Memorializing Icons in the Metaverse

Most of us won’t have the privilege of a Hollywood studio memorializing us through a legacy-defining production. And that’s alright. I don’t think we expect that. But there are hundreds, even thousands of people who’ve made a significant impact on the world whose legacy is confined to text in a history book, a Wikipedia page, or a few amateur YouTube videos.

Rarely do these write-ups do justice to the influence they brought the world. And furthermore, historical write-ups of someone’s legacy aren’t exciting. They don’t transport us to their time. They don’t make us truly feel the impact.

We had the privilege of sitting down with Rory Trifon, the President of the Richard Bernstein Estate earlier this week to discuss this concept of preserving a legacy in the metaverse on this week’s NFT QT Show.

Before the conversation, I had no idea who Richard Bernstein was. I didn’t know that he was a major influence on Andy Warhol and produced more than 183 covers for Warhol’s Interview magazine. I didn’t know that he was among the first pop artists to produce artwork on a computer in the early 80s.

Here’s this artist who was in the think of the pop art movement, but whose name doesn’t ring bells among the general public.

The metaverse provides a perfect opportunity to memorialize an icon, preserve their legacy, and immerse people in their impact. The main force of this week’s episode is discussing how influential figures throughout history can reignite their legacy and impact through metaverse learning environments. You can watch the episode below.

Other topics discussed in the episode include:

• Memorializing people digitally
• Recreating an icon’s impact in the Metaverse
• Richard Bernstein’s art and impact on Andy Warhol
• The challenges of estates releasing NFTs
• Building the Studio 54 of the Metaverse
• The NFT opportunity for art history

I’m drawn to the idea of evolving Wikipedia in the metaverse. In the same way that tombstones became the memorials of the physical world, someone will create the standard way for digitally preserving the memory and impact a person had on the world.

We hope you enjoy this week’s NFT QT Show!