Contemporary art has found itself at the epicenter of blockchain technology. At the same time, blockchain technologies were at the epicenter of contemporary art: New York artist Jessica Angel presented the Voxel Bridge project at the Vancouver Biennale. The main content of the installation is AR-blockchain visualization. The artist has turned the Vancouver Cambie Bridge into a public art object, within the boundaries of which digital worlds come to life, similar to both space and the inner structure of a computer. The project is based on the Kusama Network’s blockchain and does use AR-tools created by the Spheroid Universe for visualise it. “Art is a mobilizing force capable of connecting seemingly dissimilar worlds, Voxel Bridge demonstrates this ability. The installation expands the sensory experience of art into a unifying experimental effort that allows blockchain technology, AR and public art to discover new ways to interact with each other. ”(Jessica Angel, artist, author of the Voxel Bridge project).
Voxel Bridge is a landmark event in the world of contemporary art. The project does not just present graffiti or a piece of booming crypto art. Voxel Bridge exists simultaneously in three worlds: in the real space of Vancouver's Cambie Bridge, in augmented reality visible through the application, and in the digital space of the blockchain. The connection of the real and digital worlds creates a new unexpected experience for the viewer: the installation includes twenty different interactive AR-animations with the help of which viewers “live” the history of the creation of the Kusama Network and “penetrate” its digital spaces and processes. Jessica Angel uses the information fabric of the blockchain online as a creative tool and directly projects this information into the visually perceived elements of the artwork. “It is believed that the Vancouver Biennale is always one step ahead and pushes the traditional boundaries of art in public space. Now that the very definition of “public” has been reimagined to mean “virtual,” we are determined to bring the world an art installation of immense artistic and technical value. The Vancouver Biennale is all about using art as a catalyst for learning, so if you really have no idea about the latest technological buzzwords like blockchain, cryptocurrency, augmented and virtual reality, this art installation provides a truly accessible and visually mesmerizing opportunity to experience these concepts ” (Barry Mowatt, President and Artistic Director of the Vancouver Biennale).
In addition, the event combines two significant elements - technological and social - the experience of visualizing complex digital technologies and the experience of creating large-scale AR objects for urban spaces. Blockchain technology is designed to change the way we interact with the world and creates unlimited opportunities for all types of business and social practices, including identity, healthcare, banking, logistics, decision making, arts and education. Voxel Bridge is the first art project to literally show the world this burgeoning revolutionary technology.
The development of AR solutions for Voxel Bridge was carried out by Spheroid Universe, which is the world's first platform that creates a unique opportunity to see the work of blockchain and other digital technologies through art, using augmented reality tools, advanced developments in computer vision and artificial intelligence. The visualization of the Kusama Network blockchain as an AR installation is based on dynamic geolocation, where the key technological problem is the precise positioning of a large-scale interactive AR object. The experience of solving this problem will soon be applied in the Polkadot / Kusama Network ecosystem to visualize AR objects of NFT art. In this regard, Voxel Bridge is not only a high-tech task in the implementation of contemporary art in augmented reality space, but also an experimental experience in visualizing NFT art objects that have appeared and circulate in the Kusama Network. The project is the first test of the Web 3.0 Spheroid.Earth algorithm for positioning objects over large areas.
The social advantages of emerging technologies can be mastered by people only through tireless mass education and information: what are the advantages of new technologies, why they are necessary, how they reach people. Jessica Angel's installation Voxel Bridge at the Vancouver Biennale is a big step in the right direction. “Creative and innovative visualization of information is critical in a global society that increasingly relies on information technology and digital systems. The differences that information accessibility provides are both wide and profound, and can lead to tremendous changes in attitudes, and in general we would like to hope that these changes will be in the direction of knowledge and understanding, not ignorance. ”(Gavin Wood, Founder of Polkadot, ex-CTO and co-founder of Ethereum).
Contact
Name: Alexander Sysoenko
Email Address: sys@spheroid.eu
Website URL: http://www.spheroiduniverse.io/
