It’s All a Blur Collection: The American Meme Artist: Lauren McDonagh-Pereira Minted: July 1, 2022 Taken: May 20, 2016 Camera: Nikon D7200
Despite the many issues with the United States, I have always felt that there was something magical about the 4th of July. It is a weekend filled with family, friends, and fireworks. Children run barefoot through grass, parents crack open one too many Bud Lights in the middle of the day, and the smell of barbeque permeates neighborhoods.
The insistence that America is the best country on earth has always felt uncomfortable to me. As the years have worn on, I have felt a growing sense of unease with the flags proudly flapping on every corner, and the stars and stripes displayed on Old Navy t-shirts on every chest. The speeches before fireworks displays insisting American exceptionalism feel like naive fairytales at best.
On the other hand, something about the 4th of July weekend captures the blissful innocence of childhood. The long hot days capped off with fireworks displays at night leaves me feeling happy and exhausted. The memories of sneaking up behind uncles and slipping ice cubes from coolers down their backs when they least expect it make me smile, as I watch my own children plan mischief with the cousins they only get to see a few times a year. The glow of a carnival ferris wheel on a summer night brings me back to the bliss of young love and the feeling that I can make this life anything that I want it to be. There is magic in the hot sticky air that surrounds the 4th of July, and my jaded feelings about jingoistic displays are not strong enough to dull that sparkle.
My “The American Meme” NFT collection on tezos is an attempt to capture that feeling of blissful summer innocence. Each piece is a 1/1 edition that captures something magical about the celebrations that surround the 4th of July in the United States.
“It’s All a Blur” was taken on May 20, 2016. I visited a local carnival that I had been attending since I was a child. I set up my tripod in front of the ferris wheel and let a slow shutter speed capture the motion of the lights in the darkness.
License: With the purchase of this NFT, the artist provides the primary holder the licensing rights to sell, trade, or transfer the NFT on the blockchain, and can be used to display privately, or in commercial and non-commercial settings, or in groups with an unlimited number of members. The license includes unlimited use and display in VR galleries and physical galleries, essays, and documentaries. The holder of this NFT may also post on social media platforms with credit to the artist in good faith. The primary holder may not make "commercial use" of the underlying works including commercial merchandise, commercial distribution, or derivative works. The artist still owns the copywright, IP rights, and reproduction rights of the underlying work. The artist also reserves the right to re-use the whole image or elements within the image to create other artworks, and also create a brand new NFT of this artwork that is animated. This still image will only be minted once as a limited edition artwork on the Tezos blockchain and no other editions will be made on this blockchain or any others.