Brenda Stone & Pamela Kerr
N F T NFTs are shaking up industries around the world - but what exactly are they? And will they be the key to retaining local talent in the North? We take a look to see what the buzz is all about. From celebrities to your next-door neighbour, everyone who is somebody is talking about NFTs. Non-Fungible Tokens (or NFTs as they are fondly known) are defined as unique digital tokens that serve as proof of ownership of an asset that cannot be replicated. So, what exactly does that mean? “Imagine them as digital files representing the official ownership of digital and tangible commodities,” explains Pamela Kerr, who is pioneering the NFT space in North Queensland through her business, Virtual Horizons. “You can’t hold an NFT in your hand. The digital token which is stored in a wallet shows who owns a unique digital image, artwork, an online game and various other assets.” Whilst NFTs can be anything digital, from music to concert tickets, much of the current excitement is around using the technology to sell digital art. This is something Pamela has leveraged off with her latest project The Corals, a unique NFT collection
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By Georgie Desailly
that blends digital art and blockchain technology in a carbon friendly framework to raise awareness about the dire state of The Great Barrier Reef. “Our aim is to increase awareness of the dangers facing the Great Barrier Reef and support the conservation by using NFTs to highlight its beauty whilst providing a platform for artists in this space,” says Pamela, whose first ‘wave’, Genesis, launched earlier this year in partnership with The Great Barrier Reef Foundation and supported by artists such as Brenda Stone. “The Corals Genesis Collection is a set of 3,000 AI powered art focused around the Great Barrier Reef, with the following six waves due to be released featuring different locations across North Queensland. “Thanks to this technology, every person who buys an NFT from any of the seven waves will automatically go in the draw to win an all-expenses paid two-week holiday to The Great Barrier Reef.”
