© Gary Hershorn / Getty Images.
The Steinway Tower in New York. The NFT Museum site at 111 West 57th Street.
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In recent months, NFTs have taken many forms. These non-fungible tokens (Non-Fungible Token in English) each represent a unique, non-interchangeable thing. From celebrity tweets to Gucci sneakers, the use of blockchain appears to be completely limitless, with blockchain being a technology for storing and transmitting information without a controlling body. Taking the notion of rarity and its uniqueness at face value, art has taken hold of the phenomenon. And clearly, it is still far from reaching its limits. The financier Todd Morley has indeed announced his intention to build the largest blockchain museum in the world in the new skyscraper at 111 West 57th Street.
Developed by the JDS group and designed by the firm SHoP architects to be the tallest and above all the narrowest residential building in New York, this new eagle’s nest will suitably welcome the main technological trend of the moment. It will also serve as an antenna – literally rising like an antenna into the sky with its 1:24 aspect ratio – to facilitate decentralized communication between different blockchain networks. “It is the ideal place, as a kind of symbol of technology, to announce a new technology …”, explained Toddy Morley in an interview on Bloomberg TV. “This one building will be able to connect New Yorkers to wireless trading, wireless crypto trading, wireless communication, much like an amateur radio operator. “
Standing 435 meters high, the tower symbolically acts as the next step in a digital future, according to Todd Morley. We can then ask the legitimate question of the need for a physical museum to house digital assets. Todd Morley reasons by drawing comparisons with a more classic institution: « It depends on what is meant by a museum. The Guggenheim Museum has seen phenomenal success in becoming a tool for real estate development using culture to develop assets and bring people together. There is a bit of that in our approach. But we’re also very interested in global infrastructure – technology-driven infrastructure. This gives us the possibility not only to allow investments in these areas, but also to use the culture in these areas. So he becomes a global ambassador, a digital ambassador, if you will, so why not place him in the center of the tallest building in New York. ? »
Location is indeed essential. Located a few blocks from MoMa, it remains to be seen whether the blockchain institution will attract the usual museum crowd. Either way, it is certain that this museum will continue to take the NFT trend – both physically and symbolically – to new heights.
Article originally published in AD US.
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