other people's, you know, moments of them growing up in the 90s and early 2000s.
That's really cool.
I know a little bit more about your story than a lot of people hear
but basically Delta's ability to kind of start off with photography and then
build a community around him and going into AI and all of that is really impressive and I'd love to know, so how and when did you realize that AI was a collaborator that you liked working with?
So for me, I always looked at AI as like part of the process.
It's not entirely the whole process because, you know, especially back in early 2021 and 2022, it was more of like a collaging effort
because initially when I was doing photography,
I was doing a lot of collaging as well.
I was putting together different elements,
going into Krita and building out layers.
And I saw AI as this tool of collaging different elements together,
generating out different elements,
and going in and just hand-stitching things together.
As the technology has progressed,
you could do a lot of these,
what is referred to as in-painting,
so you can in-paint within these programs,
which is basically just a step above collaging
in, say, Photoshop and taking different layers
and stitching them together,
except now you're stitching them together
using prompting and words
to select out regions and whatnot. So I've always looked at AI as part of the process.
It's a part of the process, the same as world building and storytelling would be a part of the
process. You have to build out this narrative and intent behind the artwork that you're building,
especially with AI. You have to build out this intent narrative that you want to put behind the body of work.
Otherwise, I feel like it falls flat.
So it's just this combination of different techniques
and different elements that coalesce together
to create a final piece of artwork for me.
That actually kind of touches on a question
I wanted to ask you.
So at what point does a piece kind of become yours in this workflow?
Like, when do you see it and think, okay, this is ready?
So for me, it just depends on the pieces.
I have been, you know, slowing down on saying when a piece is done.
I've, you know, I'm at the point right now where it's just like, I take a month to just
like set the piece aside aside look over it and
see if it has this emotional appeal appeal behind it and this emotional pull for me as the artist
like that's when i sort of know that it's ready but it's it's sort of a feeling because like as
artists you know artwork is never done like there's always something that you could like
do to it to make it better you can always keep working on the piece of artwork. So I always look at it like it needs to be 90% done. And the rest is sort of that, that narrative and the sort of emotional pull that, you know, you feel when looking at the artwork or sort of like that emotional pull that you feel that others would see within that piece of artwork. So I always try to get an artwork to like that 90% point,
because again, I could always work on a piece of artwork.
I could, you know, spend a year working on a piece of artwork
and never be satisfied with it.
So I always try to get to that 90% goal in my head
and then, you know, let the emotions fill in that last 10%.
Okay, this is pretty fascinating to me because I know you tried to also use this in the past where you're very open to feedback
and you're very open to critique which I think is something that's quite uncommon in this space
so can you tell me like when did you first encounter like critique and feedback and
how did you react and evolve from it so i initially like the first
negative like sort of negative critique on the timeline which i am always happy to receive
because like for me having critique having someone break apart your artwork and you know
it's a sort of feedback loop and it makes you grow as an artist like i don't mind sort of like
negative like as long as it's like you know
constructive like if it's just trying to tear you apart to tear you apart then it's not really
constructive criticism so I always look at it from that sort of perspective as well but you know I
had a collector you know publicly say you know something negative about a collection that I
dropped and I was really insightful for it I you know I dm'd that collector and we had a one-on-one
chat and you know I saw from his perspective like what had a one-on-one chat and, you know, I saw from
his perspective of like what I can do better as an artist and how I can sort of like grow my craft
and like take that criticism and build upon it. And I feel like having that sort of criticism is
very important, especially for me. Like, this is why I like working with curators so much in the
space. I, you know, I get this sort of one-on-one, you know, perspective from them that I might not
see as the artist, but they see it from a different lens and it provides a different set of context
behind the work. And I think that is sort of the beauty of work is like how subjective it is and
how you can build off that, of that subjectiveness. And at the end of the day, I am the artist,
I'm the creator. I have like, you know, freedom of choice to, you know, whether to like ignore that sort of criticism or to build upon it. And I think that's also, you know, a superpower because like at the end of the day, the work is inherently mine. So like I could say, no, I don't agree with this criticism or I could say, okay, I see it from this perspective. I want to build upon this. I want to grow and evolve as an artist. And funnily enough, like 0009, Chris,
I worked with him on a draw a couple years back.
And in that environment where it's one-on-one,
I basically told Chris, I'm like,
Chris, I want you to be ruthless in your critique of this.
And he tore it apart.
He tore it apart to the point where
I ended up redoing 75% of the collection. And for me, I saw that it made the collection
so much better because he was right. It wasn't my best work. I could do better. I could push
better as an artist. And what ended up happening was, you know, I went
back to the drawing board for 75% of that collection, and I reworked it. And the artwork
ended up being 1000 times better. And I think that's very important, you know, to have that
sort of, you know, one on one with curators to talk about collections and to build upon their
sort of, you know, their, you know, their sort of like perspective on like what they're seeing within the artwork itself.
Actually, that's so interesting, because I feel like from collection to collection,
you are one of the few artists where I've seen almost extreme growth.
It's incredible to see, because for those of you who don't know, Delta and I actually met when I was working at Foundation.
And we were having a Twitter space also where we were talking about one of his collections that he was releasing with us.
And I've seen Delta's evolution since then.
And this is around 2024, so not that long ago like summer maybe and seeing his work
then and then seeing his work now he's still approaching very similar topics but the difference
in the quality of work is astonishing and his work was really really good before but yeah your
embracing of this has been really, really great to see.
And actually, since we're talking about evolution, so I know you draw a lot from memory.
So I feel like there's this rediscovery of memories.
And I know a lot of them are yours.
But is there a place where you're kind of like storytelling for the viewer or are you like embedding or implying something for the viewer to see in your work?
So for me, when it comes upon like building from my own memory, like I've noticed over the years of like working on artwork and, you know, putting artwork out into the world, that sort of the environment that my artwork takes place in has shifted.
Like I, you know, initially a lot of my artwork was themed around Florida because I grew up
in Florida.
That's where I was born.
And, you know, as time has gone by, I've started making more Western themed pieces, like because,
you know, my memories have started shifting, you know, further on the timeline to when
further on the timeline to when i was like you know when i first came to texas and growing up
I was like, you know, when I first came to Texas and growing up here.
here but for me i i sort of look at my artwork from the lens of you know i experienced this
i think others have experienced this in in their their childhood growing up and i feel like there's
this sort of resonance and i think that's the beauty of memory is like we all have these fond
memories of riding bikes you know down the neighborhood or you know
playing video games on you know the old computers playing runescape you know i like to pull on these
sort of like reference that you know might not everyone has had that experience but the majority
of people had something similar or have lived that experience i think that's the beauty of memory
that's sort of the beauty of nostalgia is like we're pulling on these heart strings, but these heart strings are strings that are attached to everyone.
It's really incredible because I look at these memories and they feel very cinematic
and they almost feel kind of liminal, if that makes sense.
That's intentional. I am a big movie fan. i love movies i grew up you know with my dad and
my dad would watch a movie every day like every day together we'd watch one film and you know
that's sort of always been instilled with me and you know when people ask like you know if i wasn't
an artist what would i be you know i'd probably be a cinematographer. I love cinema. I love how movies are produced.
I love how, you know, movies are directed.
I love all the behind the scenes.
And like, I want my, you know,
artwork to feel like it belongs in a movie.
I want my artwork to sort of have that feel
because, you know,
I want people to be able to feel like
they're immersed in the world
that I'm building around my art.
I want people to feel like they're the spectator
because when we go to the cinema, we are the spectator. We have no control over
what is happening in the movie. We are there as the viewer. And I want people to feel like they
can step into my world of things, but they have no control. I am the director of my artwork,
and they are the spectator, and they are allowed to step into my world of things. And I think there's a lot of beauty in that.
100%.
I was actually curious.
Is there like a movie or a director that has inspired you recently?
I wouldn't say recently.
I love Stanley Kubrick.
I am a big Stanley Kubrick fan.
I know he is a very rough director to work with i've heard the horror stories you know you know but like i
think just he's masterful at telling stories as well david fincher as well i i'm a big fight club
i love fight club fight club is my number one movie of all time. I only watched it two, three years ago
because I thought the movie was about boxing
and I'm not a boxing fan.
But my friend told me to watch Fight Club.
It will change my perspective.
He gave me no spoilers
and it's changed my perspective on so much.
And I just love the movie.
I love the way it's directed.
I highly recommend anyone watch it
if they haven't watched it.
I'm not gonna lie. I'm not going to lie.
I'm going to add a disclaimer to that.
If you are prone to psychotic episodes, please don't watch Fight Club.
Everybody else, go watch Fight Club.
It's a great movie.
This is excellent, actually, because I love the fact that it's so visible in your work
that you have these external influences beyond just artists.
And, you know, now we know your favorite directors
and the kind of movies you like.
And by the way, I can see a lot of nods to Fight Club,
even in the coloring of a lot of your work.
And sometimes like in the solitude that a lot of your work tends to communicate really well. But I wanted to ask, are there any
artists also who very much influenced your work beyond cinema people?
Yes, I have a little bit of artists that have.
Jim Buckles is my favorite artist of all time.
I highly recommend people go look into his work.
He's not a well-known artist.
I haven't really been able to find a lot of information on him,
but I do own an art book,
a coffee table art book of his work
that I ended up paying a lot of money for,
because again, not a lot of people know Jim Buckles work, he does something with colors,
that is so fantastic. His work feels like a representation of real life. But if you if you
turn the colors up, and that's sort of like, you know, for me, it feels like it's a pull from
cinema, because cinema is often, you know, brighter than real life.
The colors are more vibrant, you know, and Jim Buckles has this way with colors where it feels like his work exists.
Like it's a representation of real life, but it's just so spectacle.
And I absolutely love the way he does things and he doesn't work.
You know, his work doesn't really have people in it.
It's like it's all scenery it's all landscapes and it's just like you feel as though you're immersed into his
world of things and like I just want to step into his paintings and you know he's been a big
inspiration for me and I think he's an awesome artist. Yeah I was just looking him up and I can
definitely see that wait hold on I'm going to pin it to the space so people can see.
Is this the Jim Buckles?
Yes, it is.
Excellent.
That is my favorite piece, actually.
Oh, yeah.
It is.
Great taste.
Great taste.
So I know that there's like this beautiful influence and there's this stillness.
And then there's buckles, there's fight club.
There's so much stuff that you distill into your work.
And it's always very uniquely yours.
And I was wondering, like, is there a secret sauce in there that you're throwing that you think could be applied by other artists to their work
it it really depends because like you know as of last year like early you know 2020 2020 actually
late 2024 i started really going down the rabbit hole and building my own models like build like
playing around with ai because like i i got so used to like using already like, you know, created models and exploring like the ranges that you can pull
from, you know, from them. But like, I really started like getting deep into the tools and
just like building my own models. And I really fell in love with the process. Like I'm on my,
I built like 20 models in the past like year and a half. And it's just been like a practice that I
highly recommend to people like, you know, especially if you're an AI artist like start looking into like how to build
out models how to train data sets and just like look at that because like I've been really down
that rabbit hole but I also you know if you're an artist that really isn't really embracing AI
but are curious like come at like the models with an open mind come at prompting with an open mind
because I feel like you know a lot of people look at AI models and they ask exactly what they want.
They want like a blue sky with a red fire hydrant and a tree.
You know, I look at these models and being like, okay, I am going to like play around with French.
I know nothing.
I don't know French.
But like I like prompting in French.
I like prompting in, you know, you know, all these other languages and exploring combinations of using French and English into the prompting structure. Because for me, AI and these tools have always been about exploration. It's always been about it's a playground. It's a sandbox of the infinite. Because you feasibly cannot generate every single image out of these models. It's not possible. Like these models
are infinite in scope. Like the permeations that you can get out from these text image models
are infinite. And I think there's beauty behind that. And there's beauty behind that exploration.
So like I tell people like explore with these, like, you know, you're not going to get good art
like right away, but like explore and sort of investigate what these, you know, models have to
offer and come at it like with an, you know, unorthodox sort of like what these models have to offer and come at it with an unorthodox sort of mindset.
Come at it like you're a child
and you're given a crown for the first time
and you're told to draw a tree.
The tree's going to look like crap,
but you're going to get better with using these tools
as you explore and go off the beaten path.
That makes a lot of sense.
And now I want to get more into the practical side of your practice,
because I remember us talking about you using music to kind of guide your
emotions when you're putting together a piece.
Is there like any type of specific music that you gravitate towards when you're
creating or
you kind of just shuffle it?
I love all music except country.
So like my playlist is like, you know,
Britney Spears and NSYNC.
And then you have a little bit of like Daft Punk in there.
And, you know,
it's just this laundry list of like different musical talents.
Like I've been listening to a lot of Windjammer, which is, you know it's just this laundry list of like different musical talents like I've been listening
to a lot of Windjammer which is you know you know a music group from the 80s that you know I fell in
love with over the weekend but like I love all kinds of music like no matter what because it's
just like you you pull so much and you get into like this groove when you're starting to work on
artwork and you let that groove sort of like guide you in your practice. And I think there's a lot of beauty behind that because it's just like it feels like you're collaborating with the music itself and you're pulling from that.
It's the same with like, you know, working with a curator.
You're collaborating with the curator. It's the same with working with these tools.
You're collaborating with the machines, with the technology.
It's just like pulling, you know, the universe is sort of like
guiding you on this path. And you're sort of like collaborating with everything around you.
That is such a wonderful way of putting it. And it's really obvious that you really enjoy the
process, which is so nice to hear. And it's really wonderful to kind of hear the difference also in the way you spoke about this a year or two ago and how you're speaking about it now.
And, you know, I also remember at some point you used to mention self-doubt.
And so with that in mind, I was wondering, how do you keep creating when comparison gets really loud?
That is going to be, I honestly feel like that's an ongoing challenge.
I think it's going to be an ongoing challenge for like, you know, personally.
And I think it's an ongoing challenge for a lot of artists because like this space and sort of like, you know, the way social media acts can really like dampen your mood.
Because like you see all these other artists, like all these other fantastic artists artists, like, have their moment of success, like, Intrepid last night, you know,
I don't know if you saw all the stuff that went on last night with Intrepid's body of work, but,
like, I think it was, like, a lot of one-on-ones got picked up, and it's just, like, I'm so happy
for Intrepid, and I think that's the sort of, like, weight and sort of, like, you know, emotion
that you have to carry around is, like, being happy to see other artists have their moment in the sun and also not blaming the ecosystem that you're involved in.
And don't like I feel like, you know, playing sort of victim advocate doesn't really do anything.
I used to do that. I will be honest with you. I grew out of that.
I used to like blame everything else like back in 2022.
I used to like blame everything else, like back in 2022.
Like, you know, I used to say like, you know, I used to blame the cabal or, you know, you
know, I used to like get mad because like other artists were selling, but like, I realized,
you know, that doesn't do anything.
I have to look inward, you know, and you know, there's always going to be this little bit
of self-doubt, especially when you're putting your heart on your sleeve and you're releasing
a body of work.
And, you know, as artists artists that's what we do we we
we wear our hearts on our sleeves we release we release work that we really love and we enjoy we
love the process of it we love the outcomes and you know the market sometimes isn't receptive of
it and and and that's okay we we have to like keep going and you know be proud of the work that we do
and we have to understand that there are some things that are out of our
control.
As long as we put the best that we can out and we,
we put our heart and our passion behind our work.
I think, you know, that's where it shines, regardless of like, you know,
if it sells out, regardless of if it, you know, you know,
makes all time highs or it makes the news.
I think as artists,
we have to just keep evolving and growing and sort of like not carry that weight
on our shoulder of like self-doubt,
but also understand that self-doubt
can be sort of a motivator.
It can push you to like new levels.
It can push you to that uncomfortable feeling
because like sometimes when you're self-doubt,
like for me, like for instance,
like when I get self-doubt,
I start to realize that I'm playing too comfortably
within my own practice. I need to push myself in a new direction. And that's where I, you know, see my, you know,
that's where I usually see like my breakout successes. Like when I push myself from being
comfortable to being uncomfortable, I think that's where, you know, my artwork really starts to shine.
So that self-doubt can be a motivator to like push yourself forward as an artist.
That self-doubt can be a motivator to push yourself forward as an artist.
That makes a lot of sense.
And I feel like, you know, not even jealousy, but like envy can become quite consuming and toxic for artists.
And, you know, that tendency to compare yourselves is very normal and human.
yourselves is very normal and human. And if it's not used positively to kind of fuel you,
like the way you did, you kind of use that to acknowledge an area of your life that needed
growth and then grew with it. But actually, with that in mind, community, you've said quite a few times that you owe it to a lot of people and your success isn't yours alone.
So what does community give you that talent alone never could?
I will be honest. honest like i you know community is people out there outreaching you know wanting to like you
know back to 2021 2022 like you know reaching out to me and being like hey i want to have your
artwork displayed you know in new york for nft nyc you know that sort of reach out is like community
to me like those sort of opportunities are are built upon via community just people talking about
your artwork you know sharing your artwork talking about your artwork, you know,
sharing your artwork. It's not necessarily, you know, people having to buy your artwork to push you forward as an artist. It's people, you know, reaching out, lending them, like reaching out with
their hand and helping you up, you know, helping you step up, you know, you know, presenting you
opportunities and being like, hey, I heard about this open call that I think your artwork would
fit perfectly with. You know, it's sort of that, you know, step forward call that I think your art would fit perfectly with. It's sort of that step forward.
Like you can't really build in an ecosystem by yourself.
There is no self-made artist.
Like no one has been able to build success on their own.
Like the talent's there, the art's there,
but it's always been this community built thing.
People help build you up.
And like, I would not be here
and I would not have the
success that I have right now if it wasn't for the community. Yes. You know, it always starts
with the artwork. It always starts with, you know, the, the networking. It always starts with,
you know, reaching out and being supportive of others and showing up for others. And,
but it always leads to this sort of like building up of opportunities, people reaching out. And I
think that's the beauty of the space, like the beauty of the space, you know, especially back in 2021.
And even now, it's just like, you know, having these opportunities, you know, I've talked to a
lot of like traditional artists that are in the traditional art world. And when I've told them
that I've been, you know, showcased in, you know, 35 different countries in the span of four years, it's mind blowing to them
because like, they usually only get like opportunities like once a year. So the beauty
of the space is like, you know, we can have those sort of opportunities happen often. And, you know,
and it's sort of always this outreach moment. Like, you know, I had outreach from a couple
people in the space and like, it wasn't transactional. It wasn't a financial benefit at all. They were like, Hey, can you,
you want to drop in a piece of artwork for our community? And I'm like, yes, I love this. I love,
you know, being involved in new communities and being that, you know, their, their first set of
artwork that they ever collected in space. I think that's beautiful. And what ended up happening was,
you know, it ended up leading to an airdrop that I didn't even know about that was worth three ETH, you
know, like it's stuff like that, you know, it's not always about like the transactional nature
of like, okay, what am I going to get out of this opportunity? You know, that can be, that can happen
like decades later, like just, just a happenstance of you meeting someone here. And then 10 years
later, they're helping you get
into a museum or get into an institute like and it didn't revolve around any sort of need for them
to buy your artwork they just vibe with you and they like what you do and I think that's really
the beauty of like having a community and being in the space that's really wonderful. And to be honest, I've noticed always how tight the community you have around you was. Even back in the day when I was at Foundation, I saw that people were really rallying behind you. And that is a proof of how much you have put into building this community.
much you have put into building this community. And with that in mind, I also noticed that this
year, you've been traveling around quite a lot. And I saw you in Marfa, where we didn't meet
because I didn't recognize you because I didn't bring my glasses, and I'm very short-sighted.
But in Berlin, I got to meet you, and I know you had a wonderful time in Europe so I kind of wanted
to know if these travels around and meeting a lot of people in person how did they impact you and
did you bring any of that into your latest work? So for me I always recommend IRL events like they
are game-changing like just meeting up with people offline because like you get to be one-on-one with
people and you get to have this tonality that you can pick up on, like in person, and sort of see the
passion that people have. And, you know, especially when the travel is out of the way, you know, like,
it's just like, you had to have wanted to like, buy the tickets and travel there to be there. And,
you know, Berlin was such a big step for me. Because like, I, you know, before Berlin and
before London, I've never
really traveled internationally. So like, this was like a big step and a big leap for me, but
like, I love these events because like, you get to meet people that aren't necessarily doxxed
online or people that don't really have a Twitter, but are at these events and you sort of like get
to build these relationships that you can take back to Twitter or take back to, you know, Telegram
or wherever, you know, you have these relationships. And I to, you know, Telegram or wherever, you know,
you have these relationships. And I think, you know, that really adds to the relationship building
within the space. And, you know, experiencing these moments with other builds upon these
memories that you get to take back and to always cherish and bring up. Like, Joanna, I remember I
needed aspirin. You helped me find aspirin in Germany. Like, I, you know, I had a headache.
And like like that's
a fond memory for me even though a lot of people would be like oh that you know that was just a
moment you know but like you went out of your way to go find me aspirin and i really you know i was
really grateful for that but like just having those moments and building upon those memories
i think are important and sort of like add back to my practice in a way where like, you know, maybe in like 10 years when, you know, this sort of era of nostalgia that we exist in Joanna is like here.
And I'd make a piece of artwork of you going to get me aspirin in front of the gallery in Germany because like that was a memory that I experienced.
Like, you know, I, you know, I see these world travels as building moments, building memories that I could pull from in the next 10 years and build upon.
And it's a moment that is of life.
I want my artwork to capture these lively moments, to capture these scenes, to capture this essence of memories.
And for me, travel is starting to become more and more part of that.
I remember that very well, actually. And I thought it was very funny how at the time there was a pharmacy really close by and then that pharmacy didn't sell any aspirin.
So suddenly I was in Germany. By the way way I do not speak German so just me trying
to say aspirin in the German accent was ridiculous and the whole ordeal was really funny um but I'm
really glad you remember it and I really hope um maybe that that artwork will come to fruition in the future and I will race to get it
because that is a very funny memory for me too.
But I'm really glad you've been kind of taking in so much
through your travels
and getting to know a lot of people one-on-one.
And I also know you've been to Marfa
and I'm going to pretend that the most memorable moment in
boleyn was me getting your aspirin but what was the most memorable moment for you in marfa do you
reckon so for for last year specifically just you know all of what dies did and you know the party
with raul and blondie and like just that whole night was great. But I also want to give a great shout out because I think he's still in the audience,
but Jared hosts a really amazing event at the 8NAP,
what we're referring to the 8NAP house and Marfa because he's had it for two years.
Now, it was wonderful.
Just meeting up with collectors, meeting up with other artists,
being able to give away physicals for free, you know,
building upon relationships that, you know,
I might not have had with the collectors or with artists, you know, online and being able to take those home.
I think that's a special moment.
I think that's why what makes Martha so, you know, special is because it is so out of the
way.
It is so in the middle of nowhere.
And like so many people came, you know, a lot of collectors came from australia like
collectors that i know that i've built relationships over the years and like i you know 24 hour flights
to get out to the middle of nowhere and then they have to drive another like three hours and it's
just like you have to want to be there to go there and i think that's what makes marfa so special
it's just like it's this like weekly event where it's just like, it's in the middle of the desert.
It's, you know, people that you might not know
within the space from different walks of life,
all converging onto this like one little town.
And it's just like, there's only a few spots to eat.
I think that's what makes Marfa so special.
And that's why I've gone for the last two years
and I'm planning on going this year
and the next 10 years, because it's just like this so special. And that's why I've gone for the last two years and I'm planning on going this year and the next 10 years, because it's just like this so special movement. And like so many new
faces came this year that weren't there last year. I think Macbeth was there as well. You know,
GT from Australia was there, like so many special faces that, you know, exist within the space for
that. And I think that's the beauty. And also Dives hosted this very Americana,
like very, like viscerally nostalgic,
like, you know, event outside of, you know,
and it was so good.
It was, it was just so good.
It was perfect.
The county fair.
Yeah, the county fair.
Yeah.
It felt so American.
Like it took me back to like growing up in the neighborhood and having,
you know, Fourth of July, you know, throughout the whole neighborhood, like everyone was out
front cooking, you know, food, there was tables, like it took me back to my childhood. And I
absolutely loved it. I'm not gonna lie to you. Whilst that was happening, It was quite warm, so I was at Glitch,
just getting a couple of jealous shots in my system
to kind of cope with the fact that,
oh, he's in the audience, Max was in town.
And I don't know if you...
Do you know Max Pretends?
Yes, I do.
Yes, I do.
Okay, excellent.
Okay, excellent.
So you know he is French,
and he is a champion of everyone must have an excellent time
whenever I'm around.
So hence me taking a few jello shots in the back
to make sure I could have the best time possible around Max.
But not to derail this into me drinking, which is a ridiculous
tangent to go off on. I remember us talking about faith. I'm going to bring this really
back to sober terms. Faith. So faith in your work is a pretty hard part for you.
So when you feel it slipping away, what helps you rebuild?
Honestly, for me, I'm taking nine days off like this weekend.
I'm starting this weekend and taking the week off and then taking the next weekend off and just digging deep into my art, into my practice.
And then, you know, taking the next weekend off and just digging deep into my art, into my practice.
I think, you know, once faith starts to shake, you know, especially for me as an artist, it's just like I'm starting to lose that balance of like why I became an artist.
What drove me to to go down this route? Like, you know, I don't want art to ever feel like a job or a business.
or a business full-time artists you know i so i'm going to be diving deep into my practice and doing
Full time artists, you know.
experiments and doing things that i normally don't do in my artwork and like you know going
different routes and and just digging deep for like the next nine days and just focus on that
like i i think you know once faith starts to shake you're gonna need it's this sort of
counterbalance it's just like you know your faith you know on you're gonna need it's this sort of counterbalance it's
just like you know your faith you know on one side it's like how do you balance a career with
the passion to do artwork you know and it's always that balance and like when it starts to get out of
whack and like you know the side that you didn't you know you didn't want you know you don't i
wouldn't say you don't want but like the side that is sort of like you know taking away from
the passion and the side that's sort of like draining the passion and the creativity is starting to get too much.
You plug that up, you turn the faucet on full max, and you just focus on the thing that fills you with joy and passion.
And for me, that's art.
So taking the next nine days and just focusing on that, I think is going to like reinvigorate me and get me back
to that that balance that's really inspiring and these next nine days you're going to take off
are probably going to bring us some incredible work I can already feel it um so this is pretty
exciting and is there like a purpose that kind of guides you
when you're creating these things?
Because you're going to go off for nine days,
you're going to go all in.
What do you feel is going to be the driving force
behind your creative flow for those few days?
I've been really inspired by music lately and the lyrics and like I want to like
start breaking apart songs and like you know it's something like I wanted to explore for a while now
and also like just building out new models and just taking things apart breaking things reforming
things learning new skill sets like just taking the time to like just dig deep because there's a lot of like new technologies that I have not been able to keep up with.
Like, you know, this past week I've been playing around with Claude.
Like I've been playing around with like, you know, coding and like, you know, toying away with generative code.
Like even though I don't code, just, you know, using Claude to like play around with coding and figuring out ways like how can i incorporate these sort of
elements into my own artwork you know maybe i can you know build out a generative coding project
that i'm not going to release but i use that to get outputs that are you know code-based take
those outputs that are code-based use those as initial material in prompting so use them as an
initial and then prompt around them with my own you know with my
own models like my own text to image models and play around with that like just learning new
skills and also learning new technology that I you know been sidelined from because it's just like
you know I really haven't had time to dig into like Claude or any of these other new softwares and new updates? I actually think that's so exciting because again, there's this sense of curiosity you have
and it really translates into your process and the way you kind of look into how you can use
these new technologies. Meanwhile, a lot of people were looking at Claude and they're like,
Meanwhile, a lot of people were looking at Claude and they're like, is my job going to be irrelevant very soon? But that way of embracing these new updates and these new developments is really exciting.
with these new technologies like is there any particular path you're very excited to kind of
experiment with beyond the potentially vibe coding a generative art project so for for me i you know
last year i took i dipped my toes i said i would never do animated pieces of artwork i would never
do you know animation at all like i wasn't really interested in it, but the technology started to get a little bit
better. And I started to get, I started to fall in love with like how much control and fidelity
that you have with these sort of animation, you know, uh, models. So I really started to dip my
toes in that. I released a few animated pieces. I, you know, I want to explore that route a little
bit more. I don't know if I'll ever really dip my toes into like, you know, text to video models or text to, yeah,
text to video models or, you know, image to video models yet. Like, I don't think there's a lot of
fidelity in these models yet and there's not enough control for me to pick these up. But I
But I think, you know, as the technology progresses, I mean, there could be a day where, you know, I direct a little short film using these, you know, video models.
think, you know, as the technology progresses, I mean, there could be a day where, you know,
I think, you know, once the control is there and once I start, because like I want to like couple them with sort of like the practice of like traditionally making a film.
Like I don't want it to be just me relying on the technology to be like generate me this output.
Like I want to stitch together stuff.
I know video editing a little bit because like I used to do anime music videos back in the day.
You know, that's something a little bit embarrassing.
But yes, that was one of my first steps into like digital creation is I used to do anime music videos.
I used to take, you know, movies, anime movies, cut them up, slice them, add music to the
background, time everything, you know, in, in Sony Vegas.
I also used to run a YouTube channel as well, which I have not ever released or ever, I'm
not going to link that out.
Cause like, it's me as like a 14 year old doing video game commentaries and you know,
it's embarrassing, but I used to do video editing, but like, I want the tools to sort of catch up to that process where like, you know, I's embarrassing. But I used to do video editing, but I want the tools to sort of catch up to that process
where, like, you know, I could be more involved on them.
I can sort of direct and sort of build out sets,
you know, within the video itself.
I think that's the next step for, you know,
AI video is where I can be like,
okay, I want a 7-Eleven here.
I want, you know, I want the gas pumps here. Like, I want be able to like control how the sets are built within the video itself. And I think we're slowly getting to that where it's this combination of, you know, AI 3D modeling and, you know, AI video and being able to plop assets down into the video. I think that's the next step for these tools. And then that's when it starts
to feel like the holodeck from Star Trek. And like, that's when I start to really get interested
in the video side of AI, because like, I want that control. I want that fidelity. You know,
I think, you know, being able to control specific lighting and being able to be accurate with,
you know, what you exactly want within the video. I think that is the next evolution. And I think that's where you're going to start to see
these people that don't get access to Hollywood
or get told that their idea is crap by Hollywood.
You're going to start to see a lot of these singular people
or these small teams that don't have a budget
use these AI tools to build out
these wonderful short format videos. And I think that's where the beauty of the tools are.
So like, I'm really interested in that. Like I, you know,
I've always wanted to be a director.
I've always wanted to be a cinematographer.
I've always wanted to build sets, you know,
like I wanted to go down that route,
but like the tools aren't there to where I want them.
So like, I'm slowly waiting for that, but also, you know,
wanting to combine it with more traditional aspects of creating films that's really incredible and um last week when we were talking to dave um this
was also kind of brought up how teams were becoming leaner and leaner and you know these tools kind of
aid in bringing creativity to fruition and you know you can suddenly take on way more ambitious
looking projects with a much more realistic set of people aka maybe just you and maybe one friend
um but I do not want to gloss over the the the fact that you did anime edits slash music videos.
And I'm absolutely going to ask you questions about this.
Hold on.
So was there like a specific type of music that you went for
or did you like pick soundtracks?
So it's electronic music uh it was i i you know fungible asked in the comment section
below like he's like i need to see these and i just posted one which i made i think that was
made in like 20 uh 2000 or 2014 i think it's been a long time but like i used a lot of electronic
music dubstep stuff like that like really i wouldn't time, but like I used a lot of electronic music, dubstep, stuff like that.
Like really, I wouldn't say cringe, but like, just like drum and bass, just like, you know, stuff like that back in the day.
But like, I, you know, that took a night, you know, like on just Saudi Vegas, just like trying to like slice up the film, you know, put it to the music and just like build it out.
But like, yeah, I used to do a lot of weird stuff growing up and just like, just playing around with things like, you know put it to the music and just like build it out but like yeah i used to do a lot of weird
stuff growing up and just like just playing around with things like you know okay this is incredible
first and foremost i i just pinned it to the space um by the way i feel like in the Lord's year of 2026 anime is less and less nerdy by the day.
And at least from what I've been seeing around,
because, you know, as a Japanese grown child,
I was used to people thinking anime was really fucking good.
And I was like, this is literally what my dad buys me to watch like
what do you want me to do um so you know i feel like nowadays people are way less critical of it
so i would definitely be down to see a comeback of delta sources um music videos with anime i feel
like this would be really fun. I think it was too,
because I grew up
and anime was extremely nerdy.
No one knew what I was talking about. The only way
you could watch anime was on Toonami,
late at night.
I'm sorry,
I'm gushing a little bit. We're going down a little
nerdy rabbit hole, but my first
exposure to anime
was Detective Conan, aka case close which you know
it was on at 4 a.m on adult swim you know because like i think this was either before toonami or it
was at a weird time slot but then you know early on i got exposed to to foley cooley you know flcl
like that was the second anime i got exposed to then naruto and you know and then uh yu yu hakashu you know like stuff like that like
really old school stuff you know i wasn't really exposed to dragon ball like i didn't really grow
up on dragon ball like it was i i don't even think it was on tv and you know but uh yeah it's just
like maybe i need to like dip my toes with like anime music videos again just for fun and just
to see where it takes me listen if that is one of the takeaways we get from today's space,
I will feel like my mission has been accomplished because I'm actually going to DM you after this
because I definitely feel like there's potential for something to happen between some clips from Naruto
with Instant Crush by Daft Punk punk so we will be talking about
this after but whilst that happens i i realize we're almost at time so i wanted to open the
floor for people to ask questions so if anyone or share thoughts it's not just about questions so if anyone has questions thoughts um prayers please
request to go up on stage and i will bring you up and whilst that happens um we're gonna continue
going down this rabbit hole because this is hilarious and very cool it's hilarious not
because it's nerdy by the way full disclaimer It's hilarious because I didn't expect this from you,
because this kind of adds a whole nother layer of cinematic magic to your work.
Oh, we have one request.
Merv, welcome on stage.
What do you have for us Merv can you hear me
I know it goes silent
when
yes can you hear me
perfectly go on
that's awesome
I just wanted to say hi to you guys Yes, can you hear me? Perfectly. Go on. That's awesome. That's awesome.
I just wanted to say hi to you guys.
It's been a real, like, it was delightful to listen to you.
And it's been ages to see you in real life.
So, yeah, I just, I don't, I mean, I have a question to Delta as well.
But yeah, the first, I just wanted to hug you virtually.
So my question, because I mean, I was outside, so I didn't able to listen to everything, but I was here.
So I'm going to say the question first.
So what is the next project that makes you excited?
Honestly, for me, and I have no ET on when this project's
going to come out, but I want to build five sculptures. I want to build out a series around
this sort of combination of servers and marble sculptures and a functional marble sculpture
that has a purpose. I think there's a lot of beauty behind this concept.
I even wrote a paper, which I don't really
write papers on projects that I'm doing.
I don't really go down this rabbit hole.
But I wrote a paper exactly on how I want this to look.
I've even started doing mock-ups in Illustrator
of breaking down the four dimensions of each side
of the marble sculpture, and just creating just these ideas and concepts about like how I want
it to look, how I want it to operate. And like, you know, I want this sculpture to have a built-in
touchscreen where you can like browse the data on the sculpture and browse all of these AI outputs.
And like, you know, it's all very, you know, early stages, but like, it's something that really
excites me because it's like this combination of like, you know, marble sculptures are technically forever.
They're going to exist forever.
Like if they're well preserved, you know, even marble sculptures from the Roman and Greek eras are still around.
Yes, they're damaged, but like it plays on this whole concept of like the fragility of data because like a lot, you know, usually hard drives fail within 15 to 20 years.
because like a lot, you know, usually hard drives fail within 15 to 20 years. So like storing a one
copy, you know, a one-time copy of data within, you know, these hard drives and putting it within
a marble sculpture that's going to live forever. The sculpture is going to exist forever. But the
data that is on in this sculpture is going to die out within like 15 to 20 years because hardware
failure. I think there's this beautiful
narrative and story that I'm really driven by. And I got really inspired by the fact that 30%
of the internet links are broken. A lot of data with a lot of provenance within the internet
itself is gone. I found artworks online that I cannot trace back to an artist. They have no
artists. They exist on one website.
They're, you know, none of them. There's nothing like I've reversed image search. I've had AI,
you know, operatives go back and try to like search the internet, scour the internet and find me any information on this artwork by this artist. I can't find anything. I've even asked people on
Twitter, like, Hey, I will pay you a hundred if you tell me who, what artists did this? Like,
what artists did this digital piece of artwork? You know, like, I, you know, challenge people to
find this. And like, no one's been able to like, come back with anything. So like, you know,
that's scary for digital artists. That's like a nightmare. Because like, you know, long after
we're gone, if no one's maintaining what, you know, our websites, our portfolios online, you
know, IFPS, all that stuff goes away unless
it's fully on chain.
So there's a fragility to data.
Early on growing up, we were told that whatever we put on the internet would exist there forever.
That's not true anymore.
There's too much data.
There's not enough storage for all this data.
for all this data. So eventually, you know, I bring a comparison. If Twitter were to go down
So eventually, I bring a comparison.
tomorrow, if Twitter were to shut down tomorrow, like, we're all that, all this, all the stuff
that we've worked towards as a community, all this information that we put here, all the spaces that
we've done would be gone. Like, no one's hosting that, no one's saving that. So, you know, it's a
real, you know, it's a scary situation as digital artists, as people that are digitally native.
So that's sort of like what I'm really interested to, like in terms of big projects.
But I have no date for this.
Like it's going to be done when it's done is how I really feel about it.
Incredible.
Incredible question.
Incredible answer.
Thank you, Merv.
That was great. It is indeed. Thank you, Merv. That was great.
It is indeed.
Thank you, Delta.
And thank you, Joanna, for having me here.
Oh, that's right.
Happy New Year.
I promise I'll come see you soon.
Fungi, what do you have for us?
Oh, yeah, I've been loving this conversation.
Thanks so much for the time, Delta. And just a big thanks again to you, yeah, I've been loving this conversation.
Thanks so much for the time, Delta.
And just a big thanks again to you, Joanna, for putting this series on.
I'm really curious how you approach the conservation of both present and future nostalgia, Delta. And I hope, not sure if that makes sense,
but obviously so much of your work
and your inspirations come from the past.
I am curious, and I guess you kind of touched on it
with the sculpture comments,
but yeah, how you envision yourself interfacing
with the current present moment years down the line.
And if there's anything you're doing actively to preserve that.
Yeah.
For me, it's about, you know, the way to preserve that sort of like future nostalgia and also like, you know, the past itself is to build out experiences.
Like I've been really down this rabbit hole of like,
you know,
the sculpture and this whole building out like the server racks and like,
this is sort of like preserving that in a way,
but like also interfacing with old technology is something that I've been
very passionate about.
Like two years ago in Marfa,
I built out an old,
you know,
I built up an installation with old CRTs because
like I find it very beautiful to like combine modern day digital artwork on these old displays
and sort of interfacing, you know, technologies that really weren't supposed to interface. So
like, you know, everyone was like asking, like, how did I get white walls to run on an old CRT?
Like, how did I interface that? And like on an old CRT? Like, how did I interface that?
And, like, there were some challenges and some, like, playing around.
But, like, I think there's a lot of beauty with, like, interfacing, you know, modern day digital artwork in sort of a way that is nostalgic.
Because, like, we all had CRTs go growing up.
We all had these old, big, bulky TVs.
And, like, to see a Mendez Mendez, which I had a Mendez Mendez, you know, at this installation,
like to see a Mendez Mendez on a TV from the 1980s and 1990s, just built upon this experience
of his work, you know, built upon the experience of all the artwork that I had displayed, because
I didn't want it to just be about me and my body of work. I wanted it to be used by everyone. It'll
be like, hey, if you want to put your artwork up, up you know you can so for me it's about building out these experiences sort of encapsulates
like what the past represents to me and what the past represents to other people and wrapping it
with digital art modern day digital art wrapping it with my body of work like i have such big bold
plans for like what i want to do with my artwork. It's just, you know, for me, it's always been about like the time constraints of building out these ideas and also the financial constraints.
Because like bigger projects require bigger budgets.
Like I want to build out these experiences.
It's just about like building myself up to that.
It's like been a key challenge moving forward.
So there's a lot of ideas that I have written down that I want to work towards.
I want to build a wall of Tamagotchis
that display digital art.
I think that would be cool
because all digital art is built out of pixels
and the Tamagotchi displays are all pixel based.
So with enough Tamagotchis,
you could basically interface them all together
to create a large enough screen
that if you walk far enough back,
you'll be able to see the whole image.
I think that's sort of like those sort of ideas are larger than life
and they sort of encapsulate because everyone had a Tamagotchi.
Everyone that I know had a Tamagotchi.
So like building out a display with Tamagotchi,
I think it's a cool idea because it encapsulates the past,
but it also adds that sort of like little bit of sauce of like
the artwork that we're creating now.
I love that. Yeah, it's really, really interesting. And I'm curious if you've explored, you know, on the other side of physical sculpture, is digital sculpture or 3D immersive spaces.
Is that something that you have delved into or are currently exploring?
I've seen some really interesting models that work with volumetric photos.
And I know there's other artists out there and and creators that are they're
diving into it but yeah curious if you've looked at that side of things I've been exploring it like
I you know I a couple years like last year at FTN once I actually met up with Claire Silver and
like she was like playing around with these you know text the 3D models and image of 3D models
and you know and I was really fascinated with it
because like, you know, in theory,
you can eventually be able to build out a 3D video game,
you know, a fully 3D video game with just images.
And I think, you know, that's something
that's really fascinating.
Like you don't really have to have
sort of all this expertise.
Like you don't have to know 3D model.
Yes, if you know 3D modeling,
it's going to make the process a lot easier. Like, you know, interfacing with these tools, you know, another caveat that I'll bring up to people is like, if you know what you're
doing in Photoshop and you know how to edit imagery and you, you know, painting and you
know, all these digital skillsets, AI is like a sort of like, you know, an added tool that you
can bring a lot of your practice that you normally do into what these AI, you know, an added tool that you can bring a lot of your practice that you normally do
into what these AI, you know, tools already do and like combine that.
Like I tell people like, you know, if you know 3D modeling and you're, you know, integrating, you know,
text to image or text to 3D model or image to 3D model like tools,
and you already know 3D modeling, you're going to be light years ahead of what I can,
what I'll be capable of just by, you know, using these 3D modeling, you're going to be light years ahead of what I'll be capable
to do just by, you know, using these 3D models. So for me, it's just like, I'm really interested
because like, I would love to fill out a video game. I think that would be really cool. You know,
putting artwork inside of a 3D environment and letting you walk around it, you know,
hanging up artwork and like, sort of like pulling off the vibes of like, you know,
being able to jump in the artwork
and the artwork leads into a 3D version of that artwork, sort of like Mario 64.
I think that would be a cool concept to play on.
But yeah, I'm really interested in what these AI 3D models are going to be capable of.
Oh, yeah. Thanks so much for that answer really really appreciate it yeah that's everything for
me i'm just super excited to see what you make this year and i'm grateful for the chat
amazing thank you fungi and our last question, and I'm literally betting $10,000 how Buna...
If it's based on the comment about Nolan, I...
I know.
Yeah.
Are we both betting against Buna right now for cinema things?
I mean, we'll see.
I mean, I love Nolan,
but I'm really curious to see what Buna's question is.
Let's hear it, Buna. Real close, I'm creating we'll see. I mean, I love Nolan, but like, well, I'm really curious to see what Boona's question is. Let's hear it, Boona.
Real quick, I'm creating a polymarket to skew the odds and help me win some money here.
No, it's exactly what it's about. I'm curious, like, yeah. So curious, like, obviously Kubrick
is incredible. I recently started getting into his films with Eyes Wide Shut and The Shining.
And there's a few more on my list that I'm definitely wanting to see, like 2001 especially.
But I'm just kind of curious, like, what is it that you look for when it comes to cinema that you, as you put it, invite you into the world, but you also can't control their world.
I thought that was a really unique comment.
And it's one thing I really enjoy.
There's like a level of trust
when you go see a movie.
It's almost like taking a risk.
So what is it about his films that do that to you?
That's like, that's probably my first question.
It definitely was why Nolan hasn't inspired you,
but I'd love to actually understand a little bit more of that.
So for me, it's the combination of special effects
and also the practicality of his films.
I think he balances it pretty well.
I think this is what gets lost on a lot of modern-day cinema.
It's over-reliance on CGI, over-reliance on on that and a lack of practical effects that's why i like nolan by
the way you know i'm just letting you know like i love when they balance out the special effects
and the the practicality of like model building you know the way that that whole like a little
bit of a spoiler it's not gonna it's not really a spoiler but like the
first opening scene of 2001 a space odyssey there is this sort of pin that's floating and like
you know watching the behind the scenes of actually how it's done you know because like
when when you look at it it looks real like and there wasn't really cgi or these sort of special
effects like it was really i think you know if i remember correctly i think 2001 space holiday was like maybe late 70s early 80s if i remember correctly
and you know there wasn't really that sort of practical effects that would allow that are not
practical but like computer effects that would allow that to that level so like just to be
immersed and being like okay this feels and looks real. And also lighting.
I think Stanley Kubrick does a really good job with lighting.
I think a lot of like modern day movies,
you know, they, the nights are too dark.
You know, Godzilla had this big issue
with the nights are too dark.
And I understand why they do that.
So they don't have to render in full quality,
like the actual, you know, city destruction scenes
and sort of like the model
itself for Godzilla. But that takes me out. Like, this is like way too dark. I think I had that
issue with the new Batman film, like Batman versus Superman. The whole fight scene with that took me
out because it was just too dark. And it's just like, you have to be really, really specific about
lighting because like the lighting will take you in and out of
a film so quickly because it's just like, this doesn't feel right. You know, it doesn't sit
right with you. And it's the same with like, you know, CGI. It's the same with like, you know,
weird looking models or something that like feels off. It feels like, you know, you're in this
uncanny valley. And I think, you know, Stanley Kubrick captures film in such a way and captures
lighting and practical effects in such a way where you feel like it's a real world.
And you couple that with the storytelling because, like, the story is another thing that takes you out of a movie really quickly.
Like, it doesn't make sense logically or it just doesn't flow correctly.
Or, you know, I will say this about the new Stranger Things.
I feel like the script writing in the new Stranger Things was absolute crap.
And it took me out of the show.
Like it just destroyed the show for me.
And like that's another big thing that I think Stanley Kubrick just steps up to the plate.
And I think, you know, this combination of all of that makes a good filmmaker, makes a good director.
And I think that's why I look up to what he's done.
Wow. incredible. Yeah, that's a, that's, yeah, you couldn't, I can't really add to that.
Yeah, really, really appreciate that. And I wanna, I wanna, because I'll tell you, like, when I first saw, like, I'll admit, like, it took me a while to get involved in his films.
I'll admit, like, it took me a while to get involved in his films.
And The Shining was actually the first movie of his.
Actually, no, Full Metal Jacket was, but it was on, it was like on Blu-ray or on DVD,
not in theaters, which like absolutely hysterical movie.
And it's a brilliant movie in and of itself.
But I got to see The Shining in IMAX recently.
And I'll tell you, like, that movie, like, altered my brain chemistry.
Like, I could not look at hallways the same.
I couldn't look at the way hotels
were built the same.
It just makes you... It completely rewires
the way you look at the entire world
and all the structures that kind of govern it.
So I guess on that thread, one thing that's
really interesting
to me is...
No one does this.
Great directors like Nolan do it.
Danny Villanueva does it.
Kubrick obviously did it.
But there's great directors and great artists in general
kind of in this world of abundance
put their own constraints on things.
They almost pick their own hills to die on.
And it's something that's kind of been a through line
through this conversation is like picking and choosing
kind of having a structure in which you create and uh and and I'm just curious for you like as you continue to go
forward what have been some of the most consistent constraints that you've put on yourself uh to
create work um it's just something that I've admired and what you've done but I'd love to
like hear uh if you've thought about that and why you do it so for for me when it comes to constraints on my own art like
i like to challenge myself in my practice and like challenging my myself by like picking and
choosing color palettes like being very intentful around like the color palettes but also another
like big thing that i i like to challenge myself with is also like narrative like you know building
out a narrative around the work and being like you know this is what the visual meaning of this artwork supposed
to represent and sort of like building out that caveat and also like limiting myself to like you
know how far do i want to to go down this rabbit hole because like with ai with sort of like the
tools that we have available to us we can get sort of lost in like, you know, this exploration aspect of using these models.
So like, you have to like, be able to hone yourself back on not only just usage of the
models itself, like, but like on like this sort of stylization that you're trying to go for on
sort of like this. And it just compiles itself together to like putting itself in a box. Like,
you know, because like, I have had times times where like i was building out like a collection and building out a narrative and i ended up like you know a month later you know a new model comes out and i
get excited about this new model and i want to go test out this new model and being like you know
you know half the collection is the new model half the collection is the old model it doesn't
make sense like cohesively so you know limiting myself by the is the new model, half the collection is the old model. It doesn't make sense, like, cohesively.
So, you know, limiting myself by the sort of technology
that's available and not going for the shiny new thing,
I think has also been a major thing for me
because I feel like we sort of, you know,
tend to gravitate to, like, oh, Claude just had a new update.
I'm going to go, you know,
even though I was using all of Claude's old stuff
or I was using ChatDpt, I'm going to hop over to Claude. And then you have to, like, you know, even though I was using all of Claude's old stuff or I was using chat dbt, I'm going to hop over to Claude and then you have to like, you know, work out all these
problems and it doesn't look right and it doesn't function right.
So like, you know, not chasing after the new thing has been like a big constraint for
me because like, you know, back when, you know, back when AI video started to get really
popular in the space, you know, everyone was gravitating to AI video.
I had so many collectors ask,
like, Delta, are you going to do something AI video?
Are you going to do an AI video project?
Are you going to release any AI video artwork?
And I'm just like, no, I'm not interested.
I wasn't interested.
It doesn't tickle my fancy.
It doesn't interest me at all.
So for me, it's just like also putting those constraints.
I'm like, I'm not going to chase the shiny new thing. I'm not going to chase the trend. I'm going to just focus on the thing that
I'm already building and learn more about the thing that I'm already working with to the point
where I become a master of it before I move on. Yes. It might take me a year to learn how to build
a model, you know, and you know, the mid journey model might be like so far light years better than
the model that I built, but guess what? I now know how to build journey model might be like so far light years better than the model that I built.
But guess what? I now know how to build a model and I can take that that sort of lessons and build out the sort of like, you know, new models with with new new technology with like the new outputs from mid journey. based on the technology, limiting myself like within the narratives that I want to tell within
my artwork and also challenging myself in a way of using, you know, these models in unconventional
ways and also limiting myself like on color palettes for certain projects and just like
playing around with these challenges and just like, cause like for me, I thrive on challenges.
I love, I love a hill. Like I, I don't ever want to coast. I never want to be in a, in a part of my career where I am on easy street because I get lazy. Like I want,
I want a challenge. I want something to like, I want a hill to climb. I want a mountain to
conquer. I want something to learn. And, you know, whether that be learning, you know, the more,
you know, physical route of like, okay, how are prints produced? You know, like I want to do a
prints for my artwork. You know, I want, so I immerse myself in a print shop i go to london i i literally travel to
london to go talk to a print shop and ask them how they do the things they do and then partner with
them and to to learn that that industry more i don't want to just be an artist at the end of the
day i don't want to just like be confined to like oh delta sauce is just an artist like i want to be
an artist that's informed about like how prints are done, how silk screens are done, how UV prints are done, how all these other processes are done.
Okay, I learned that.
So I'm going to go challenge myself and how is the traditional art market ran?
Like how are institutes ran?
How are galleries ran?
How are museums?
Like how do museums pick and choose the artwork that they choose to acquire?
Like I want to challenge myself in ways that are just beyond, I'm going to make art.
I think some of all of those things are like one, you know, anyone that I admire,
whether it's an artist or a director or anything, has kind of that quality,
like at least from any interview that I've listened to or watched or consumed.
It's their obsession of knowing every single element of every single thing that either is or could be involved in what
they're trying to accomplish.
And what that yin-hin breeds, or at least the result I get, is there's this laser focus
and this absolute clarity and confidence that inspires others to rally around.
And that's just one thing that I picked up from there.
And probably...
I want to just touch on your answer for constraints.
I think it's brilliant.
Because especially in the age of abundance,
people that don't know how to choose their constraints
or what is interesting to them are really going to struggle.
Because especially with someone like me,
who just loves the shiny new object
and loves being at the edge of everything,
it's really hard to not just jump.
It's like a dog chasing a car, you know?
And it's the proverbial car that just keeps getting away.
And it's always admirable to see people
choose hills to die on.
And it shows a lot of confidence.
And I say choosing hills to die is probably not the right way to say that, but you know exactly what I mean. Choose the thing that they Die on. And it shows a lot of confidence. And I say choosing Hills to Die
is probably not the right way to say that,
but you know exactly what I mean.
Choose the thing that they stand on
and what makes it work.
Whether it's Nolan and his practical effects,
his obsession with that,
and Paul Thomas Anderson using Vista Vision
to shoot one battle after another.
These really old, 50-year-old formats
that are still being used.
So, yeah.
And just lastly, to touch on the CGI thing,
there's a reason why Lord of the Rings
still looks better than most movies
when it's 25 years old.
It's because they not only chose constraints,
but they didn't have as much abundance
as they do today.
Even like Pirates of the Caribbean,
the CGI looks so good
was because they had to really pick and choose where they used it and where they didn't. So
anyway, yeah, just love that answer. Just and I'm a big fan of the concept of constraints and like
how people work within either the constraints of the world or constraints that they put on the world.
So thank you for that. No, and thank you for that question i i really love going down
that rabbit hole with with you and and again i i love no absolutely love i saw i saw barbie heimer
i saw barbie and i saw oppenheimer in that order with my nieces i made them go to oppenheimer but
you know they wanted me to go to barbie i said i'll go to barbie if you go to oppenheimer so
we watched it back to back it was great my only complaint with Nolan, and this is probably a hot take,
I thought the nuclear explosion in Oppenheimer was underwhelming.
Just, just, sorry.
Like, that was my only critique of that film.
I thought it was good overall.
I just thought that was just an underwhelming.
Even though it was practical, which I thought was cool,
I just thought it was underwhelming.
That's fair.
That's fair. I think for me it was the, which I thought was cool. I just thought it was underwhelming. That's fair. That's fair.
I think for me, it was the silence when it originally went off
because the movie wasn't really about the explosion in the first place.
It was about the emotions and the challenges of the people who built it.
So I thought in that frame of context,
like if the movie was about explosions
and the movie was more action-packed
versus a bunch of just middle-aged dudes talking for three hours,
then I would have cared more about that but i think that's i i agree with you but i would say that's like my only reason i i didn't critique it as hard or it didn't bother
me i should say as much was because that kind of like exhale where they didn't show the sound or
they don't play the sound until like 30 seconds afterwards because it shows like yo we just fucking did this like it's kind of insane no i i love i dude i love the use of sound in film and
i think that was like expertly done like because it puts you on the edge of the seat because you're
waiting for that exhale you're waiting you know and i think that was what helped elevate the scene
i just felt like the explosion itself was just underwhelming overall but like you know even
yeah i think it was an excellent it was an excellent film i have one question i'm sorry
go ahead yeah bruna excuse me excuse you go ahead please delta are you going to see the odyssey
have you gotten tickets i am but you're gonna you're gonna you're gonna kick me
I am going to compare the storytelling of the Odyssey with oh brother where are there because
that is also the Odyssey retelling in a different format if you didn't know that
so like I think oh brother where Arthur is the best retold version of the Odyssey so I'm gonna
compare the two films and I because like I think that would be fun but I'm really excited for The Odyssey
I'm really excited for The Practical Effects
I hope
I hope the script is there
I hope that
that is all set into motion because
I don't want it to be taking me out of the film
because again I worry
that he leans too much on Practical
but if the script isn't there, the storytelling
isn't there, then it's going to just fall flat
and just be an artsy film at the end of the day.
And that's my big concern.
Well, I mean, I don't know, dude.
I would challenge you to look at his writing,
re-look at it,
because like some of the dialogues,
whether it's in Oppenheimer Inception,
you know, The Prestige for one,
like that's an underrated Nolan film
that never gets talked about.
Is like like because he
you know i don't know that i personally am such a fan of his writing and kind of how he
tells stories through words um because if the script isn't there that's like what made oppenheim
was so good was because like the if it's just a bunch of dudes talking like it's when you say
that's really uninteresting when you say it like that. But the way they weave the stories together and the way he used time as a character,
as usual does, was just like, I don't know.
I have full confidence in that.
Either way, I'm super hyped.
And I'll be seeing it in Dallas in 70mm.
I will be, yeah, no, I'll be seeing it as well.
I will also say, you know, and then, Joanna, I'll let you have the floor.
I have not seen The Prestige.
Now I have to watch it.
That's something I will probably watch this weekend. I have not seen The Prestige. Now I have to watch it. That's something I will probably watch this weekend.
I've never seen The Prestige before.
Oh, it's one of his, it's one of his,
it was, it was pre, it's pre-IMAX, Nolan.
It's the best.
It's so good.
Okay.
I will have to watch it then.
It's now, I will let you know,
I'll watch it this weekend
and I'll let you know how it is.
By the way, just a very, a flex,
whilst we have Buna on stage, by the way.
Buna, I guessed the ending of the prestige before it happened by the way i did and i'm horrible to watch movies with because
i tell people my theories and i've been right quite a few times and then I get accused of having watched the movies before but also that's
incredible before I end this space because we are severely over time I do think that explosions are
meant to be a little bit anticlimactic because I think CGI and movies often glamorize wars a little too much. And you know what? Explosions
more often than not result in death, in damage. And they're not that overwhelming. You just hear
bang. And then afterwards, it's just rubble and things to pick up and death and not nice things.
So maybe me and Mr. Director over there are aligned in the view that explosions
are not something to be glorified. They should be underwhelming so that people don't feel
encouraged to indulge in any further exploding of things.
of things.
I will say
I was not expecting this space to end
with us agreeing on one thing of this
movie.
Well,
okay, well, to feed
disagreement, I do think Oppenheimer
was huge because of the Bobby movie.
Anyway, with that said,
Delta, thank you
so much. Delta, thank you so much for coming on um
this was such a treat and a long overdue catch-up for us um sorry buna and thank you buna for your
questions thank you fungi for your questions thank you merv um This is a true delight. And I'll reveal, we'll reveal who the next guest is very soon after our Vibe Space on Friday.
So make sure you are paying attention to our page then.
And thanks again, Delta.
This is a real pleasure.
I loved it.
I always love these.
Thank you guys for the questions. Thank you guys for tuning in today. I hope you guys have a real pleasure. I loved it. I always love these. Thank you guys for the questions.
Thank you guys for tuning in today.
I hope you guys have a wonderful week.
And if you're in Texas, please be safe.
We're going to get some bad ice storms this weekend.
So please stock up because it's going to be really bad.
Yeah, guys in Texas.
Beans in cans, please.
