Voxel Bridge

Voxel Bridge is an interactive public artwork under the Cambie Bridge in Vancouver, by artist Jessica Angel. The 8000 sqft mural is a vinyl overlay on the bridge that reveals interactive elements through augmented reality (AR), with aspects of the artwork being sold as non-fungible tokens. The installation will be part of the Vancouver Biennale from summer 2021 to 2023.

Description
The Voxel Bridge project is part of the Vancouver Biennale. The object is located on the lower tier of the Cambie Bridge, the first wooden version of which was built in 1891. The word “voxel” means a point in a three-dimensional space. Voxel Bridge exists both as a tangible analogue work of art and an online digital one. The author of the public art installation is Colombian artist Jessica Angel. She created this installation at the suggestion of Barrie Mowatt, the artistic director and Founder of the Vancouver Biennale.

The art installation covers an area of about 8000 sqft. The organizers of the Biennale announce that Voxel Bridge will become the largest installation in the field of digital public art. According to the COO, "nothing has been done at this scale outdoors that's fully interactive".

The installation of the vinyl cover began on June 7, 2021. The development of the entire project took about three years and more than $300,000, far exceeding the planned budget. Therefore, the animations presented are supposed to be sold to recover the costs. The opening of the art object is scheduled at noon on August 12, 2021. The installation will be supported until 2023.

The project will feature 20 different interactive animations, which also display the history of the Kusama network and how it was created, funded, and governed. Each of animation correspond to its own NFT - a non-fungible token in a blockchain technology system.

The Vancouver Biennale app, through which users can interact with augmented reality is available for free download on Mac and Android devices. Jessica Angel has been working on the online element in partnership with the Spheroid Universe, which powers blockchain technology on the Kusama Network.

Meaning
The organizers of the forum call the Voxel Bridge project "a milestone event in Contemporary Art", explaining:

"This is not simply a mural or a piece of crypto art. Voxel Bridge exists simultaneously in three worlds: in the real world under Vancouver’s Cambie Bridge, in Augmented Reality as experienced through the app, and in live blockchain. As an integrated fusion of the real and digital worlds, it delivers a groundbreaking audience experience using the latest advancements in Augmented Reality technology."

External sources

 * Voxel Bridge on Vancouver Biennale official page