Nearing an augmented reality future
TORONTO ARTIST SELLS `REVOLUTIONARY' DIGITAL NFT HOUSE IN WORLD FIRST
It’s a warm afternoon on the surface of Mars. You’re lazily stretched out on a red glass reclining chair by the pool on your patio. As its reflective waters lap at your feet, you glance up at the fiery Martian landscape, with towering mountains, red skies and blazing clouds.
There is no other human in sight, but you hear the thrum of peaceful music as you get up and walk through the glass doors of your house, featuring floor-to-ceiling windows and a minimalist design. The Italian glass furniture is painted in colourful hues and arranged with plenty of space to lounge or entertain guests.
All of a sudden, your stomach rumbles, signalling its time for lunch. You have no choice but to exit your dreamscape, shut down your laptop and head to your real kitchen for a bite to eat.
But soon, you’ll be back to Mars House.
That’s what Toronto designer Krista Kim has named her latest creation, a digital house that is meant to be explored in virtual reality, or, perhaps eventually, augmented reality.
“I want people to experience the light, the movement of the light. I want people to experience the healing qualities of the house through the light installation. That is the purpose of the house,” Kim said in an interview with the National Post.
The 3D file sold last week for over $650,000 as an NFT, or non-fungible token. NFTs are verified by blockchain technology, which is also used by cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, and they act as a certificate of authenticity, allowing artists to encrypt their signatures on digital artworks and designs.
Kim said she designed the digital NFT house, described as the first of its kind in the world, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, when the world was locked in their homes.
“I meditate twice a day. So my art is really a meditative experience,” she said. “And I thought, why not create a house that heals.”
The addition of a scorched Martian landscape, she said, was to bring a futuristic element to her design.
“I really wanted to put across that this is a breakthrough new concept,” she said. “It’s kind of a revolutionary concept, harnessing technology and integrating into tech architecture, for wellness and healing.”
The new owner of the artwork, an anonymous internet collector, paid Kim 288 Ether — a cryptocurrency that was worth $662,874.85 in Canadian dollars on March 29 — for the virtual real estate.
The artwork was initially valued at 33 Ether ($75,895.85).
“The collector and I, we started a dialogue,” Kim said, during which he emphasized his desire to invest in art in a manner that benefits the community as a whole, rather than just the artist.
He agreed to use the sale of Mars House to finance a world tour of healing light and sound installations by Kim and Jeff Schroeder, who created the soundtrack for her house, as part of an initiative by the Continuum Foundation.
Selling the house as an NFT was especially advantageous, Kim said, as it removed the need for an intermediary between the artist and the collector, eliminating commission fees.
The collector, who will receive a 3D file directly from Kim, plans to upload the digital house to a Metaverse — a platform where one can experience virtual real estate as an avatar — and open it for viewing to the public.
“He wants to share Mars House with the world. And I’m obviously very pleased that he would want to do that,” Kim said.
Existing technology does not allow the house to be experienced in augmented reality, but Kim remains hopeful.
“There is an app called SuperWorld that is very early, but within two years will become the augmented reality interface of the world,” she said. On this app, users could buy virtual real estate and populate their land with 3D assets that are programmable.
“It’s going to revolutionize the NFT market,” she said.
Living an augmented reality life could allow people a host of avenues in which they can express their own creativity without being limited by the physical world.
For example, in the near future, with the right technology, one could purchase their choice of digital fashion and overlay it on their clothes. People could even purchase a digital pet or tattoo. The possibilities are endless, according to Kim.
Global interaction would become easier.
“Artists will collaborate to beautify public spaces. Parks will be more interactive. There will be children playing with other children around the world. You don’t have to be from Toronto or Japan but now you could actually travel to Japan and play with other kids there.
“We are now entering a future civilization of decentralization,” she said.
“I think this is going to be the greatest transcendent experience of human civilization ... Beyond geographical, political, religious, or any barriers.”
I MEDITATE TWICE A DAY. SO MY ART IS REALLY A MEDITATIVE EXPERIENCE.