{"id":8001,"date":"2021-06-30T11:01:05","date_gmt":"2021-06-30T15:01:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/magazine\/?p=8001"},"modified":"2021-06-30T11:01:05","modified_gmt":"2021-06-30T15:01:05","slug":"bringing-contemporary-pop-art-to-an-nft-metaverse","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/magazine\/2021\/06\/30\/bringing-contemporary-pop-art-to-an-nft-metaverse","title":{"rendered":"Bringing contemporary pop art to an NFT metaverse"},"content":{"rendered":"

The realm of metaverses is growing, with gaming, nonfungible tokens and contemporary performance art all contributing to create interactive and immersive digital-only ecosystems. <\/b>\u201cWelcome to Lobsteropolis District of Lobster Land\u201d is the welcome notice that greets netizens upon entering Lobsteropolis city.<\/span><\/p>\n

Existing within the blockchain-based virtual world Decentraland, Lobsteropolis is a digital-only city based on British contemporary artist Philip Colbert\u2019s Lobster Universe. The ambitious project offers arguably more than a glimpse into the emerging movement at the intersection of art and blockchain technology, more specifically, open-world spaces that allow people to interact with art inside a computer-generated environment.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Welcome to Lobsteropolis; Philip Colbert’s digital pop art world set in the Decentraland.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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Born in Scotland and now living and working in London, Colbert is an alumnus of the University of St Andrews. Before coming about the idea of Lobsteropolis City in a metaverse, Colbert was already a name in the pop art world, with former Vogue editor Andr\u00e9 Leon Talley anointing him the \u201cgodson\u201d of legendary pop art figure Andy Warhol.<\/span><\/p>\n

Colbert\u2019s work, steeped in the pop art ethos of \u201chigh art\u201d and \u201clow culture,\u201d has already attracted praise from major art world figures such as the famous auctioneer and curator Simon de Pury and Iraqi businessman and contemporary art collector Charles Saatchi. Fashion and style bible i-D Magazine once called him \u201cthe crown prince of pop art.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

All are welcome<\/span><\/h2>\n

Nonfungible tokens (NFT) have become significantly more popular in recent times, and NFT art is arguably a ubiquitous term even for those unfamiliar with the crypto and blockchain space. These days, almost anyone can \u201cmint\u201d an art piece and sell it on an NFT marketplace such as SuperRare.<\/span><\/p>\n

Disruption was and still is a major buzzword that comes up whenever blockchain is the topic of discussion. Perhaps it is not surprising then to see the novel tech serve as the base layer for innovative approaches to gallery exhibitions.<\/span><\/p>\n

Lobsteropolis City is home to Colbert\u2019s first wholly digital art exhibition, with some of his popular works such as Lobster Fountain and Cryptofixtion on display. Visitors will also be treated to a few unseen pieces from Colbert as part of the NFT art auctions hosted by de Pury.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Colbert’s lobster persona is ready to welcome visitors to Lobsteropolis<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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One of these unseen NFTs is a hybrid artwork and musical performance titled Lob-Ster De-Vo created in collaboration with the American new wave band Devo. The rock band\u2019s theme of devolution has often leaned heavily on multi-media expression that has perhaps become a staple in the emerging narrative of contemporary art in the 21st century.<\/span><\/p>\n

In Lobsteropolis, Colbert\u2019s lobster persona is once again an \u201cart protagonist\u201d in a rendering that seems simultaneously to be an art show and an expression of the artist\u2019s world. \u201cThrough my art, I\u2019ve been building my own art world where my lobster persona is the key narrator, and the digital space enables me to explore this narrative in a new way,\u201d he explains in a conversation with Cointelegraph Magazine.<\/span><\/p>\n

Colbert calls the digital city, three years in the making, a \u201clabor of love\u201d:<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI have an amazing team who help me with the coding and the uploading to Decentraland, and the Vegas City team have been a huge help with the programming. The digital side of my work has been very much a labor of love \u2014 I have been building this infrastructure for some time.\u201d<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Pop art becomes digital<\/span><\/h2>\n

Lobsteropolis features composite elements of Colbert\u2019s work from several international museum shows and exhibitions including his famous 2020 Saatchi Gallery exhibition. However, the city is not only an art exhibition but an interactive open-world space for digital interaction.<\/span><\/p>\n

Even before the onset of COVID-19, advancements in both virtual reality and augmented reality have been pushing the boundaries of digital interaction. Immersive gaming landscapes already exist where users can create avatars to experience and explore sprawling digital environments rich with features ranging from real-world digital natives to even more fantastical elements.<\/span><\/p>\n

Visitors to Lobsteropolis have a plethora of options to explore within the city. \u201cOne of the attractions is Lobster Lounge: a concert venue for avatar bands and an event space where avatars can hold talks,\u201d Colbert says, adding:<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a strong gameplay aspect throughout Lobsteropolis City where avatars can interact with other people and create a layer of fantasy.\u201d<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Set in Decentraland\u2019s Vegas City, Colbert\u2019s digital lobster land, of course, plays home to a casino. \u201cThere\u2019s also a casino, where avatars get given lobster coins, and they can play blackjack and play slot machines and buy digital products in my supermarket,\u201d Colbert says.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Lobster City casino where visitors can play blackjack and slot machines with lobster coins.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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Colbert, by his own admission, is obsessed with the crossover of art and music. According to him, the NFT space is creating a platform for the synergistic melding of both art forms in a \u201crevolutionary way.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Apart from co-creating the Lob-Ster De-Vo NFT piece, the music band will also perform a live DJ set at the Lobster Land Records store, which is adjacent to the Lobster Land Museum \u2014 the venue for the auction hosted by de Pury.<\/span><\/p>\n

Colbert\u2019s collaboration with the band to create Lob-Ster De-Vo will be a central piece of the inaugural auction event on June 30. According to the artist, the Lob-Ster De-Vo NFT artwork explores the role of digital ideology in the emerging virtual-oriented era of human interaction.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Crypto City: Guide to Tokyo<\/a><\/h3>\n
<\/i> October 1, 2021<\/a><\/div><\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>
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<\/i> September 27, 2021<\/a><\/div><\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>
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<\/i> September 16, 2021<\/a><\/div><\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div><\/span><\/p>\n

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For Colbert, the Lob-Ster De-Vo NFT is an examination of the role art plays as humanity appears to be moving toward a more mature digitized space. The piece also pays homage to Devo\u2019s iconic 1981 hit \u201cThrough being cool\u201d \u2014 especially the three crucifixions theme.<\/span><\/p>\n

Colbert recalls his early experimentation with NFTs and how that experience led him toward Lobsteropolis as a digital city: \u201cThe first NFT I made was called Cryptofixtion. I\u2019d been wanting to make a lobster crucifixion sculpture, inspired by studying Dali\u2019s paintings and engaging with the idea of technology as a new religion.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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Venues like Lobster Mart and Lobster Land Records help users to create \u201ca layer of fantasy\u201d<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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Modern-day philosophy is indeed replete with musings about the entanglement of technology and religion especially within the framework of these advancements perhaps offering an alternative transcendental experience.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWith our obsessions with phones as a way of consuming experience, the idea of a cross made out of screens seemed very logical,\u201d Colbert says, adding:<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI then realized it would work better as a digital world: Some things are more infinite, pure and powerful in digital form. Since then, I\u2019ve been following my own process.\u201d<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Immortality and perfection<\/span><\/h2>\n

This pursuit of \u201cinfinite, pure and powerful\u201d possibilities inevitably led Colbert to the digital world and, inexorably, to NFTs. \u201cForget cubism. This is artistic expression and experience on another level. With the rise of the NFT, the digital art movement is now a tidal wave, and so many ideas are possible.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Colbert is in the camp of those who see novel artforms emerging at the intersection of NFTs and contemporary art, with possibly even new art movements springing forth as more artists begin to interact with blockchain-based metaverses.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe cross and the hybrid is very interesting \u2014 why be stuck in one box when you can interact between the two? Digital has an immortality in its perfection, and physical art can always be copied in a way that digital art cannot.\u201d<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

With NFTs, artists now have the power to include metadata \u2014 unique digital attributes \u2014 alongside their work. This feature could bring an added sense of originality and authenticity to digital art. According to Colbert, \u201cThere are always questions around authenticity. People are obsessed by authenticity, it\u2019s the core of our value system.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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