breaking news Web3 IRL: How digital art is building community in physical gatherings – Decrypt – Business News lastminute news

In true Web3 fashion, PoAPs were flowing—one of which was based on an art installation in the program itself. The NFT artists involved painted a mural, and throughout the weekend attendees were urged to grab a paintbrush and add it. At the end of the event, the mural was converted into POAP and sent to all attendees.

A collaborative mural was converted to POAP. Photo: Omar Flores

Lovelace City, an NFT archive, used the event as an opportunity to showcase the artwork. The transportation sponsor provided regular shuttles to and from Coachella. To get on the party buses wrapped in artwork from the collection, you’ll need to show your Lovelace City MetroPass, which was given out free to all attendees, and share your name and design with NFT prior to collection.

Lovelace City Shuttle. Photo: Omar Flores

Another NFT company, Gem Set, took this opportunity to show its community that it is serious about the IRL utilities promised to holders. The Gem Set is an upcoming collection – no release date set – with 10,000 NFTs each tied to a physical diamond. Lots of collections put physical activity or stuff on their roadmap, but most have a tendency to overpromise and under-deliver.

In an effort to demonstrate its commitment to each NFT representing ownership of a real diamond, Gem Set gave away $10,000 worth of diamonds in Easter Eggs for the Ether Egg Hunt. Event attendees were scouring the grounds of the resort in hopes of finding QR codes that took them to wallets filled with Ethereum, diamonds, private jet credit, NFTs, and more.

“The reason we’re doing IRL activation is to bring awareness, to show that it’s actually real,” said Gem Set artist and founder Johnathan Schultz. “A lot of collections claim IRL activations or elements in their collections, but don’t actually follow through. Showing up front that we’re serious about our material goods sets us apart.”

But it wasn’t all free precious gems and transportation—some collectibles took the opportunity to get creative with their communities.

Denton, the artist behind Daunted Feels, built a custom Dented Feels NFT Live at the event, mined it, and pulled it off—about 70 attendees bought raffle tickets at $7,500 a pop. Angel Baby Hit Squad had a real-life “Angel Baby”, dressed in angel wings, roaming the grounds. A collection called Clay Friends brought clay pots and invited people to try and make their own custom clay friends. VEZA, a startup that provides advice on mental health and wellness for the Web3-obsessed, had a tent that offered scents, sounds, and even poetry.

“For us, it’s about getting people creative IRL. We’ve all built these communities online, but it’s important to step away from the computer and take the time to create,” said Clay Friends’ Bo Brannan.

NFTs are becoming a part of mainstream culture, and as a result, we are seeing more and more developments like this to bridge the gap between digital and physical Web3 experiences. With so much noise on the internet, it can be hard to capture the attention of a small or upcoming collection. Creative, authentic IRL events are a great opportunity for these collections to differentiate themselves and build real, genuine connections with their communities—both online and off.

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