“PRESS PLAY” : an audiovisual poetry NFT experiment by playIRL

Etymology tells us the English language is living and growing. In “Press Play” we bring words to life through animated and AI-generated visuals in an attempt to illustrate how our brains construct reality.

Through the blockchain, a non-emotive technology, paired with poetry, a vulnerable display of human emotion, “Press Play” fuses old and new, encouraging a world where technology and consciousness can not only coexist, but coalesce to form new meaning.

At its core, “Press Play” highlights universal themes that make us human, ones that technology can’t replicate. The human experience ought not be left behind in the face of rapidly accelerating tech—there ought to be room for play.

So the question then becomes, “Will you Press Play?”

The Concept

“Press Play” is a collection of nine unique 1/1 audiovisual poetry NFT’s, eight of which will be available for auction on Foundation. “Press Play” is the playIRL genesis collection by visual artist, Sophee Loftus, and poet, Madison Richmond. For our first collection, we combined visual art, poetry, and music to create a multi-sensory and mixed media experience.

Drop Details

• Thursday, March 31 @ 3:00 p.m. PST / 6:00 p.m. EST

• 24 Hour Auction

• .1 ETH Reserve Price

• Foundation

//playIRL:

Breaking down the name:

“play” /plā/: Play is our earliest memory—it’s the first thing we know. At playIRL, we seek the kind of curiosity and pure wonder we experienced as children. We encourage play, sans fear. To play is to take creative risks. To play is to try, fail, and try again. To play is to lean into our most creative, impulsive desires.

“IRL” /in real life/: All the best things in life happen In Real Life—love, emotion, visceral connection, consciousness, energy. We embrace the impending digital world, but believe in the power of IRL connection above all else.

What does playIRL stand for?

Tech-forward

playIRL values a technology-forward approach to creation and collaboration. We believe in the power of the blockchain and other technologies to transform the way we make and engage with creative projects. playIRL aims to operate somewhat like a tech company—with experimentation and collaboration at the forefront of our projects.

Consciousness

Singularity is the concept that one day computer chips will compute like human brains. This reality is quickly approaching, which is both fascinating and terrifying. However, in a battle against machines, human consciousness remains irreplicable. Thus, we feel a moral obligation to highlight and nurture the things that make us human, while continuing to experiment with technology from a place of awareness and curiosity.

Redefining the Artist

At playIRL we believe that to redefine the future of art we need to redefine the artist. Artists come in many forms. Visual artists and music artists inspire us, but we envision a world where the NFT space is composed of artists across all disciplines. To us, engineers and scientists of all sorts are artists. Both science and art involve an active pursuit to understand the world around us. They both take inputs and transform them into something new and more beautiful than before. playIRL hopes to support this transition to multidisciplinary and collaborative creative initiatives in an effort to produce art that anyone can connect to.

Freedom

The web3 ecosystem breeds an unprecedented set of freedoms for both artists and collectors, some of which include freedom of time, freedom of expression, financial freedom, geographic freedom and creative freedom. playIRL aligns with these values as a means of creating impact that is both lasting and disruptive in the web3 space.

Thank you for supporting our journey. Welcome to the Playground.

-Sophee and Madison