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Friendship Bracelets #0Loading palette
Nov 3, 2022
Friendship Bracelets
An idea I brought to Alexis André: an artwork you could make with four colors of thread and give to somebody. He made this beautiful world of bracelets from it.
Choose a bracelet
Four thread colors and a guide for making it.
Thread Card
Four DMC colors
For one bracelet: four colors of full six-strand embroidery floss, scissors, and tape or someone to hold the end. Allow roughly twenty minutes for making it; the first try may take longer. No loom is needed.
Loading the original animation…Alexis André’s original instructions
Step01of 10
Make Along
Gather four threads
Match the four DMC numbers, not just the color names. Use the whole six-strand floss. Do not split it into little strands.
Four hours, more than 100 people
At an event at the old Samsung store in New York, Friendship Bracelets filled a three-story-tall screen behind us. Over four hours, I twisted and folded bracelets with more than 100 people.
Making bracelets together at the old Samsung store in New York.
At the New York event
The thread selection at the New York event.
The three-story-tall screen showing the work, with the gathering below.
Keep one, give one away
This started as a thank-you to the Art Blocks community. Eligible collectors could claim two artworks for free: one to keep and one to give away.
The physical bracelet gives you another way to do that. You could make your friend's artwork for them, or choose colors you think somebody would like. They don't have to know anything about the project to wear it.
Four colors. Twist, fold, twist, fold.
Each time you fold a tightly twisted bundle, the tension makes it wind itself into a thicker cord. Repeat in the opposite direction to finish the bracelet.
Match The Numbers
Find the four DMC numbers in your output. Use the numbers because shops are not always consistent about the color names.
Cut Four Strands
Cut each full strand to 105 cm / 42 inches for a smaller bracelet or 120 cm / 48 inches for a larger one.
Twist + Fold
Secure one end, twist the bundle until it wants to kink, put a finger in the middle, fold, and let it spring together.
Do It Again
Twist that new cord in the opposite direction, fold again, release, smooth it out, knot one end, and give it to somebody.
The numbers matter more than the names
Alexis built the color system around actual DMC embroidery floss. Each artwork supplies its four thread numbers, so you can find the colors in a shop.
Some palettes include Étoile, which has a little sparkle. Screen colors will vary; use the DMC numbers on the thread card when you shop.
- Use full six-strand floss; do not separate it
- One standard 8 m / 8.7 yd skein is plenty for one bracelet
- Repeated colors still mean repeated physical strands
- Étoile codes begin with C and contain a subtle metallic sparkle
Marfa Sunrise, from thread to bracelet
Mint #0’s Marfa Sunrise palette, photographed at Art Blocks Marfa Weekend around the project’s release.
DMC 900, 946, 740, and Étoile C972. The last thread adds a little sparkle.
The physical bracelet made with Mint #0’s Marfa Sunrise palette.
Everybody on the Art Blocks team named colors
Each person on the Art Blocks team designed and named a four-color palette. The first 38 artworks introduced them, and they occasionally reappear throughout the collection. Other outputs draw new combinations from the same set of threads.
I like seeing the people who were building Art Blocks show up in the colors this way.
Two bracelets, two sets of threads
Different compositions from the same algorithm. The thread finder can read the four DMC colors for either one.
The original invitation
Anyone whose wallet held an Art Blocks artwork at the October 26, 2022 snapshot could claim two bracelets, paying only the transaction cost. Claims stayed open until January 10, 2023.
The claim has ended, but you can still choose any of the 38,965 artworks and make its bracelet. The thread finder and instructions work for everyone.
A few dollars of thread
Another composition to make with four colors of thread.
Donald Judd was a reference in the original conversation, particularly the way he worked with ordinary materials you could find in a hardware store.
I wanted something meaningful that didn't depend on expensive materials. A bracelet can fray, get worn out, or eventually get lost. The time somebody spent making it is the valuable part.
Working with Alexis
Alexis and me at Art Blocks Marfa Weekend, around the release of Friendship Bracelets.
I came to Alexis with the friendship-bracelet idea. He designed the aesthetics and wrote the generative system. The visual world of this project is his.
He also put the making guide inside the live artwork. Click through it and the threads twist and fold in front of you. Those are the original animations in the instructions above.
Find one, then make it
Use the thread workbench above for any claimed output. The original live artwork has its own animated ten-step guide too: open it and click anywhere to move through the instructions.
Connections to the other work
- What you see
- A bracelet in four colors
- What it contains
- Thread numbers, animated instructions, and a pair of artworks to share
- What came before
- The Art Blocks community and making things for friends
- Where it leads
- Further work about making, gifting, and participation
A few more details
- Four Full Threads
- Every bracelet uses four full strands of six-strand embroidery floss. No loom and no complicated knot chart.
- An Exact DMC Recipe
- The live artwork names all four DMC numbers so the physical colors can match the generated output.
- Twist / Fold / Repeat
- Twist, fold, let it wind itself together, then twist the new cord backward and fold it one more time.
- Made To Be Given
- The original claim came in pairs because keeping one and giving one away was part of the work from the beginning.
Choose four threads and make a gift
Anyone can choose an artwork, buy its four thread colors, and make the bracelet for somebody. You don't need to own the digital artwork or know anything about blockchains to follow its making guide.
An idea I brought to Alexis André: an artwork you can make in thread and give to a friend.
Find the four thread colors for any bracelet and follow its animated making instructions.
Original project example
Friendship Bracelets #0, an orange generative composition whose four-color Marfa Sunset palette can be made into a physical bracelet.
Image and live view served by the official Art Blocks media and generator services.
Edition, dates & provenance
- Eligibility snapshotsourced
- Art Blocks releasesourced
- Claim deadlinesourced
- Friendship Bracelets · Ethereum
0x942bc2d3e7a589fe5bd4a5c6ef9727dfd82f5c8a
The Art Blocks collection and original release information are linked on this page.
Sources & research notes
Official / primary
- Art Blocks collection ↗
The official Friendship Bracelets reference for project facts and public links.
Useful for: project-facts · official-links
official project · primary · full text - Art Blocks marketplace text ↗
The official Friendship Bracelets reference for project facts and public links.
Useful for: project-facts · official-links
official project · primary · full text - Art Blocks token example ↗
The official Friendship Bracelets reference for project facts and public links.
Useful for: project-facts · official-links
official project · primary · full text
Press / artist context
- Whitehot Magazine ↗
Additional Press / artist context context for Friendship Bracelets; primary sources carry the core facts.
Useful for: press-context · project-context
press profile · supporting · full text - NFTNow launch article ↗
Additional Press / artist context context for Friendship Bracelets; primary sources carry the core facts.
Useful for: press-context · project-context
press profile · supporting · full text - Kanbas Alexis Andre page ↗
Additional Press / artist context context for Friendship Bracelets; primary sources carry the core facts.
Useful for: press-context · project-context
press profile · supporting · full text