Mars House, a digital home designed by local artist Krista Kim, was just sold on a NFT (non-fungible token) marketplace for 288 Ether (a cryptocurrency), which is equal to $512,000. NFTs are unique digital files that are non-interchangeable, which means, when you purchase a piece of art made with them, you’re investing in the artist who created it, similar to buying their stock.
Kim started the project during the pandemic in April 2020 as a way to design her dream home. She hired a freelance 3D rendering technician to render her ideas and create a home that heals through the power of art. She says Mars House is a sneak peek into the future as it can go beyond a 2D artwork on your computer to a 3D digital home that can be enjoyed as an immersive experience in augmented reality. We caught up with the artist to learn more about the project.
When did you first become interested in crypto art?
I began to study Bitcoin and ETH as personal investment strategies. Decentralization and the crypto revolution attracted me as an investor and a humanist. I believe every legacy systems from the industrial revolution, such as economics, politics, education, medicine, art, etc. will be decentralized. Co-creation and collaboration will be the central themes of all industry. I then researched decentralized blockchain art, seeing the advantages as an art medium, when I discovered NFTs.
What was your inspiration for Mars House?
During the height of the global COVID-19 lockdown last April, I decided to create my dream home. I wanted to create a home that heals through the power of art. I believe that we should install LED substrates for the walls, ceilings and floors of our homes to display digital art collections, so I began drawing my concepts and hired a freelance 3D rendering technician. I was influenced by Zen design while living in Japan, having had an epiphany at the Ryoanji Temple Zen Garden — one of the oldest in the world. I learned that the garden’s empty space is mirrored into my subconscious, therefore bringing me into a state of Zen. I wanted to update Zen for the digital age, so I create meditative artwork using the light of the screen as a mechanism for healing and Zen.
Is this the first time you’ve sold your work as an NFT?
In the NFT space, we call our first minted artworks ‘Genesis’ pieces. This is an apt name for the symbolic new beginning of the NFT artist’s entry into a new arena — a new paradigm of art.
What is your vision for how Mars House will be enjoyed?
Mars House is a sneak peek to the future, as the first 3D digital home that can be experienced as an immersive experience in augmented reality (AR). It can be uploaded to a Metaverse, and by 2022 we will be able to experience Mars House in real space with our friends. I even have a wedding planner who wants to host AR weddings in Mars House. The possibilities are endless for the future of fashion, music and art.
The current NFT marketing is very early and limited in its capability and parameters. The NFT can go beyond a 2D artwork on your computer screen. The next generation of NFTs will be programmable, 3D digital assets that you can mint and buy in real time AR on an app called Superworld. The world will be interfaced in AR on the app, which allows us to purchase virtual real estate based on actual real estate, and we can upload 3D interactive NFTs that we can all experience at the same time in our real environments. NFTs will be displayed as virtual 3D pieces for homes and outdoor spaces, but they can also float in the sky or be placed in our bodies. We will adorn ourselves with digital fashion, accessories and art that reacts to our moods and our words. The future will be very creative and self expressive.
