Vancouver Biennale Launches Public Art Installation with AR and Blockchain Technology

Photo Credit: Nicole Wild

Vancouver Biennale
https://www.vancouverbiennale.com

The underside of the south end of Vancouver’s Cambie Bridge is being transformed by artist Jessica Angel into a 19,000 square feet (1,765 square meters) public art installation that comes to life as the biggest blockchain-based augmented reality experience of its kind. At first glance, the artwork takes the form of a massive two-dimensional vinyl mural that wraps the pedestrian walkway, supporting columns, and underside of the bridge, providing an immersive experience reminiscent of a computer circuit board slightly askew. With the use of the Vancouver Biennale app, which can be downloaded at no cost for iOS and Android devices, visitors walk through the mural and use their cell phones to dive into an interactive digital wonderland. This multi-sensory adventure is made possible by the revolutionary advancements in Augmented Reality (AR) developed for this installation by Spheroid Universe and supported by blockchain technology on the Kusama network.

Voxel Bridge is a milestone event in Contemporary Art. This is not simply a mural or a piece of crypto art. Voxel Bridge exists simultaneously in three worlds: in the real world under Vancouver’s Cambie Bridge, in Augmented Reality as experienced through the app, and in live blockchain. As an integrated fusion of the real and digital worlds, it delivers a groundbreaking audience experience using the latest advancements in Augmented Reality technology. There are twenty different interactive animations throughout the AR experience through which visitors learn about the history of the Kusama network and how it’s created, funded and governed. The artist uses live blockchain data as a creative tool to create a direct real-time projection of the blockchain, taking this abstract technical concept and visualizing it so that people can see it live through the artwork.

Blockchain technology is widely considered to have the potential to change the way we interact in the world. It is currently believed to be the most secure way to record and track digital data, capable of eliminating fraud, counterfeiting, and hacking. The possibilities for all business sectors, including banking, voting, healthcare, art, and government transparency are endless. Voxel Bridge is the first art installation to show the world this transformative, emerging technology.