After pursuing the 8-week fellowship provided by We Are Museums and TZ Connect in 2022, LAS Art Foundation and Ian Cheng’s team decided to integrate a live NFT minting experience in the exhibition Life After BOB, at Halle am Berghain Berlin.
The idea was to use NFTs to engage the visitors and create new ways of connecting with the show. Therefore, the TRUE NAME NFT experience has been designed in alignment with the existential themes covered by the film Life After BOB: The Chalice Study by Ian Cheng. Unique and personalized NFTs are being generated live from the data shard by the visitor at the start of their visit.
From ideation to delivery, the collaboration between LAS Art Foundation, Ian Cheng Studio, and TZ Connect lasted from May to September 2022. The exhibition was open from September 8th to November 6th, 2022, and the technical support continued all along the exhibition period in order to adjust the user flow. All teams worked hard on integrating the live minting within the visitor journey and the artistic concept of the exhibition so it could be fully and seamlessly integrated.
The TRUE NAME NFT experience consists of a custom-built interactive software experience linked to the blockchain, an algorithmic tool, and hardware. It is an integral part of the visitor journey in the exhibition at Halle am Berghain, designed to further engage audiences in the existential themes of the film Life After BOB: The Chalice Study.
Each NFT is unique and personalized for each guest, using an algorithmic tool also created by the artist, named LAB Moments. This algorithm generates a personal injunction based on visitor information provided upon entering the exhibition. Visitors collect their TRUE NAME NFT at the end of their exhibition journey by setting up a wallet on a smartphone device free of financial contribution.
TRUE NAME marks the first physical NFT experience and the second NFT produced by artist Ian Cheng. It is also the first time LAS integrated web3 technologies into the exhibition format.
The visitor journey begins in the Check-in Area at the start of the exhibition and concludes with live minting at the Arrivals Board in the Store. The journey is supported by trained visitor service staff who assist visitors in setting up their cryptocurrency wallets and minting their NFTs.
Check-in at the Life After BOB kiosk. Get your wristband: Go to the NFT Check-in Area at the start of the exhibition. Type in your name (or nickname) and birthdate (including year) into the Life After BOB kiosk. Accept the terms and conditions and press “Submit”. The printer on your right will print a red wristband that has a personalized prompt and QR code.
Scan the QR code on your wristband: In the Store at the end of the exhibition, you will encounter the “Arrivals Board” with two screens: The left screen features a list of names and mint status. The right screen previews each visitor’s minted TRUE NAME NFT. To preview your unique TRUE NAME image, scan the QR code on your wristband.
View your TRUE NAME image. Set up your Kukai wallet: After scanning the QR code, you will be directed to the TRUE NAME website (truename.me) which shows you your personalized TRUE NAME image. Use “LAS Guest” wifi for your convenience. Before minting your TRUE NAME image to the Tezos blockchain, set up your free Kukai wallet by going to the bottom of the webpage and clicking “Create Wallet”. You will then be redirected to www.kukai.app to set up a wallet. Creating a wallet is free of financial contribution.
Mint your TRUE NAME NFT: Once you have set up your wallet, go back to the TRUE NAME website and click on “Mint Now,” saving your unique TRUE NAME NFT in your Kukai wallet and on the Tezos blockchain. All NFTS can be seen on the objkt.com marketplace: https://objkt.com/collections/life-after-bob?sort=timestamp:desc
◽️ In brief
The TRUE NAME NFT experience was the first blockchain integration in a museum exhibition setting that was fully integrated into the artistic concept and the visitor journey. It has been a powerful experiment that led to richer insights and learning by the three teams involved.