Produced by Eventique, the Dreamverse gallery used augmented and virtual reality to showcase the digital art of 150 artists at New York’s Terminal 5.Photo: Courtesy of Eventique
They needed to bring the nebulous concept of NFTs to a physical space—specifically New York’s Terminal 5. Produced by Eventique, the gallery used augmented and virtual reality to showcase the digital art of 150 artists, including the NFT industry's best-known artist Beeple (otherwise known as Mike Winkelman).
His work, “Everydays: The First 5,000 Days,” sold for $69 million back in March. The NFT, which was on display at the event, was purchased by Dreamverse creators MetaKovan (whose real name is Vignesh Sundaresan) and Twobadour (also known as Anand Venkateswaran). MetaKovan and Twobadour are also the founders of Metapurse, an NFT production studio and crypto fund.
ICYMI: NFT stands for “nonfungible token” and it can hold anything digital—from a one-of-a-kind item like the Beeple work to concert tickets; blockchain technology provides proof of ownership.
“The biggest challenge was ensuring that the mediums—specifically the digital screens—didn’t diminish the original works that are digitally native. Characteristics like resolution and digital borders are so important when it comes to showcasing NFTs, which were built to be viewed in a specific way,” explained Brooke Walter, head of operations of Metapurse.
“We tapped into our music concert experiences and treated ‘Everydays’ like a performance; it was designed for a stage, to be simultaneously viewed by thousands of people,” Wielander explained.Photo: Courtesy of Eventique
To do this, he said that the agency sought the guidance of artist Marcus Lyall from Smith & Lyall, show directors for The Chemical Brothers. “We tapped into our music concert experiences and treated ‘Everydays’ like a performance; it was designed for a stage, to be simultaneously viewed by thousands of people,” Wielander explained.
“The ‘Everydays’ piece has never existed as an artwork in the physical world, so part of the brief was figuring out how it would manifest itself, as there’s no clear precedent,” Lyall said. “A small gallery crowd is really different from a large, late-night event crowd, so it was about helping the artist and client to work out the best presentation for that particular event. We wanted to use everything the venue could offer, in terms of scale, sound system and audience vibe to give a unique experience in that setting.”
With the work displayed on a big screen, attendees were able to see the individual images within the larger composite, instead of a hodgepodge of colors.
As for venue layout, Eventique produced three stages, including a series of displays throughout the venue. Much like a traditional art gallery, Wielander said “a curator was brought in to give a fluid experience of the works.”
The two-tiered event included both the daytime gallery experience and a nighttime party with DJs. Tickets to the gallery portion cost $30, while tickets to the party ranged in price from $175 to $2,500 for VIP.
Wielander explained that the event was timed to correspond with NFT.NYC, a four-day conference that covered subjects including gamification, decentralized finances, fashion and the metaverse. About 3,000 people in total attended the gallery and party, which, Walter said, was about 60% of the total number of NFT.NYC attendees.
“One of the greatest challenges in Dreamverse’s first year was effectively communicating that the ticket was actually an NFT, designed by artist Alotta Money, which got activated when you came to the event,” Wielander said.
“It’s an idea that’s ahead of its time because those unfamiliar with NFTs are reticent to make a monetary commitment well above a normal concert ticket price. Then there were people coming to the door just to activate their NFT and that’s all they really cared about. But it’s not going to take long for NFTs to further penetrate the mainstream.”
While the Dreamverse gallery had many of the hallmarks of a conventional event, it does help further the conversation surrounding the use of NFTs within the industry. “NFTs are a great way to engage communities by providing them a digital asset to remember an event, which may even have financial upside in the future,” Walter said.
“For example, attendees of an event could receive an airdrop of a virtual NFT grab bag in replacement of traditional conference bags. NFTs can also be used operationally in replace of traditional tickets, which can allow dynamic features such as transforming ticket images upon entrance to encourage attendance.”
Liron David, founder and CEO of Eventique and producer for Dreamverse, agreed, adding that “event planners can use NFTs in events by using the real-time data and technology to enhance the event experience—whether it's via digital NFT tickets that transform once scanned revealing a new image, limited-edition NFTs as collector items or creating a minting station on-site where guests can create their own NFTs, which leads to further building a like-minded community.”
See more from inside the Dreamverse event.
