Editor's Picks (June 5, 2024)

Today we’re honored to introduce a new work by one of our favorite artists: Molly Soda and her piece “mollysstuff” — a series of twenty unique .zip folders, each containing 100 files, physically embodied as one-of-a-kind artist books.

Molly Soda (b. 1989) is one of the most iconic and prolific digital artists of the 21st century. Working across a variety of mediums including performance, collage, and design, her work touches on themes of cyber-feminism, hyperstition, self-actualization, and the blurred boundaries between art and labor on the internet.

Initially breaking out on tumblr as a teenager, her work became known for the way that it evolves and transforms with the platforms it lives on. In 2023, three of her videos were acquired by the permanent collection at Centre Pompidou. Her latest project, “mollysstuff,” evolved out of Desktop Dumps, a digital dox of various files the artist had saved to her desktop. “mollysstuff” is a physical manifestation of digital culture, a miniature internet you can hold in your hands. 

“The project pulls from over two decades worth of content I’ve accumulated,” says Molly. “I lovingly hand-selected 2000 files from my assorted hard drives, computers, and online accounts and distributed them amongst 20 folders.”

“The .zip folder is physically embodied as a *𝙪𝙣𝙞𝙦𝙪𝙚* artist publication,” Molly continues. “Files are printed and assembled to create a binder. Videos are broken down into frames. Old webcam portraits become 4x6 keepsakes. Glitter graphics are printed on transparency paper.” 

“Bound in an artist’s book, the files overlap and complicate each other, giving weight to often neglected digital content,” she says.

mollysstuff is a beautiful, chaotic, rigorous print project from a once-in-a-generation digital artist. Debuting on Metalabel today. Just twenty editions available.

To celebrate the launch, Molly will be debuting the books in person later today at Metalabel HQ alongside a sneak preview of a new play she’s written (!).

𝓐𝓵𝓵 𝓪𝓻𝓮 𝔀𝓮𝓵𝓬𝓸𝓶𝓮. Space will be limited.

RSVP here

Releases catching our eye

PUBLISHING

PLAY (Vol. 1) — PLAY collects recipes from LGBTQ chefs and artists around the country to create a beautiful package whose proceeds benefit queer mutual aid organizations. (500 editions)

Autonomous Worlds N1 — A collection of far-reaching essays that imagine a different future of the internet (includes Dark Forest collaborators). (333 editions)

The Whitney Review (Issues 1, 2, 3) — Editor Whitney Mallett continues to light up the NYC Downtown scene with readings in support of this instant-classic release. Not to be missed.

MUSIC

Paloma Paloma + Underground Canopy (Menace/Sense) — A new seven-inch single by the Paris and Tokyo-based label Menace featuring a collaboration between the French singer Paloma Paloma and the jazz group Underground Canopy. (30 editions)

Salon du Monde, Fremont: The Soundtrack. A high-concept cassette from a group of internet musicians brought together by an imaginary world. Check our oral history of this work for more. (45 editions)

ART 

eyesbreakers, Verify If You Are Human — A mysterious stream of consciousness paintings and captions collected as a PDF. We can’t say what it is but we can say we like it. (88 editions)

Hard Art and Ian Bruce, Drawn Without Looking — A book of portraits of and by Brian Eno, Fred Again…, Es Devlin, and other Hard Arters led by Ian Bruce. Now available worldwide! (100 editions)

We can’t stop thinking about…

The French New Wave film movement began after future filmmaking giants Godard, Truffaut, and others began joining and starting “ciné-clubs” — groups of people who gathered around their love of film. As the proto-filmmakers became immersed with others who shared their passion, the idea of making movies themselves felt possible. Their passion for film became a talent for making films, changing the course of cinematic history.

We all start on our creative journeys as individuals. Our experiences and who we are craft our voice and what we make. These explorations of our individuality and freedom are beautiful and reflect a true essence of life. YES!

At the same time, our individual journeys often take off or change course when we become a part of something bigger than ourselves. Our energy catches with the momentum of someone else’s and suddenly work unfolds before us that’s larger than anything we could do on our own and yet very us at the same time.

Like other artists and scenes whose stories we will explore, Godard and Truffaut’s careers took them back and forth between individual practice and collaboration. A fluid dance across projects that grew into a catalogue and movement grander than they could have imagined.

When we operate in both of these worlds — exploring our individual voice while touching the unexpected destinations collaboration can take us — is when we most flourish. This is what unlocks our full self and full spectrum of experience. This is the essence of what it means to be a star and part of a larger constellation.