Wimbledon, Murray Announce Digital Artwork Project
Wimbledon and Andy Murray are joining forces for a unique digital artwork project, 10 years to the day since the 77-year wait for a British Gentlemen’s Singles Champion at Wimbledon ended.
The artwork will be a visual interpretation of every stroke choice, body movement and point played over Murray’s Wimbledon career. It launched at 2 p.m. BST Friday, with an inaugural Open Edition available to purchase until the end of The Championships 2023.
The digital artwork, entitled The Exposition and created for this summer, will be minted on Manifold, and will be available to purchase by credit card or crypto. For the period of The Championships there will not be a cap on the number of editions that can be sold providing a great opportunity for fans to own a part of tennis history. The digital artwork will be priced at $145 / 0.077 ETH and can be purchased between 7 July through to the end of The Championships on Sunday 16 July.
Owners will have the exclusive right to buy a physical print edition of the artwork – an example of how this innovative project strives to blend the digital and physical worlds. Avant Arte, a community-based art marketplace, will create the physical print edition that will be made available to NFT holders later this year.
Launched 10 years after his first Wimbledon win, it is planned for the collaboration to evolve organically with live-data collection during this year’s edition of the tournament.
The emerging opportunities presented by digital ownership now allow art collectors and tennis fans alike to not only enjoy the art collection, but also own a piece of history. The animated data paintings will be minted on the Ethereum blockchain and be marked in perpetuity as a celebration of one of the UK’s finest athletes.
Murray commented: “Everyone knows how special Wimbledon is to me and the important part it has played in my career so far. Data also plays a vital role in my match preparation and opponent analysis. I’ve been collecting art for a number of years now and following the amazing work Refik and his team produces. A project involving these three areas that push the technological boundaries is something I am keen to be involved with.”
Chris Clements, Digital Products Lead at Wimbledon, added: “At Wimbledon we are always seeking different ways to engage with our audiences, reach new fans and find innovations that can honour our traditions whilst evolving with the world around us. This collaboration is a fantastic way to do so working with Refik, who is at the cutting edge of digital art, to celebrate Andy’s extraordinary, ongoing, career at Wimbledon.”
This project is curated and produced by web3 consultancy FAN3.