Time Unlockz
“Time is the substance I am made of. Time is a river which sweeps me along, but I am the river; it is a tiger which destroys me, but I am the tiger; it is a fire which consumes me, but I am the fire.”
– Jorge Luis Borges
ABOUT
TIME. Since the dawn of humanity, man has been wrestling with the concept. We have sought endlessly to define it, measure it, put strict parameters around it, or chase and encapsulate it. Time, however, is but a construct of human perception. And while no one ultimately knows when their time will come, we each have a responsibility to ourselves to not go out with our songs unsung.
Time Unlockz is a unique collaboration between Argent Publications and Bulgarian artists/stage director Panayot Kaludov, who together have joined forces to create a limited NFT collection featuring deeply layered storytelling related to the concept of Time and man’s eternal quest to understand it.
This is Argent’s entrance onto the NFT scene in a major way. We have created something deeply personal that ties into our larger vision. Each artwork tells a story that in some way celebrates or illuminates life. Its ups and downs as we try to anchor ourselves to a more durable center of gravity. The winding roads we walk upon as we tread the course of our own individual existence. The daily negotiation between desire and reality as we strive to map meaning onto the time we are given…
So, how much time are you willing to gamble?
WHY THIS PROJECT IS COOL
In the first world-building experiment of its kind, this collection will inspire a multimedia storybook Time Unlockz, comprised of powerful tales about man’s quest to understand it and conquer time.
More importantly, with our first foray into NFT, we mark the official start of Argent’s biggest and most significant initiative we’ve been envisioning and working on for some time now: the development of an experiential storytelling library, Herald & Sword (H&S), populated with captivating interactive tales accessible to a diverse pool of readers/users, inviting them to enter thrilling distant worlds and exciting new horizons. The thematic chambers will host a vast record of events & thoughts that move through history, culture, myth, literature, art, science, and geopolitical borders, and which ultimately help us understand who we are and how we relate to others who share our complex and colorful world.
As part of Argent’s overarching initiative to build a bridge where different styles, genres, and voices intersect and meaningfully interact, the narratives within the platform will be developed in close collaboration with storytellers from different cultural backgrounds, countries, viewpoints, and creative fields. They will work with Argent’s team and our patrons in developing something outstanding and, well, Time-less.
Featuring:
- Gamified historical and cultural tales from around the world
- Creative multimedia nonfiction
- Creative multimedia fiction, including poetry narratives and reimagined masterpieces of world literature
- Web 3 storytelling collections, including Time Unlockz and Geometry of the Heart.
- Interactive fairytales for children
- Speculative
Stay tuned for the project’s detailed description, roadmap, and demo (coming soon!).
WHAT’S IN IT FOR YOU?
You mean, besides the intrinsic value of owning an original multilayered piece of art from our very first NFT collection? Okay, let us tell you some of the other perks of joining Argent’s fascinating community:
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- Holders of the original collections are additionally granted exclusive access to all of Argent’s content and special events, including past and upcoming publications, annual storytelling tournaments, adventure quests, and more!
- Each initial buyer and holder will be dropped a free NFT Argent Herald avatar (to be released in 2023). NFT Heralds get exclusive membership into the Herald Assembly, a body of patrons who collectively represent the next evolutionary step in dynamic publishing. As a Herald, you will be integrated into the larger framework of Argent Publications and get voting rights toward deciding which writers, visual artists, gamers, etc. are solicited for the various projects within the H&S experiential storytelling platform.
- And because we’re here for the long run, holders will be granted lifetime access to the H&S experiential storytelling platform.
TIME UNLOCKZ UNLOCKABLE CONTENT
- Initial buyers get a print copy of the original artwork (non-animated) with the artist’s signature (holders outside the US and Bulgaria will receive a downloadable copy).
- Digital certificate of authenticity for all initial buyers.
- A free one-year subscription to the exclusive Argent Publications app.
- The first 50 holders also get Argent’s 2023 luxury wall calendar.
ABOUT ARGENT PUBLICATIONS
Argent Publications is an independent American-Bulgarian publishing enterprise specializing in meaningful stories told through bold voices and dynamic mediums. This international enterprise was spearheaded by Julieta Kaludova and B.G. Reynolds, two crazy cowhands bridging the gap between Texas and Bulgaria, committed to cultivating a renewed love for reading by expanding the frontier of multidimensional storytelling where different styles, genres, forms, and voices intersect and meaningfully interact. In 2019 Argent received a prestigious European Union grant for an innovative digital startup in the publishing field.
Our Mission:
- To innovate the way creative and literary works are published, accessed, experienced, and monetized.
Our Vision:
- To expand the frontier of multidimensional storytelling, thereby inspiring people from different generations, backgrounds, and areas of interest to engage creatively and intellectually where they otherwise might not typically do so.
Our legacy will be the support of independent publishing and the fair remuneration for visual artists, authors, and storytellers of all varieties, thereby raising the bar for what is possible for creative minds the world over.
ABOUT THE TIME UNLOCKZ ARTIST
Panayot Kaludov is an award-winning stage director, TV personality, and visual artist specializing in woodcraft and hand-drawn artwork. He has staged over 40 plays for adults and children, co-authored and hosted two original programs for a local television channel, and has released 12 art exhibitions of various themes and styles.
Time—the most prevalent and abstract of characters in everyone’s life—is a major theme in Kaludov’s works. “Time,” asserts the artist, “is neither here nor there, yet we humans seem most consumed by it. We try to measure and put our limiting constraints around it… we chase it or try to cheat it… we frequently compete with it… we often try to delay it… we foolishly ignore it until it is too late… and sometimes, if we’re brave enough, we succeed in befriending it to enjoy fully the time we’re given.”