When Art, Bitcoin and Augmented Reality Collide
Cryptocurrencies may still feel like a thing of the future, despite being very grounded in the here and now already. Use of Bitcoin has become so widespread, even professional soccer teams are adopting it and the gaming industry is the one that's pioneering its day-to-day use...
...However, can Bitcoin have any use other than digital financial transactions, perhaps one tad less practical, but soul-elevating? Can it, in fact, inspire... art?
Bitcoin and RococoIf you ask Trevor Jones, technology artist from Scotland, not only will you get a resounding “yes” as an answer, but he'll show you the actual art pieces already created in the awe inspiring devotion to Bitcoin...
...Jones' two Muses – the cryptocurrency culture of the early XXI century and augmented reality of, well, the same – have inclined him to dabble into the mastery of oil paintings, of which he created an entire series and now he's about to throw them a parade.
Parade being an exhibition, of course. Titled “DISRUPTION: The Art of Blockchain,” it's due to be held in Edinburgh this October. It will contain 14 large-scale canvases, but it will also be a multimedia exhibition. The paintings will be accompanied by various media outlets on the subject of digital assets...
...Exhibition visitors will be able to use their smartphone apps to scan each painting in order to trigger some fascinating augmented reality features. Some of the works include Renaissance-inspired titles such as The Ecstasy, The Agony (a bit of nod to Michelangelo Buonarotti there), and The Day Trader.
The New RoyaltyJones did not shy away from explaining his art and what pushed him into creating this particular exhibit.
“The last 7 years I’ve been focused on creating innovative art that pushes formal boundaries and adds to the creative knowledge set, that challenges and perhaps even threatens the status quo, and that encourages people to question what a painting can actually be. Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies are doing similar things with fiat and the financial sector. It made sense to me to try to tie this all together and explore the notion of a crypto themed exhibition.”
He goes on to explain that he feels some of the key players in the crypto community were regarded as royalty, which is why he transformed certain historical portraits into portraits of today's leading crypto people. “I thought it was fitting that I transform the portraits of some of Scotland’s greatest historical figures; kings, queens, philosophers and scientists, into these new tech entrepreneurs and ‘explorers’ of the 21st century.”
Source:
“The Daily: Bitcoin Art Merges Canvas and Augmented Reality, Bitman IPO Update”, Avi Mizrahi, bitcoin.com, September 5, 2018.
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