‘The Row’ is a ‘property community’ in the metaverse created by artists, architects and designers

The Alexander Team is one of the largest property agencies in the US, boasting clients of the calibre of Kanye West and The Weeknd. Everyrealm is a real estate investment and development company which focuses on the world of the metaverse. These two companies recently joined forces to launch The Row, which is at once an exclusive community in the virtual reality of the metaverse and an entrepreneurial property development project, initially announced in December of last year. Most importantly, The Row is a space that plays host to thirty pieces of incredibly luxurious residential architecture that would be impossible in the real world, such as a house built inside a colossal statue of the Greek god Ares, or one that changes colour with the passing hours of the day.

A whole host of artists, designers and architecture firms - including, to name but a few, Daniel Arsham, Misha Kahn, Andrés Reisinger, Alexis Christodolou, design studio Six N Five and architecture firm Hard Architects - were called upon to lend their talents to designing these virtual abodes, thirty in total, all certified with non-fungible tokens and therefore unique works of art in their own right. “In the metaverse, one does not need to adhere to the many constraints that exist when creating spaces, exhibitions, and art works in the physical world”, said Daniel Arsham. “When designing for The Row, I considered how my sculptures would appear from inside this unique piece of architecture. I’m excited and eager to see how people might engage with these pieces of architecture once they're deployed in the metaverse”.

The Row will be available on 26 different virtual reality platforms, although only the first of these has been announced as of yet: Mona. Janine Yorio, CEO of Everyrealm, explains how factors such as physics and weather are of no consequence in virtual reality: “The metaverse has no limitations other than human ingenuity. The Row brings together visionary artists best known for their architectural landscapes and collectors seeking a unique, limited edition residence that they can deploy across many different metaverses over time”.

Each of the ‘3D Architectural Landmarks’ created for The Row will be sold as a unique property, thus creating an exclusive neighbourhood of sorts which can be accessed via multiple different channels. Some of the works of architecture, such as Reisinger’s, take a more rational, real-world approach, whilst with the creations of other artists - Misha Kahn, for example - the feeling is very much one of entering an abstract painting rather than anything resembling a home. Alexis Christodolou’s contribution is “the metaverse's first levitation centre”, which aims to create a “spiritual transition into a digital existence”. Six N Five, meanwhile, wanted to pay homage to the cellular organism, whereas the virtual house designed by Hard Architects, dubbed ‘The Pearl’, features a style somewhere between geometric abstract art and minimalistic avant-gardism.

Novel though it seems, The Row is just one of a whole host of places with a similar concept, such as the ‘Metaverse Hotel’ created by CitizenM, or the virtual skyscraper by British firm PLP Architects, which made 5000 housing units available for sale as NFTs. Design for the sphere of the metaverse is only continuing to expand, bound by no limits except human ingenuity - as Janine Yorio says - or humanity’s desire to spend an increasing amount of time in virtual reality.

Cib

Credits: TheRow, Everyrealm, The Alexander Team, Monaverse
Creators: Daniel Arsham (01), Alexis Christodolou (02-04), Hard Architects (05-07), Six N Five (08-11), Misha Kahn (12-14), Andrés Reisinger (15-17).

www.therow.everyrealm.com
www.thealexanderteam.com
www.monaverse.com
www.everyrealm.com

---

GALLERY