The problem 8PEPEN solves

8pepen is a platform for creating and collecting on-chain artworks. Collectors are evolving into curators, and participants are transforming into collaborators within the same smart contract.

CREATE
Creating art can often be intimidating: you don't know where to start. 8pepen gives the creator a framework by working with pixels in a pre-drawn silhouette, reducing the initial fear. By offering different input sources like wallet addresses, fid numbers, or even other smart contract data, everyone can create easily and be part of the collection & community.

COLLECT
Once the artwork is created, it can be submitted and presented to collectors. Anyone can become a collector by purchasing a voting token. Collectors can then opt-in to a submitted artwork or a set of submitted artworks. When a consensus is reached among the collectors (enough collectors show interest in the artwork), the artwork becomes part of the 8pepen collection. The creator of the artwork receives 50% of the voting token price.

CURATE
This unique voting mechanism introduces a new paradigm for art collections:

• Artists are rewarded through a consensus mechanism, ensuring fair recognition.
• Rookie artists can participate alongside established artists, fostering a diverse community.
• Collectors take on the role of curators, actively shaping the collection.
• Participation sparks curiosity and deeper engagement within the collection.
• Consensus mechanisms support community building among both creators and collectors.

COLLABORATE
As a fully on-chain collection, it is not only permanent and immutable on the Base network but also introduces a totally new way to collaborate. Saving the art as code on the blockchain, allows all tokens to communicate with each other. Our first collaboration feature is the ability to merge two tokens. The owner of token A can send a collaboration request to the owner of token B. When both parties agree, the two tokens will change.

Challenges we ran into

Technical challenges:
Our first challenge was to find a solution to store image data on-chain in an efficient way. Thanks to already deployed contracts on Ethereum mainnet and the low gas fees on Base, we were able to find a good solution to keep data storage costs low.Secondly, reading all data directly from the blockchain required tools like The Graph to read data quickly and efficiently.

Creative challenges:
Finding new ways to create an engaging community of creators and collectors is something we are excited about. Learning from community leaders like Jack Butcher and Jalil from the Opepen Team has been incredibly valuable.

Building something from scratch can be daunting. The strategy that 8pepen takes is to integrate into existing communities. Being backed by an already established community removes the challenge of a cold start, strengthens the entire ecosystem, and fosters experimentation.

Creative collaborations on the contract level are still in their infancy and represent a field worth exploring. Learning from pioneering projects like Blitmap has helped us to overcome this challenge.