Sotheby's is auctioning off a 1-of-1 NFT in celebration of the 30th anniversary of the release of ... [+]
Back in 1994, sci fi author, Neal Stephenson, published Snow Crash. In this sci fi novel, Stephenson coined the term Metaverse and in the three decades since it was published, Snow Crash is now considered a sci fi classic. Many in the technology industry have read the novel, and while Stepehnson is widely know for his works of fiction, he’s also known for his work in the technology sector. He served as as Magic Leap’s Chief Futurist, he has advised Blue Origin and most recently founded Lamina1 with crypto pioneer Peter Vessenes.
Now his work is coming to Web3. In partnership with Sotheby’s and Sir Richard Taylor’s WETA Workshop, the auction house is offering a number of unique, and at times bespoke, items from Neal Stephenson’s Snow Crash archives and lore, comprising physical and digital items connected to the book.
The auction celebrates the 30th anniversary of the release of Snow Crash, considered by many as one of the pillars of the cyberpunk genre and one of the most important works of modern science fiction, as well as an influential source code from the metaverse to cryptocurrency, mobile computing to augmented reality, and much more. We spoke with Sir Richard Taylor about the auction.
Over the past 18 months, WETA has been working with Stephenson in preparation for this moment of cultural significance to the gaming and Metaverse industries. WETA worked with the sci fi author to create a bespoke piece, a cultural and historical artifact, stemming from the unique mythology of his new and coming Snow Crash universe. This was done in the form of a Snow Crash inspired sword, scabbard and display case. While it’s hard to understand how bespoke this auction item is, the reality is that it has to be seen to be understood.
“The sword took us a year to create and is one of the finest pieces of craftsmanship WETA has created,” said Sir Richard Taylor, founder of WETA workshop. “The whole collection is then housed in a crate from a fictitious gaming company that in theory has owned this sword that has now come up for auction. It is an insane, inworld fusion of ancient craft with the digital age.”
Taylor adds that “the swords Tansu storage case itself is an, automated, internally driven, magnetically activated, very unique box, with hidden compartments, secret items, coded messages and other inworld special nods to the world Neal authored.”
This auction will not only celebrate Stephenson’s legacy and the lore of Snow Crash but could also ... [+]
This auction will not only celebrate Stephenson’s work and the lore of Snow Crash but could also serve as a springboard to expand the Snow Crash universe further. For Taylor, they are at the cusp of creating a body of creative work that blurs the line between the physical and the digital, which they have been affectionately calling ‘Masterworks for the Metaverse’.
Of particular interest to the Web3 community, is a unique NFT.
“A 1-to-1 digital twin of the physical Snow Crash Tachi sword that is a seamless blend of the virtual and the physical one. Not only identically capturing every detail of its physical twin, but also showcases the beauty of the sword’s physical materials and craftsmanship in a virtual environment. It is our hope that the NFT Snow Crash sword will be part of future transmedia developments that Neal is exploring at the moment,” highlighted Taylor.
The auctioned items includes a never-seen-before original typed and annotated manuscript, an original Snow Crash book cover artwork, and a beautiful, and masterfully designed and crafted, Snow Crash Tachi Sword. A real artifact from the fictional world of Snow Crash.
“Snow Crash is set in both the physical and digital realms, and to celebrate this, we also created the digital twin to the Tachi Sword in the form of an NFT. A highly accurate digital model, which not only identically captures every detail of the physical sword, it may also bestow its owner with special abilities in a yet to be disclosed transmedia project from Neal,” said Taylor.
The auction ends on March 6, 2023 at 2 p.m. ET.
