Ep 61 - Sean Bonner (@seanbonner)

Today’s guest is someone who defies simple categorization. Sean is a true legend at the intersection of art, technology, activism, and culture. Since 2020, Sean Bonner has been deep in the digital and crypto art world — educating, advocating, and building, both independently and as a Venture Partner with Japan’s web3 fund gmjp. He leads web3 exploration for Obey Giant Art, and alongside DJ Muggs, co-created the virtual lofi musician 8tari Lofi Punk.

Sean’s academic chops run deep too — from research at MIT’s Center for Civic Media and the Digital Currency Initiative, to his role as an Associate Professor at Keio University in Japan, where he worked with the Blockchain Research Lab.

Sean is the co-founder of the environmental open data non-profit Safecast which led to being a Shuttleworth Fellow, a now shuttered foundation that focused on open solutions to major world problems, and with whom he co-authored the book about the foundations approach 50 Shades of Green: Reimagining Philanthropy. He’s a published street photographer and experimental musician releasing work under the monikers DRØNEWAR (harsh noise) and Delay 5000 (aka d5k) (ambient). Previously he co-founded the multimedia art/music collectives Cross My Heart Hope To Die and Saturday Night Massacre and has collaborated with monochrom and Soul Assassins. He also co-founded the educational outreach Coffee Common and the first hackerspace in Los Angeles. His photo books, Unfinished Projects (2024) and Don’t Go Outside (2017) collect various autobiographical & street photography. He’s been an Artist In Residence at the Museums Quartier in Vienna, a Hacker In Residence at Sparkfun in Colorado, and an Entrepreneur In Residence at The Groop in Los Angeles. 

In the 2000’s as co-founder of Bode Media Inc, Sean helped create Metblogs, the first global network of local media sites. Prior to that, Sean helped build the hard to categorize gallery sixspace. exhibiting artists such as Glen E. Friedman, Shepard Fairey, Space Invader and ran a record label releasing music by the likes of Hot Water Music, Integrity and Less Than Jake. He’s designed things for Playboy, Victory Records, Bad Brains, Die Antwoord, Hatebreed, and countless others. Way before that he was a dishwasher.

Visit Sean:

Instagram: @seanbonner

Web: www.seanbonner.com

Seans Book: Unfinished Projects

Visit Me:

Instagram: @life.of.phys

Threads: @life.of.phys

YouTube: @lifeofphys

Web: www.thelifeofphys.com