RIDE ON ART #12- GLMR APES
Another week, another fantastic art - learn more about one of the best NFT collections in the Polkadot ecosystem. Get ready to swing into action and discover the GLMR Apes phenomenon! 🦍
Have you heard about GLMR apes? I was fortunate to meet Marin - Co-Founder of GLMR Apes, during a business trip to Lisbon. Last year, we met in the Block and it was a lovely meeting full of positive energy. He is a self-taught developer with a lot of experience. That’s why we decide to have him as a mentor during the PolkadotBled Hackathon!
Let’s start with an introduction. What can you tell us about yourself?
Hello everyone! First of all, thanks a lot for inviting me here. I’m super happy to have this small talk with the Kodadot team. So, I’m Marin, more known as Mar1in the space, as my real name was already taken. I’ve been following crypto with more & less interest since 2014 but really got absorbed by the NFT bubble in 2021.
How did you get into NFTs?
I’m a self-taught developer, and this non-fungible universe really triggered my interest. I collected a few NFTs on Kusama & then on MOVR while learning EVM tech. Then, I decided to launch a serious project on Polkadot’s first parachain, and boom, the project GLMR APES was born. Since then, I have basically been spending most of my time building & polishing this project, adopting a long-term vision.
GLMR Apes is the first-ever sold-out collection on Moonbeam. When did you first come up with this idea? And how?
There is a bit of luck & a bit of anticipation here. With the team, we anticipated some success as Moonbeam was super shiny at its launch & people were searching for something to do with their tokens. We wanted to make our mint accessible as possible for early Moonbeam explorers, so we fixed a 1 GLMR minting price. That was the anticipated part. On the other hand, we were not at all prepared for such a warm welcome! After only 3 minutes, we were sold out & a strong community gathered around the project. What started as a funny pixelated Apes with no roadmap evolved into a structured DAO quite quickly in fact.
Why Apes? Why did you choose from all animals apes?
I would say first because they look great & you rarely see people having a strong dislike for these animals. That’s why they’re so popular in the NFT space, I’d say. Also, because of their proximity to us, they might be seen as counterparts of humans. That’s also why we like them so much…
Why did you choose the DOTSAMA ecosystem?
I’m a strong DOTSAMA believer. I dug first into Kusama and then moved to Polkadot because I think the fundamental idea of interconnected parachains is the way to go. In such a complex technological field, adaptability & ease of upgradability will be deterministic for the success of one tech over another. At least, that is what I believe. Also, my Frens are here, the community is super warm & I feel great building here with XCM V3 around the corner. Not planning to move, and I’m really working towards welcoming more people into our ecosystem every day.
What is your favorite artwork you created? Why do you love it?
Here is « The Fruit Feast »! It’s a warm gift for our Frens at Moonsama community. I like it a lot because the colors are warm and all the Apes from our GLMR Jungle collection are represented. It’s a bit like a resting scene in 2000s RPGs where all the characters are getting their strength while having chit-chats around the fire camp. You know that a hard fight is coming!
What can you tell us about your green Ape besides its number #1 ape in your collection?
I am very proud of my Ape #1. With the team, we agreed on the fact that we could design our own Apes (1,2 & 3). The funny thing is, at that time, we were in such a rush to be ready fast that I didn’t have time to waste on this. I’m still super happy with the traits I chose, hopefully, aha. Green Apes are my favorite in the collection.
First three apes What plans do you have with GLMR Apes?
GLMR APES was established as a DAO, so we would like to continue doing our weekly votes & strengthen our on-chain Apemocracts habits. We have very engaged community members, and we also have a Wise Apes Council for the most dedicated Apes. The new election is coming shortly. From another perspective, GLMR APES are the only ones capable of minting new GLMB tokens, our utility token. So their destiny is deeply linked to our token’s future too.
I saw that the second collection also arrived. GLMRJungle, how is this collection related to GLMRApes, and what are their differences?
Yes, so the GLMR APES, the pixelated ones, are the OG. 1001 Apes, coming with governance rights & staking power, basically. They’re the big guys in town. GLMR JUNGLE is a product made by the DAO. We voted on all the traits to design a playable character in a game, and that led us to the creation of this 2nd collection.
GLMR JUNGLE is a bit different graphically (they’re vector-style), and their supply is higher (3333 GLMJ). Since September 2022, you can play with them in a funny game called The Great Escape. To participate in the game, you need 1 GLMB token per session, which makes a direct link with OG GLMR APES.
What is your experience with KodaDot?
I have a strong emotional attachment to this platform. I can’t really explain how, but because I wasn’t super active on ETH, that’s where my NFT understanding is coming from, as one of the first platforms I ever used. It inspired me in various ways. First, I remember minting carbon-less NFTs, which were already very innovative back in time. Then I learned more about the tech behind & all the participative development processes on GitHub. From a dev point of view, I’m a big fan of the Dotsama & Vue framework, so basically, I think the KodaDot stack is just amazing. These are things that resonated with me.
Are you following some trends in NFTs?
I am so bullish on NFTs, so I’m definitely following some trends. First, of course, on-chain gamified assets are inevitable. That’s what we work on with GLMR JUNGLE / The Great Escape.
Then, on a more personal side, I really like generative art. The idea that an algorithm can reproduce beauty while adding some randomness in the process is just amazing. When you mix it with smart contracts in a full diverse collection, something really new is created.
Thanks a lot for this opportunity & let me answer a few questions. Long life KodaDot & DOTSAMA NFTs :)
I can say that I’m excited about our next meeting Marin. We are expecting more news coming from your side in the future. Thank you for your time and we wish you all the best!
Our KodaDot team believes that building better relationships with artists is essential. Feel free to comment or write me about who should be next on my Twitter. You can also join our Discord to learn more about our community.
I wish you all a nice day!