Art by Mandelsage
Alice is about to jump down into that (rather scary-looking) rabbit hole, and she hopes you'll join her for the adventure.
Down the Rabbit Hole We Go ↳ 🕳
The idea is simple:
In every piece there is a hole or portal of some kind. Within that portal another world is seen, slightly hidden behind the veiling light. Alice then jumps into the portal, and finds herself in that new world - the new piece. She journeys around, searching for the next portal, always eager to see just how far the rabbit hole goes, and what new worlds are waiting to be discovered.
Minting:
The first piece "Alice the Rabbit" will be a free-to-claim open edition with no deadline. It will stay open and be free-to-mint for whoever wants to own an edition, forever. When it and other pieces becomes available, you'll find their minting links by scrolling to the very bottom of this page.
The "Down the Rabbit Hole" series of pieces will be a mixture of all kinds: Open editions, Limited Editions, holders-only editions, 1/1s with bidder edition, etc.
I won't reveal too much, but I will say that the next piece (the one you see above) will be a white-listed, limited edition for 0.01 Ethereum.
Concept:
With this series of works I am trying to draw a simple metaphor with a huge new technology that has taken the world by storm:
Artificial Intelligence.
It has opened up a deep rabbit hole with unknown mysteries down its tunnels. Society has leapt enthusiastically into the rabbit hole, with no guarantee of being able to return, eager to discover the new worlds it promises.
On the very-much-smaller scale that is only me - one person - it has had great affect: Using A.I. was the only way I could have created the pieces in this collection as they are, without taking many, many years to master the skill of painting. I have also begun coding again; a talent, long lost in my past, that probably would have remained buried had ChatGPT not helped me to begin again at 10x the pace it would have taken me with Google, and StackOverflow, etc.
Some Process:
The idea for this series of work is to see what A.I. can do all by itself - thus I intend to keep editing down to a minimum. It is certainly necessary though, sometimes, as you can see below. Our dear Alice's face was a little deformed originally. And of course, editing is required to add in the scenes within the rabbit holes (or portals), and Alice herself in every piece except the first one.
Down the Rabbit Hole we go!
Sylvaneth: Wetlands
• Limited Edition - 15
• Cost to mint: 0.01 ETH
This world is beautiful! And wow, does it feel good to breathe fresh air again... I've been traveling for days and there is so much to tell, but I have to be brief. Ara is waiting. This world is called Sylvaneth. The air is rich and the ground beneath my paws feels somehow more... intense. All the plants and animals seem familiar at first glance but then you see strange differences... Winged frog-like creatures and carnivorous deer-like creatures that hunt them. Plants and trees with purple, red and yellow leaves that glitter in the dark.
I get a sense of peace but also, I was almost eaten by a giant winged creature. I am used to those, of course, but I've had to keep my guard up. After a long time traveling around in these wetlands, I could not find another rabbit hole - and then Ara appeared. She came out of the water. Deep ochre skin and black robes (or hair?). She offered help.
She told me she was not able to create a portal to another world, but she could make one that would take me to a place of high energy, still in this world, where a portal is likely to be. I gratefully accepted.
• World Type: Enchanted
• Alice's Mood: Cautiously Optimistic
• Portal Type: Magical
Sylvaneth: Forest
• Open Edition - no deadline - will be used in 3 burns later
• Max. 4 per wallet
• Cost to mint: 0.01 ETH
True to her promise, Ara's portal has sent me to a place of high energy. I don't know how to describe what I feel to know this is true. I can just sense that this place is different... The air is somehow intense, and things are very quiet..; too quiet for a forest.
It took me only a few minutes looking around to find it: A hole in the ground, glowing with light. The colour changes rhythmically, and I don't see anything of what might lie ahead. A mysterious rabbit hole indeed...
I feel just a touch of regret that I'll be leaving this world. Ara called it Sylvaneth. It is beautiful and I feel good here - but my quest is to see how far the rabbit hole goes, not to find a new home - at least, not yet. So then, let's jump in and see what happens!
• World Type: Enchanted
• Alice's Mood: Cautiously Optimistic
• Portal Type: Natural
Alice the Rabbit
• Open Edition - no deadline
• Cost to mint: free-to-claim
Hello, stranger. You're a curious one, aren't you?
As you can see, I stand on the edge. And since you're so curious, I'd like to invite you to join me, for I'm about to jump in. I'm sure you must think it a great idea, to join me down the rabbit hole to discover what adventures await. But beware... Rabbit holes are infamously mysterious and treacherous and most certainly, I am more prepared than you are to face what lies hidden in the depths. Still, I would welcome the company and if enough of you join me, we'd probably make a formidable force... Are you ready?
• World Type: Genesis
• Alice's Mood: Intense Excitement and Curiosity
• Portal Type: Natural
Dust and Darkness
• Limited Edition - no deadline
• Whitelist (owners of Alice the Rabbit, snapshot on 3 April, 2023)
• Cost to mint: 0.01 ETH
I've been down many dark holes and tunnels in my life - I'm a rabbit - but none of them have been like this. Usually my burrows are cosy and smell of healthy, loamy soil. Yes, they are usually dark but they're small and familiar - and even when they're not my own, my nose guides me and I find my way through all the forks and chambers.
This place is different. My nose cringes at the choking, acrid air, unable to guide me, and the darkness is thicker somehow. I've wandered around for days, a little diffident but unintimidated... And at last, an orange glow in the distance! I've come to a chamber with a glowing portal, through which I see another world. I don't recognise it, and I suspect it will be a long time before I recognise anything in this adventure... But it has what looks like a sky, and mountains! Are you ready to get out of this dust and darkness, dear companions?
• World Type: Hostile
• Alice's Mood: Solemn but Unafraid
• Portal Type: Magical
Adrift
• Open Edition - no deadline - burn mechanic
• Max. 1 per wallet
• Cost to mint: burn any RABBIT token
"My friends, I think I'm in trouble.
This place... It's big, and empty, like outer space... Except, it feels like I'm breathing... I'm floating, and sometimes it seems I can control my movement, like flying, but mostly not. And it doesn't matter because every direction looks the same... Stars and lights and glowing dust and darkness... Mostly darkness...
I don't know what to do..."
And thus it was that Alice began her indefinite journey through Liminia, the space between worlds. Luckily for her, aging and most other organic processes were in stasis. Unluckily for her, her conscious mind stubbornly wasn't.
• World Type: Liminal
• Alice's Mood: Lost and Confused
• Portal Type: Magical
A Snack for Sniffles
• Open Edition - no deadline - burn mechanic
• Max. 1 per wallet
• Cost to mint: burn any RABBIT token
"Oh... Oh dear... I... What...
It is suddenly extremely cold, my friends, and these strange creatures are so entirely unlike anything I've ever encountered that I don't know what to think. But I've got this terribly ominous pit in my stomach from which this dreadful cold seems to be spreading. The big one with stars in his face doesn't seem to notice me, but the other two are slowly moving closer, sniffing at me. I'm going to try make a dash for the port-"
Sadly, Alice never finished that sentence. Sniffles, the big blue creature on the left, moves much faster than his size would suggest, and gobbled her up in one quick bite. A terrible end for our curious, adventurous Alice. Don't worry, it was quick, and mostly painless.
• World Type: Chaotic
• Alice's Mood: Mortal Fear
• Portal Type: Magical
Imlamar Beckons
• Open Edition - no deadline
• Max. 3 per wallet
• Cost to mint: 0.1 ETH
So, friends, yet another world awaits us!
My new hooded friend here, Dorot, tells me that most of the nearby settlements are friendly, with different factions of people living in relative peace. I think I'll spend more time here than in Sylvaneth - explore a bit, get to really know it - before moving on to another world.
It was so strange: As I fell through the portal, I dreamed two terrible dreams, and they seemed dreadfully real. In one, I was drifting, lost and alone in space, and in the other, I was eaten by a monster..! I feel relieved to be sitting here, feeling the air on my whiskers and the open sky waiting to be adventured under.
Let's go!
• World Type: Enchanted
• Alice's Mood: Eagerly Adventurous
• Portal Type: None