Architecture
in the Metaverse

select works | 2021-22

Kirk Finkel [untitled, xyz] is a Brooklyn-based digital artist and virtual architect. His metaverse works began in 2018 with Cryptovoxels and have since expanded into Somnium Space (VR), Decentraland, Arium, MONA, and more. Each design explores new and immersive shared experiences for digital art and public space. Prior to xyz, Kirk practiced as an urban designer in New York. Kirk is currently a Resident Architect at the Museum of Crypto Art, M○C△. He holds a master's degree in urban design (MsAUD) from Columbia University and a bachelor's of architecture (BArch) from Cornell University.

 

The Museum of Crypto Art | M○C△

View of a sunrise in Somnium Space.

AGORA

M○C△ is the first foundation wholly dedicated to the support and preservation of crypto arts and culture. AGORA is a virtual home for “The Genesis Collection” a body of artwork created by the pioneers of the crypto art movement consisting of 200 works by 200 artists.

The design of AGORA began with a 3D formwork meant to resemble a QR Code. QR’s have a longstanding history in the crypto world. Since the beginnings of Bitcoin, these black and white squares have acted as a kind of billboard between users and as a beacon to the outside world. In some ways, these patterns represent the first visual language to be associated with cryptocurrency. We wanted the bones of the museum to carry through that legacy and visual DNA.

The museum itself is a time capsule, but it’s also a public space designed to pull together virtual minds from around the globe. The building’s title is inspired by the ancient Greek term used to define a public assembly space. M○C△’s AGORA is one of many public places that the museum will create to experience and learn from this emerging creative movement.

 

Project Details

Title: AGORA by the Museum of Crypto Art | M○C△
Application: Somnium Space
Created: May 2021
Visit: Click here (web version)

Hack of a Bear by Hackatao | Christie’s + Arium + M○C△

Interior timelapse recorded in Somnium Space.

 

Pantheon

Here, the timeless Roman temple is reinterpreted as a virtual home for a single 3D artwork; “Hack of a Bear” by Hackatao. This two-part virtual installation spanned multiple worlds. The first part was hosted by Christie’s Auction House in Arium and the second by M○C△ in Somnium Space. This crossover experience showcased a 3D bear head inspired by the Leonardo Da Vinci masterpiece “Head of a Bear.” Christie’s auctioned both works in their respective mediums simultaneously as part of a discussion on the emergence of innovative new art forms in the digital age.

The re-imagined Pantheon consists of an array of floating coffers that lift above the ground and compact to form an oculus at the top of the dome. The voids of the array are used to create passageways in and out of the interior. The build itself is set in a remote parcel of land within Somnium Space, an open embrace of the virtual world.

“This is the story of the continuum of art: a superior force that knows neither age nor place. A tale about the most contemporary art, once known as Renaissance art, today going by the name of crypto art.” ~ Eleonora Brizi (Lead Curator)

 

Project Details

Title: Hack of a Bear by Hackatao | Christie’s + Arium + M○C△
Curated by Eleonora Brizi
Application: Arium and Somnium Space
Created: July 2021
Visit: Click here (Arium, web version)
Link: Press Release

ROOMs & Beyond

ROOM prototype (and dance moves) recorded in Decentraland.

 

A Gallery of Galleries

ROOMs are collectible, experimental, programmable 3D environments. Each ROOM is a custom-built art gallery that is designed to function across metaverse platforms, simultaneously. With these unique NFTs, you can display and curate your crypto art collection. ROOMs are a new project created by M○C△ and with architecture led by untitled, xyz.

These communal spaces are an important early puzzle piece of the metaverse that will bring a growing audience into the possibilities of architecture, and new social experiences around Crypto Art.

 

Project Details

Title: M○C△ ROOMs
Application: Cross-platform
Created: Launching Summer 2022
Website: Link

More

Most recently, Kirk has designed virtual galleries for private digital art collectors and non-profit institutions. For updates on current work, follow untitledxyz_ on Twitter. For inquiries, please reach out using the contact link below: