KOPYA NG SALIN 🔗
WEBVTT
00:00:19.614 --> 00:00:20.175
Hi everyone.
00:00:20.175 --> 00:00:23.079
Welcome to the Future Construct podcast.
00:00:23.079 --> 00:00:38.216
I am your host, Amy Peck, and this is the new series that we're doing with our Futurist series, and our guest today is Krista Kim, who is pretty much remarkable in every way.
00:00:38.216 --> 00:00:41.042
She's a celebrated international digital artist.
00:00:41.042 --> 00:00:49.263
She is founder of the Techism Movement, creator of Mars House and co-founder of Xero Studio.
00:00:49.263 --> 00:00:50.371
Welcome, Krista.
00:00:50.792 --> 00:00:51.472
Thank you, Amy.
00:00:51.472 --> 00:00:55.241
And Amy is an advisor to Xero Studio as well, might I mention?
00:00:55.461 --> 00:01:15.704
Indeed, indeed, indeed, and the reason being that when I first met you, I was absolutely blown away by just the breadth with which you sort of approach not only your art but just life and humanity.
00:01:15.704 --> 00:01:34.681
And that's really what we want to tackle with this Futurism series, and it's not just being aspirational, it's really about how do we fundamentally use technology to change outcomes, change our lives, solve some of the challenges that we're facing.
00:01:34.681 --> 00:01:47.180
And so, before we kind of dive into the really nitty-gritty, I'd love for you to just kind of talk a little bit about your history how did you come to be a digital artist?
00:01:47.180 --> 00:01:50.379
And then we'll get into all of your accomplishments.
00:01:51.349 --> 00:01:54.449
Well, digital art I started in 2012.
00:01:54.449 --> 00:01:56.056
I was painting.
00:01:56.056 --> 00:01:58.290
Basically, I was practicing abstract painting.
00:01:58.290 --> 00:02:00.753
Basically, I was practicing abstract painting.
00:02:00.753 --> 00:02:15.436
I was very much influenced by Japanese abstract painting, modern style painting using traditional pigments, a technique that I learned in Tokyo when I lived in Japan between 2005 to 2008.
00:02:15.436 --> 00:02:40.900
But when I landed in Singapore in 2010, I really started painting in acrylics and oils, and it was in 2012 when I decided to leave painting altogether and pursue digital, because I was enrolled in the Masters of Fine Art program at La Salle College of the Arts and when I was thinking about you know how much I was using this thing and not writing even.
00:02:40.900 --> 00:02:42.390
I wasn't even writing notes anymore.
00:02:42.390 --> 00:02:44.037
I was note-taking in my phone.
00:02:44.478 --> 00:02:50.917
That's when I knew there was a major paradigm shift in the world where everything's going to become digital.
00:02:50.917 --> 00:03:01.537
So what's the point in creating art that is based on, you know, the medium of painting, when I should really be exploring light and color, as you can see in in my background?
00:03:01.537 --> 00:03:09.730
That's you know digital, that you can see the screen, cause I'm really fascinated by the physiological effects of looking at a screen.
00:03:09.730 --> 00:03:11.578
It's all light and stuff.
00:03:11.578 --> 00:03:14.197
You know messages and that's shining into your retina.
00:03:14.197 --> 00:03:18.229
But how can I use that as an art medium to create a sublime experience?
00:03:18.229 --> 00:03:20.192
And that was my thesis for for art school.
00:03:21.454 --> 00:03:24.820
Well, I, you know, I didn't know that you had lived in Japan.
00:03:24.820 --> 00:03:31.054
We were there at the same time, so we're going to have to talk about that I used to live near Nishiyazabu Crossing.
00:03:31.073 --> 00:03:33.497
I was in Akasaka Ichome beside Okura Hotel.
00:03:34.519 --> 00:03:36.281
Oh, wow, so we must be.
00:03:36.281 --> 00:03:38.204
I'm sure we'll talk about that.
00:03:38.204 --> 00:03:43.304
Lexington Queen, you know the whole.
00:03:43.304 --> 00:03:46.712
Yeah, we'll have to chat offline about that.
00:03:46.712 --> 00:03:50.098
Very cool, so you know, actually.
00:03:50.098 --> 00:04:03.900
So even just watching your background, it is incredibly soothing and that seems to be one of the through lines, I think, in the art that I've seen of your work.
00:04:03.900 --> 00:04:11.798
There's just something very and I forget the quote that's on your website about the like, something about creating a sort of a Zen experience, but it is yeah.
00:04:11.798 --> 00:04:13.480
Yeah.
00:04:14.962 --> 00:04:15.383
You got it.
00:04:15.603 --> 00:04:22.143
So you know how does all of this mesh with your vision for the future.
00:04:22.670 --> 00:04:24.115
Yeah, oh my gosh.
00:04:24.115 --> 00:04:24.537
Thank you.
00:04:24.537 --> 00:04:25.360
It's a great question.
00:04:25.360 --> 00:04:28.435
You know, my artistic epiphany came in Japan.
00:04:28.435 --> 00:04:33.934
Actually is a very formative period of my life as a human being, as an artist, and it was in Kyoto.
00:04:33.934 --> 00:04:40.699
Kyoto, for me, was so impactful, it actually was the place where I had my aha moment as an artist.
00:04:40.699 --> 00:04:42.656
It was at the Roenji Temple Garden.
00:04:42.656 --> 00:04:54.438
I don't know if you've been there, but it's one of the most sacred Zen gardens in Japan, and when you go there, you sit in front of the garden and you realize that your mind becomes automatically immersed in a Zen experience.
00:04:54.438 --> 00:05:13.141
And then I thought, oh my gosh, after an hour or two of meditating in the space I didn't want to leave right, I discovered that it was the Zen monks, over a thousand years ago, who created this immersive experience out of a garden.
00:05:13.141 --> 00:05:21.362
And that's when I discovered that art can create a meditative experience in the viewer, and therefore it is a service to humanity, to future generations.
00:05:21.362 --> 00:05:30.192
Experience in the viewer, and therefore it is a service to humanity, to future generations, to the future of civilization itself.
00:05:30.212 --> 00:05:35.063
I was so inspired by that concept that when
Load full transcript
I started to really delve into what kind of artist I wanted to be, during my master's degree program.
00:05:35.063 --> 00:05:47.492
That's when I realized I wanted to create a digital Zen experience, that I want to really pursue the sublime, the healing, the same Zen beautiful experience that I had at the Zen garden in the digital realm.
00:05:47.492 --> 00:05:53.010
So this is, in fact, isn't a good example of a digital garden, a Zen garden, if you will.
00:05:53.010 --> 00:05:57.179
That's the digital reinterpretation of what I had experienced in Kyoto.
00:05:57.179 --> 00:06:16.883
And so, and when you fast forward, though, when you're when, when now, whatever medium I'm doing very interdisciplinary, whether it's the metaverse or whatever medium I I I encounter or I want to work with, that is the fundamental core of everything that I do.
00:06:16.883 --> 00:06:21.461
So that's it's it's about, it's a blessing that I was there at the same time as you.
00:06:22.711 --> 00:06:23.473
I love that.
00:06:23.473 --> 00:06:24.196
I love that.
00:06:24.196 --> 00:06:24.898
Hold on, I have to.
00:06:24.898 --> 00:06:25.881
I'm going to pause.
00:06:25.881 --> 00:06:34.181
I just inhaled some sort of floating dust situation.
00:06:34.181 --> 00:06:38.841
Let me drink this, okay, good, good, yeah, let's take a quick sip.
00:06:38.841 --> 00:06:41.935
We're going to cut away to you anyway during that whole situation.
00:06:41.935 --> 00:06:45.567
That is so funny that we were there at the same time.
00:06:45.587 --> 00:06:59.122
That's amazing, okay six volumes yes, yes, all right, so let me do this for jamil and so, but there's a, there's a, there's a real.
00:06:59.663 --> 00:07:18.135
So there's the Zen quality, but there's I mean, I guess let me speak to the experience I have when I, when I have experienced your artwork there's an architectural component, like the NFTs that you shared with everyone, which I treasure over over the holidays.
00:07:18.135 --> 00:07:25.306
There's the Zen zen component, but there's an, there's an intellect and there's a.
00:07:25.306 --> 00:07:32.289
You know, there's a vision that is more uh, I don't even know how, what the quite, quite the word is.
00:07:32.289 --> 00:07:49.501
I think we think of zen garden, we think, oh, it's just all kind of flowery and meditative, but there's like this very powerful intellectual, visceral vision that is powering all of this and I think it's why it's so touching for people.
00:07:49.501 --> 00:08:00.907
And again, I you know, do you find that the time now is really ripe for this convergence of, and it's, mental wellness?
00:08:00.907 --> 00:08:12.194
Right, art and mental wellness now, I think are inextricably aligned, and then this vision of using art and technology to solve problems, I think also are connected.
00:08:13.237 --> 00:08:17.312
I love that question, amy, and thank you so much for the compliment.
00:08:17.312 --> 00:08:26.193
I really do approach my practice as a philosophy and you know my background is in political science.
00:08:26.193 --> 00:08:32.009
That's what I studied at university, so I learned a lot from reading.
00:08:32.009 --> 00:08:33.812
You know political philosophy.
00:08:33.812 --> 00:08:45.434
You know and also like how is it that these ideas that were shared, you know pen on paper the pen is mightier than the sword.
00:08:45.434 --> 00:09:26.346
How did these ideas shift the world and the way people think and therefore change the world, like democracy itself, voltaire, diderot, the French Revolution that actually led to the formation of America, and democracy, and so all of these sort of like incredible seismic shifts throughout history, I learned a lot from, and so, when I approached my art and I looked at the current state of the world with, especially with the technological disruption, you know where social media back then in 2012, when I was really thinking about this, you know it really became the dominant new communication medium and you know the medium is the message right?
00:09:26.346 --> 00:09:30.477
I'm very much a student of Marshall McLuhan, who I'm a big fan of.
00:09:30.477 --> 00:09:32.543
I really love his work Understanding Media.
00:09:32.543 --> 00:09:33.692
The Medium is a Message.
00:09:33.692 --> 00:09:35.035
I just feel.
00:09:35.075 --> 00:09:46.982
I felt like, hey, if we're moving on from TV media, electronic media, into the internet age, into the information age and now into the age of acceleration and AI and blockchain.
00:09:46.982 --> 00:10:01.243
What are those changes and paradigm shifts going to bring to our society and how can I impart, you know, a vision for the future of humanity in this new paradigm?
00:10:01.243 --> 00:10:21.958
So I really wanted to contribute in a way that really keeps humanity at the core and the ethos of a philosophy of how we pursue the advancement of technology, and that's why I wrote the Tech is a Manifesto in 2014, because I saw the silo of art, the silo of technology.
00:10:21.958 --> 00:10:30.360
You know completely different worlds and yet these two worlds are pushing culture forward, and it was so.
00:10:30.360 --> 00:10:33.009
It was very schizophrenic, right?
00:10:33.049 --> 00:10:43.156
So I felt that there needs to be a bridge, that artists have to get out of the classical, you know, paradigm of creating art.
00:10:43.156 --> 00:10:51.879
You know the way that we're taught in school and I went through the school system, so I know that there was this hesitancy to pursue the new.
00:10:51.879 --> 00:10:56.812
You know, as a medium, that a lot of people weren't interested in digital art at all.
00:10:56.812 --> 00:11:08.399
In fact, it was still it still is very outlier to this day and so I felt that art was not really communicating the zeitgeist and I felt that artists need to do that.
00:11:08.399 --> 00:11:12.824
Artists need to ring an alarm if there are any human rights issues that are being violated.
00:11:12.824 --> 00:11:49.876
Artists need to create the tech that is humane, to collaborate, co-create, have a dialogue with the tech world, have a dialogue with businessmen and have a seat at the table really to be valuable in terms of our input in making the tech human, making it humane, so we're not alienating people with the technology.
00:12:01.459 --> 00:12:10.864
So there, and it's funny, I'm so transfixed by your background because it just is evocative of this idea of like volumetric thinking right and taking, connecting disparate ideas and being fluid and being present.
00:12:10.864 --> 00:12:15.377
And we talk so much about STEM, stem, stem.
00:12:15.377 --> 00:12:16.680
You mentioned education, stem.
00:12:16.680 --> 00:12:20.269
So I fundamentally do not believe it's STEM education.
00:12:20.269 --> 00:12:21.111
I think it's STEAM.
00:12:21.111 --> 00:12:26.509
And if we forget that, art on two paths?
00:12:26.509 --> 00:12:41.124
One is that we are, as humans, able to create something from nothing, which, yes, we can train AI to do that, but there is an organic element to the way that humans do it that is fundamentally different.
00:12:41.124 --> 00:13:01.246
And then the second piece is that kind of, you know, practical element of being able to see around the corners and exercising the artistic part of our minds, I think, allows us to do that and yet, ironically, through the school system, those are the programs that are under fire.
00:13:01.246 --> 00:13:05.582
How do we move past that and convince the world that this is important?
00:13:07.848 --> 00:13:09.051
AI is so fascinating.
00:13:09.051 --> 00:13:13.263
And what I love about you, amy, is that you truly are a visionary yourself.
00:13:13.263 --> 00:13:16.133
I mean, you are very creative and I love how you're truly right at the bleeding edge and you get it and you're fearless, creative.
00:13:16.133 --> 00:13:19.243
And I love how you're truly right at the bleeding edge and you get it and you're fearless.
00:13:19.243 --> 00:13:28.030
And I believe that fearlessness comes from, yes, the creativity of your mind, that you know how to create something new out of nothing.
00:13:28.030 --> 00:13:45.892
So you're not looking at a new technology as something that is scary, that brings instability and you know people don't like instability, but you and I are the types of people that like disruption, that welcome it and can create beauty out of it.
00:13:45.892 --> 00:13:48.444
Right, the better systems out of it.
00:13:48.444 --> 00:13:49.948
And that's the thing.
00:13:50.068 --> 00:13:52.140
Most people in the world are not creative.
00:13:52.140 --> 00:14:08.715
Most people in the world are fed through a school system that does not support a creative mind, but rather supports you to be an employee for a company, to listen and integrate into a hierarchical corporate system, which is fine.
00:14:08.715 --> 00:14:44.816
It's been working for a long time, but these are very disruptive times times, and I think the school system is where it has to start, where we are actually teaching children to be unique and expressive and creative, and harness AI and learn how to be prompting engineers, learn how to tap into their natural talents and passions, and how can you use AI to really showcase that, to make that a powerful production medium of what you want to see, right?
00:14:44.816 --> 00:15:15.472
I just think that AI is so interesting and it is so exciting, but I'm definitely for it because I can see how incredible ideas can spread faster and that how production can be faster and, if anything, it's going to eliminate the need for, you know, decorative pieces created by people.
00:15:15.472 --> 00:15:18.916
I think that anyone can create beautiful things now with AI.
00:15:19.239 --> 00:15:40.320
But if you really want to be an artist, as we have spoken about before, it's about the philosophy and the ideas and where you come from, and if that's unique and if people resonate with that, then you have an audience and then you have art right that lives on for the rest of humanity and into the future.
00:15:40.320 --> 00:15:46.329
Ai is very, very exciting and we should not disparage AI.
00:15:46.329 --> 00:15:51.822
We should not tell our kids to be fearful of it.
00:15:51.822 --> 00:15:59.594
In fact, I'm telling my kids hey, man, as soon as I learned about ChachiPT on my kids, here's ChachiPT4.
00:15:59.594 --> 00:16:12.372
Learn how to use it, be smarter, study better, learn more faster, get more done and, hey, you have more free time to pursue and think about what you love to do, right?
00:16:12.372 --> 00:16:21.148
I mean, what better manner is there for kids to learn than to use it as a tool to accelerate who they are, how they learn, how they form Right?
00:16:22.790 --> 00:16:32.838
It's so true, and I think you know we also can't actually identify the influences we have, you know.
00:16:32.838 --> 00:16:50.670
So artists are ingesting the world as well, just in the same way that we're feeding AI data and inputs and inputs.
00:16:50.670 --> 00:16:51.092
We do that as well.
00:16:51.092 --> 00:16:51.333
I'm all for.
00:16:51.333 --> 00:16:53.524
You know, we can solve the digital asset management piece and you know what was the provenance of this.
00:16:53.524 --> 00:16:54.569
You know this and that piece of art.
00:16:54.569 --> 00:16:57.935
But I agree with you, I think artists are.
00:16:57.935 --> 00:17:03.471
They take the tools that we democratize and they elevate them.
00:17:03.551 --> 00:17:06.097
I mean, everyone now is a photographer.
00:17:06.097 --> 00:17:20.384
They have advanced filters, they have the best cameras in the world and they can take amazing photographs, but there are still photographers out there taking amazing and really pushing the boundaries of what photography is.
00:17:20.384 --> 00:17:31.375
And if you see an amazing photograph that tells a story that touches you, is that, you know,
somehow different from this new realm of art?
00:17:31.375 --> 00:17:43.776
No, it still touches you from within and I think this is this is leading me into, you know, my question, which, which I think will be more relative to our, you know, more relevant to our existing audiences.
00:17:43.817 --> 00:17:46.770
We have a lot of business, people and AEC architecture engineering and and what am I?
00:17:46.770 --> 00:17:49.841
People and AEC architecture engineering and what am I doing?
00:17:49.841 --> 00:17:51.585
Aec let's do that one again.
00:17:51.585 --> 00:18:02.736
And our audience is very focused on business and the AEC industry architecture, engineering and construction and I'm sure they're listening saying what does this have to do with me?
00:18:02.736 --> 00:18:13.124
And I think the way also you talk about business is that you have, you know, you're using art in in an application, right You're?
00:18:13.124 --> 00:18:17.274
You're moving into this web three realm, you're moving into this 3d realm.
00:18:17.274 --> 00:18:23.675
What are some of the ways that you know people and companies can start to think about innovation?
00:18:23.675 --> 00:18:26.491
Because it's artists that are the key to unlocking this.
00:18:26.491 --> 00:18:26.913
I believe.
00:18:27.615 --> 00:18:29.099
Yeah, I totally agree with you.
00:18:29.099 --> 00:18:41.114
I think that the creativity aspect is key and collaboration is definitely going to be an incredible bonus and it's going to add strength to your brand, strength to your products.
00:18:41.114 --> 00:19:13.464
If you look at how Facebook changed to meta and how they approached the metaverse without collaborating in a meaningful way with the creative community, like they basically were using, applying the same you know business model of trying to acquire IP and you know, and really controlling it when really it should be about collaboration, so that that's how you can really create the most interesting and meaningful new work and new ideas.
00:19:13.464 --> 00:19:24.336
I think that if only they had collaborated more and if they did a better job in understanding that culture, then they would have been much more successful in creating beautiful, compelling spaces.
00:19:24.336 --> 00:19:43.118
Because I think that in a company right now, there's so much focus on, like, marketing and strategy and let's get the product out there, product development what about the actual human connection and the beauty of your products and the beauty of what your services are?
00:19:43.118 --> 00:19:52.663
I mean, there's something there that art can actually impart and I completely agree with you and I think meta is a very good example of that versus Apple.
00:19:52.663 --> 00:20:00.375
I mean the way that Apple approaches their design ethos and everything is like an artist, and that's why I really like look at Apple.
00:20:00.375 --> 00:20:02.480
I'm like really fascinated and amazed.
00:20:02.480 --> 00:20:04.391
But
you know what's really interesting about Apple, too.
00:20:05.112 --> 00:20:19.711
When I spoke with James Higa, who was the number two of products under Steve Jobs, we spoke about the Roengi Temple Garden, right, and you know we're he's actually I adore this man, and and when we spoke about it, you know I'm working.
00:20:19.711 --> 00:20:23.279
I'm basically working on my MacBook Pro, or I love my MacBook.
00:20:23.279 --> 00:20:29.221
I use Mac all the time and I don't know why I have this amazing fascination with the products.
00:20:29.221 --> 00:20:30.313
Everybody loves their Mac.
00:20:30.313 --> 00:20:31.096
It's like a cult, right.
00:20:31.096 --> 00:20:36.501
And when I talked about Roe and G Temple Garden, you know what he told me.
00:20:36.501 --> 00:20:50.843
He said oh, my goodness, like I would go to Roe and G Temple Garden on many occasions, and you know Steve has been there as well and we would actually discuss how can we impart this experience in Apple products.
00:20:52.551 --> 00:20:53.234
I love that.
00:20:53.676 --> 00:20:53.957
Right.
00:20:53.957 --> 00:21:04.884
So that's an artist mind, and if you can apply that to anything, any company, any industry, it will totally transform that product into something that's beloved.
00:21:06.852 --> 00:21:12.962
Yeah, I think you're right and I think you know I hadn't really drawn that connection and that makes total sense.
00:21:12.962 --> 00:21:35.790
And the challenge I have with companies is that is and you touched on it it's everything is this economics first, and we are at the precipice of really being able to unlock completely different economic models, different ways of engaging.
00:21:35.790 --> 00:22:00.097
The jobs of the future, I think, are all going to have some art-related basis or craftsmanship or mindset, and if we can start to weave these artistic endeavors and these creative endeavors into everything we do If you look at healthcare or sort of post-pandemic, we saw how much the digital landscape was both a hindrance and a help, and so how do we take those learnings and move forward?
00:22:00.097 --> 00:22:05.618
But that can be, I believe can be really infused into sort of the products and services of the future.
00:22:05.618 --> 00:22:12.923
But I'd love to also talk about just some of the other work that you're doing and Mars House and what you're doing with Zero Studio.
00:22:12.923 --> 00:22:17.301
You're doing so many fascinating I mean so many amazing projects.
00:22:17.730 --> 00:22:18.010
Thank you.
00:22:18.010 --> 00:22:21.981
Well, you know, first of all, you know everything I'm doing with Metaverse.
00:22:21.981 --> 00:22:30.845
I really want the Metaverse and these powerful technologies, which are only going to get more and more accelerated, more and more powerful and more and more ubiquitous.
00:22:30.845 --> 00:23:11.990
I want these technologies to, first and foremost, serve humanity and make us healthy, healthier, right and be good for us, because
I think Web 2.0 has really proven, because of our mental health crisis that we're actually experiencing globally, social media has a lot to do with that, and I witnessed this and I knew that in 2014, that if I'm experiencing these you know yicky feelings, fomo and anxiety, and you know this narcissism on social media platforms then you know it's, that's universal, and billions of people around the world are feeling that too, and there will be a crisis and, lo and behold, here we are.
00:23:11.990 --> 00:23:15.541
So how can we make a change?
00:23:15.541 --> 00:23:35.810
How can the new technology that we're introducing into the world actually make us better and solve those problems that were created from web two, including loneliness, which is a huge epidemic, and I mean it's universal.
00:23:35.810 --> 00:23:36.371
Let's start from square one.
00:23:36.371 --> 00:23:40.722
Let's create spaces of healing and bring people together, and I think those are two things that we need desperately right now.
00:23:42.429 --> 00:23:50.173
So, mars House I created during the height of the COVID crisis, and it was in response to the lockdowns, and it was me and my two kids under lockdown.
00:23:50.173 --> 00:23:52.013
I mean, that lasted for a year and a half.
00:23:52.013 --> 00:23:53.074
Right, it was insane, wasn't it?
00:23:53.074 --> 00:24:06.620
And I really wanted to create a space that was zen of the 21st century, a house that integrates my gradient, meditative artwork into the architecture.
00:24:06.620 --> 00:24:11.062
And that's what Mars House became, and so I was so proud of this project.
00:24:11.062 --> 00:24:16.544
It was such a passion project of mine, and I never used Unreal Engine 4 before.
00:24:16.544 --> 00:24:34.418
It was my first introduction into creating 3D spatial spaces architecture, but I was really inspired to do it, and so I designed the house, designed the furniture, installed my work, and it was such an incredible experience.
00:24:34.418 --> 00:24:35.442
Then I parked it because what I really?
00:24:35.442 --> 00:24:36.666
I didn't know what it was going to be, what it would become.
00:24:36.687 --> 00:24:45.581
I didn't know that it would become an NFT until December of 2020, when I discovered Bitcoin and Ethereum and I was doing some research on blockchain art on the blockchain, and then NFTs popped up.
00:24:45.581 --> 00:24:51.140
And I was doing some research on blockchain art on the blockchain, and then NFTs popped up and I was like whoa and I went down that rabbit hole.
00:24:51.140 --> 00:25:13.471
And then I ended up signing up for super rare and I was accepted artist in February, and that was the time when they were just onboarding artists because they had upgraded their platform platform.
00:25:13.471 --> 00:25:26.240
And then in March, after a month of studying the NFT market, studying NFTs and art in general, I thought, wow, these platforms are very early and I knew that the potential of NFTs and going into the
future would be that they would be 3D digital assets powered by AI.
00:25:26.942 --> 00:25:44.298
Knew that, I don't know how I knew that, but I just knew that that was the future and that was also the future for a 3D spatialized metaverse, that they would be the building blocks building economies and economies of experiences and creative economies on top of a virtual space.
00:25:44.298 --> 00:25:51.031
So I thought, oh my gosh, I actually have a house that I can offer for sale as an NFT.
00:25:51.031 --> 00:25:55.802
And I was like, oh my God, I just have to do this, I have to mint the Mars house.
00:25:55.802 --> 00:26:09.736
And I was ready to ask the world the question whether or not the world is ready for a 3D digital asset of real estate, which is also presented as an artwork on SuperRare real estate, and as the, which is also presented as an artwork on super rare.
00:26:09.736 --> 00:26:10.939
And that was March 14th that I minted the piece.
00:26:10.939 --> 00:26:14.310
And, um lo and behold, aoi, a real visionary collector, collected the piece.
00:26:14.330 --> 00:26:24.460
He actually came in and swooped all of my entire catalog that was available and uh, we had a phone call and he's uh, um, uh, based in Asia, and um.
00:26:24.460 --> 00:26:32.262
So we had a call and he's like you know, chris, I just wanted to know, I want to double check, if this is really a house for the metaverse the way that you intended.
00:26:32.262 --> 00:26:34.739
Am I getting the 3D files and everything I'm like?
00:26:34.739 --> 00:26:46.837
Yes, this is a house that you can actually install in a metaverse platform of your choice and it's yours to, you know, enjoy in virtual reality however way you wish.
00:26:46.837 --> 00:26:47.399
Right?
00:26:47.399 --> 00:26:52.215
And that was a revolutionary sort of like moment when he said, okay, I'll buy it.
00:26:52.215 --> 00:26:54.569
And then it was, you know, amazing.
00:26:54.569 --> 00:27:04.501
It just the world just responded very, let's just say, I was on Squawk Box the following week.
00:27:04.750 --> 00:27:06.579
Oh, no, no, yes, I saw that.
00:27:06.579 --> 00:27:09.079
I saw that on your website.
00:27:09.079 --> 00:27:13.636
It's like now, everyone's paying attention.
00:27:13.636 --> 00:27:14.855
There's like, oh, there's money here.
00:27:14.855 --> 00:27:18.138
And it's like, oh, man, are you just missing?
00:27:18.138 --> 00:27:19.653
You're just missing the point.
00:27:21.218 --> 00:27:21.820
Exactly.
00:27:21.820 --> 00:27:26.552
And then, of course, you know, everybody was like, hey, krista, when you you going to sell more houses?
00:27:26.552 --> 00:27:42.884
Or people come to me like, oh, I had all kinds of propositions to sell more houses, get behind virtual real estate development projects, at that early stage, without even a proper metaverse world built, everything was walled gardens.
00:27:42.884 --> 00:27:49.530
You've got CryptoVox Central Land Sandbox was walled gardens.
00:27:49.530
--> 00:27:50.634
You've got CryptoVox Central Land Sandbox.
00:27:50.634 --> 00:28:00.868
Yeah, okay, but those are gaming platforms and I did not consider that the true metaverse, the open metaverse, is what I was imagining in my mind, where everyone will basically be able to access an open metaverse.
00:28:00.868 --> 00:28:04.897
Different realms have interoperable assets, not like your home.
00:28:04.897 --> 00:28:07.523
Like you know, your home is in a video game.
00:28:07.629 --> 00:28:15.772
That that's not what I wanted and I didn't want to create this um, you know this, this false bubble, right?
00:28:15.772 --> 00:28:21.409
I didn't believe in in, uh, in in the state of the market for real estate in the metaverse.
00:28:21.409 --> 00:28:42.086
Yet because, uh, we, we need to build out, um, out a greater foundation, engineering, right behind it, the architecture, so that we can all be there at scale right, offering services, creating experiences and, through that, creating value on top of these spaces, right, like the Mars House, for example.
00:28:42.086 --> 00:29:09.934
So I was really, really cautious and I knew that I had to take my time on this, and that's when I was inspired to create the studio, because I thought, okay, so instead of like selling all these houses, right, what I should be doing is creating experiences that add value, so that people understand the value being in the metaverse and we could build a metaverse together through these experiences.
00:29:10.034 --> 00:29:17.977
And for me, I believe that you know, as a mom, right, I've got two teenagers and I think, well, what do I want for my kids?
00:29:17.977 --> 00:29:23.571
I want them to be smarter, I want education and I also want them to be healthier.
00:29:23.571 --> 00:29:42.258
I want mental health offerings in the metaverse, and I think that's what would attract mothers, women, society into the metaverse and the mainstream en masse as a mainstream, you know, selling point, and that's what I wanted to focus on.
00:29:42.258 --> 00:29:49.057
So you build a more robust reason and experience economy, which therefore supports the assets.
00:29:49.078 --> 00:29:53.022
Yeah, that makes sense and you know this is your of course.
00:29:53.022 --> 00:30:00.851
You know we know we are in violent agreement on all of these things, because it's again, it's how do we?
00:30:00.851 --> 00:30:11.789
You know the interoperability, you know that's a problem, hopefully we will solve, but it's the economy of scarcity that we're trying to replicate in this virtual realm.
00:30:11.789 --> 00:30:17.466
That doesn't make any sense and that's why I agree with you that virtual real estate, it will have its place.
00:30:17.466 --> 00:30:28.562
There will be a reason for you to be in, you know, certain quadrant with a certain group, and but to me it's around community and it's not around the financial wherewithal just to be in.
00:30:28.562 --> 00:30:32.308
That you know, because again, you
mentioned hierarchical structure.
00:30:32.308 --> 00:30:33.602
That's what we're like.
00:30:33.602 --> 00:30:34.824
Why would we build that again?
00:30:37.089 --> 00:30:37.891
You know what you know.
00:30:37.891 --> 00:30:38.512
It's so cool.
00:30:38.512 --> 00:30:40.646
I actually learned a lot about this from Kyoto.
00:30:40.646 --> 00:31:15.728
Yeah, you know, kyoto is beauty, of all of their beautiful ancient buildings and Zen gardens over all of these millennia, you know, and it's the beauty of the space that brings people back, and it's this X factor that brings you back, and that's what I think is the only thing that's going to be a sticky point for the metaverse as well.
00:31:15.728 --> 00:31:23.372
So, yes, we are in total agreement there Create beautiful experiences and people will want to come back, yeah, yeah.
00:31:23.699 --> 00:31:31.067
And then you know the NFT craze and crypto, because they're going through.
00:31:31.067 --> 00:31:43.342
There's not only hype cycle, there's been so much kind of you know criminal activity that it's really sullying the elegance of the blockchain and really what we can accomplish.
00:31:43.342 --> 00:31:50.424
And this idea that we have to, like, wrestle cryptocurrency to the ground and make it behave like fiat currency Again.
00:31:50.424 --> 00:31:54.250
What is, you know, an exchange of?
00:31:55.150 --> 00:32:04.202
just a transparent exchange of value, right and value can come in any form right, it can be art, it can be experience, it can be data, it can be cryptocurrency.
00:32:04.202 --> 00:32:08.110
But what are the mechanics of this new economy?
00:32:08.110 --> 00:32:17.472
And with microtransactions now, which have been, you know, sort of the bane of the regulatory existence, and trying to figure out you know how to, how to control it?
00:32:17.472 --> 00:32:31.963
But but out of that, you know, could, can we collectively divine a better economy, one where, you know, people in the remotest areas of the world can actually participate in a global economy?
00:32:31.963 --> 00:32:34.128
And you know what?
00:32:34.128 --> 00:32:37.120
What is the vision to to kind of allow that to happen?
00:32:38.062 --> 00:32:43.557
oh yeah, totally, and I, you know, I, I for one, am all about foundational.
00:32:43.557 --> 00:33:23.564
You know the foundations right uh, when you're building something that will last, and I, I think that, especially when we're looking right now at the, the age where ai, metaverse and blockchain will converge, right, they're not siloed and I think a lot of people discuss these technologies as if they're separate, but they're really going to converge in a major way, what we have to do, and especially when you're touching upon and I think it's about digital identity, right, and being able to be recognized in the blockchain for what you contribute to an economy, a creator's economy, and be remunerated for the blockchain, we need to really focus on the digital identity part, don't we?
00:33:23.564 --> 00:33:36.012
I mean, that's the foundational structure we need right now, and I actually think that we're going to move toward a blockchain system that's powered and facilitated through AI.
00:33:36.012 --> 00:33:42.287
You know that will allow us to connect our true identity, our one identity.
00:33:42.287 --> 00:33:44.893
That is, you know, proof of who we are.
00:33:44.893 --> 00:34:06.011
That is our passport, that's our everything birth certificate, marriage certificate everything is connected to that true identity of who we are, and I think that, if it's immutable in the blockchain, it's accessible for everybody in the world to do because it's cheap to mint, and I think that this accessible technology will also be for everyone.
00:34:06.866 --> 00:34:18.449
It's actually technology and I know about through our common friend, teddy Bahagbia, called Tenbeo, friend Teddy Pahagbia, called Tenbeo.
00:34:18.449 --> 00:34:28.351
It's a very exciting technology that basically attaches your unique heartbeat algorithm to the blockchain, which identifies you as a unique individual in the world.
00:34:28.351 --> 00:34:30.597
All of your bio data is fed into the blockchain.
00:34:30.597 --> 00:34:32.862
It is a wallet, it's a vault, if you will.
00:34:32.862 --> 00:34:45.665
This vault in the blockchain also facilitates the storage of your own data, so we can all self-custody our data and then, of course, self-custody of all of our assets and then, of course, our IP.
00:34:45.665 --> 00:35:05.581
So, as an artist and for anyone who basically is participating in the world economy in the future economy in the future, I think it's very important that it is clearly authenticated what we create and how we contribute to, whatever projects we participate in and we're fairly remunerated for that.
00:35:05.581 --> 00:35:08.769
And those microtransactions are.
00:35:08.769 --> 00:35:12.621
I mean, that's all AI and blockchain that will allow that to happen.
00:35:12.621 --> 00:35:20.327
That's a scalable model that anyone can participate in there and I think that's going to be the way forward.
00:35:20.969 --> 00:35:22.752
Yeah, yeah, I agree with you.
00:35:22.793 --> 00:35:34.252
I think it's going to take some time and I think we also have to agree, you know, kind of collectively as individuals, to do the work to actually start to manage our own data and manage our identities.
00:35:35.240 --> 00:36:23.610
But to your point, you know, it kind of becomes a database query where, as long as, because we're going to present in multiple different types of personas, we might have one digital persona in one environment, a different one for a game, a different one for a collaboration setting and a different one for business, but that at a core they're all tied to that same vault or wallet or date, you know personal database, and there will just be a sort of a you know KYC mechanism and know your customer mechanism, which already exists,
to allow you to prove that you are who you say you are, that you're not an AI, because that's going to start to matter soon, and that you're not an imposter, because that's going to matter, and you know you're not some sort of nefarious being and it's a little hard to imagine how to get there.
00:36:24.260 --> 00:36:43.538
But this is where I also think that artists are so valuable, because you're able to draw people in in a way that is soothing and meaningful and human, in in a way that is soothing and meaningful and human, and then that's where we can start to educate and just bring people along like bit by bit by bit.
00:36:43.557 --> 00:36:46.505
So I hope this is exactly Thank you, and and, and.
00:36:46.505 --> 00:36:57.760
So basically, the what I would love to do in my you know how Xero would like to strategize and bringing people in is to use this technology for mental health and wellness.
00:36:57.760 --> 00:37:02.288
So I mean AI technology and metaverse.
00:37:02.288 --> 00:37:24.476
What we want to do is we want to create the digital intelligent avatar of Deepak Chopra and other great icons and teachers that can really impart one-on-one information in a human conversation style, like what we're having right now with the AI.
00:37:24.476 --> 00:37:28.159
If you need guidance on something, I would love to sit with Deepak.
00:37:28.159 --> 00:37:35.052
Wouldn't you love to sit with Deepak and just ask him questions if you're going through something or if you need some advice?
00:37:35.052 --> 00:37:50.014
I mean, that's the kind of scalable service that Metaverse as a service can provide, if it's open, it's interoperable and that you know you can actually communicate with his, his intelligent avatar.
00:38:00.519 --> 00:38:01.721
And then you think about how art like this can also be.
00:38:01.721 --> 00:38:08.072
You know, with science, ai generated generative art that can scientifically soothe your mind or give you energy.
00:38:08.072 --> 00:38:12.563
You know, have different effects on the brain and they're all sort of like.
00:38:12.563 --> 00:38:28.992
You know, all the biomarkers are, all the data is there and it's also stored in the blockchain, so the art responds to you, it's customized, and then, of course, you have all kinds of incredible wellness services that can be distributed to you.
00:38:28.992 --> 00:38:56.871
You know, through knowing you and your AI agents can facilitate whatever information you need, what you want, curated for you, bringing the right help, bringing you know, and I think the future is bright, if only we can use a technology that's you know, beyond economics first, that it's humanity first, but it can be a winning combination, right first, but it can be a winning combination, right?
00:38:56.891 --> 00:38:57.612
Yeah, yeah, it's so, so true.
00:38:57.612 --> 00:38:59.034
So without?
00:38:59.034 --> 00:39:16.092
I know you already live in the future, but I'm going to ask you the question that I ask everyone at the end, which is normally 20, 25 years in the future, but let's go a hundred years in the future, cause I know that you can easily step into 25 years from now in your imagination.
00:39:16.092 --> 00:39:31.257
So, 100 years from now, you can bring with you any gadget, any service, just just any technology that makes you personally happy or makes you just better in some way.
00:39:31.257 --> 00:39:33.623
What would it be and what would it do?
00:39:35.146 --> 00:39:36.389
in some way.
00:39:36.389 --> 00:39:39.215
What would it be and what would it do?
00:39:39.215 --> 00:39:39.795
Wow, so I would.
00:39:39.795 --> 00:39:40.877
I would love the um.
00:39:40.877 --> 00:39:54.665
I basically I would love to have my own avatar, um, connected to the blockchain, as I had mentioned, with my heartbeat that records everything I've done, and I'd love for after I, after I die, I would love for that avatar to live on.
00:39:55.347 --> 00:40:09.512
For you know, my future great, great, great grandkids to know me and I can actually have conversations with them and share stories with them, and even just anyone really is that we can talk about what everyone talk about, whether it's my art or what.
00:40:09.512 --> 00:40:23.233
I think that that would be incredible to be able to live forever and just leave a legacy for future generations to learn from, because I find that we have so much ADD and such short tension spans.
00:40:23.233 --> 00:40:36.105
I think that people would really benefit from wisdom right, and gaining that wisdom, and I think this would be a really valuable kind of new thing that we can do, and we should do one of you too, amy, like we should just be living in the metaverse, you know.
00:40:36.266 --> 00:40:38.029
Let's do it, I'll upload.
00:40:38.029 --> 00:40:39.393
I'll upload tomorrow.
00:40:39.393 --> 00:40:41.184
No, I love that and I think it's a way.
00:40:41.184 --> 00:41:03.864
It's a way it's, you know, it's a way forward, by kind of reaching back into the future, but in a really, you know, kind of positive and compelling human way, because it's someone you know was part of your family, like they're in your DNA, and they get to kind of live on a little bit through you and then you get to make better decisions through the knowledge that they impart, and I think I'm with you there.
00:41:03.864 --> 00:41:05.427
Let's do it, let's make it happen.
00:41:05.427 --> 00:41:07.873
Yeah, Wonderful project.
00:41:07.873 --> 00:41:12.952
Well, it has been amazing getting to chat with you.
00:41:12.952 --> 00:41:17.692
Thank you so much for joining us today amazing getting to chat with you.
00:41:17.713 --> 00:41:19.019
Thank you so much for joining us today.
00:41:19.019 --> 00:41:22.625
Thank you, my dear friend.
00:41:22.625 --> 00:41:23.509
You also inspire me.
00:41:23.509 --> 00:41:26.599
You're so eloquent and beautiful and my fellow futurist, always a pleasure.