What is the Mutant Garden Seeder collection?
Mutant Garden Seeder (MGS) consists of 512+1 forever-mutating Ethereum ERC721 NFTs by me, Harm van den Dorpel, released in collaboration with Folia in 2021. This collection was sold out within hours of its release.
Each token has a fixed mutation probability: some might mutate each day, some only a few times per year. Mutations are calculated on a web server, running a custom "sidechain daemon" connected to Ethereum Mainnet. Each MGS NFT reflects its current mutation state. Because the metadata of Mutants is always evolving, it is stored on a web server and served over HTTPS. Previous mutation states—from birth to now—are archived on this site.
View this collection on OpenSea or Etherscan.
What is the Mutant Garden Seeder Mutations collection?
Mutant Garden Seeder Mutations (MGSM) is a new open-ended Ethereum ERC721 collection containing minted mutations. One token represents one static mutation. In contrast with MGS these tokens do not mutate further but are snapshots of a moment in time. The metadata of these tokens is stored on-chain and the mutation state images (SVG) on Arweave.
View this collection on OpenSea or Etherscan.
Who can mint Mutant Garden Seeder Mutations?
- Holders can mint mutations of the MGS tokens they own. They pay a small mint fee which is used to keep this ecosystem alive and it pays for the decentralized file storage on Arweave.
- Anybody can mint mutations from unlocked Mutants. When mutations from an unlocked MGS token are minted, the corresponding MGS holder receives ETH in their wallet too. The payout wallet and the amount they wish to receive upon mutation mint can be specified when they unlock their Mutant for public mint.
Does the new MGSM contract change anything about the MGS tokens?
No. Mutant Garden Seeder is a completed and closed collection. However, having mutations minted and stored on-chain adds value to the original collection in terms of conservation.Are there any restrictions on MGSM tokens?
No. They can be freely traded, and no royalties are expected or enforced.Why did you create this new mutation minting functionality?
- Storing and maintaining the ever-evolving Mutant Garden Seeder ecosystem requires a powerful and expensive server. As royalties on trading MGS tokens are no longer enforced, the project needs a new stable source of revenue to guarantee future resilience.
- The new MGSM tokens bring the project more on-chain.
If you really love your mutants, I recommend browsing through their evolution over time and minting key moments for the future.
What does this all mean?
In this blockchain-native work, I aim to show that with the advent of immutability, we do not need to sacrifice the fluid and transformative potential of digital artefacts.