Vancouver Biennale is launching a unique artwork installed under the Cambie Bridge prepared by Jessica Angel and the art name is Voxel bridge.

Vancouver Biennale, a Canadian public art exhibition organization will portray the physical and digital realities using the blockchain technology in this art installation that size to about 18,000sq.ft.

The new blockchain-based installation that is located on the south side of the Cambie Street Bridge in Vancouver can be viewed with iOS or Android devices. Its public launch will run until spring 2023. The artwork also exists in augmented reality through the same app and resides on a blockchain network.

The New York-based artist, Jessica Angel, said “Art is a mobilizing force with the power to bridge seemingly dissimilar worlds, and Voxel Bridge exhibits this capacity. This installation transcends the enjoyment of art into a unifying and experimenting effort that enables blockchain technology, AR and public art to examine new ways of interaction.”

The installation is a digital version of the decentralized blockchain network, Kusama network. Viewers will be able to see, touch and hear the history of the Network via twenty different interactive animations

This installation that took more than three years of planning for Vancouver Biennale is the world’s largest augmented reality experience of its kind using blockchain technology. Using the app, anyone can use their phone to walk humanly under the bridge, scan the markers on the ground, and activate augmented reality animations.

The artist says that the augmented reality consists of two superimposed layers

1. One of the layers explains the basic concepts
2. The second layer is a bit complex to understand and explores the Kusama Network in depth

“The idea of the bridge came about because I want to bridge these things that may seem completely opposite: virtual, physical, and blockchain technology” the artist said while explaining the reason for choosing Cambie Bridge. The founder and president of the Vancouver Biennale, Barrie Mowatt describes Angel’s artwork as the “next generation of public space.” Kusama Network is a decentralized digital ledger that focuses on experimentation and test new blockchains or applications

Rushali Das

CBW - External Analyst

INDIA