Award-winning multimedia artist Amrita Sethi will unveil her first 3D waveform Voice Note Art concept, “What The NFT?!” (WTNFT?!), on 7th May during an online exhibition hosted by NFT marketplace Terra Virtua. Two limited editions of the artwork will be auctioned immediately afterwards during a 24-hour auction.

Using the soundwave of the spoken words “What The NFT” as the foundation of her piece, Amrita’s artwork combines audio, video and story-telling to trace an immersive journey through the emergence and development of the non-fungible token (NFT) industry.

The 3D animation edition is Amrita’s most ambitious piece to date, allowing participants to flow through and around a visualisation of the verbal phrase. The artwork is interwoven with immersive and symbolic representations of the technology, and symbolism of the NFT and crypto space to date.

A 2D edition will also be available which looks to create a bridge between the physical and virtual worlds. Amrita provides an explanation of the history and evolution of the NFT space, while also celebrating and honouring key pivotal and historical moments for those more familiar with the crypto world.

The two artworks will be sold as NFTs in a 24-hour auction on 7th May via Terra Virtua’s marketplace – the 3D piece has a reserve price of £100,000, with £50,000 set for the 2D edition.

Prior to the unveiling of “WTNFT?!” collectors can experience a live exhibition of Amrita’s Voice Note Art held within Terra Virtua’s immersive VR gallery. At 5:30pm BST, the exhibition will be streamed live on the Terra Virtua Twitch channel. At the end of the exhibition, the 24-hour auction will begin on the Terra Virtua website.

For her “WTNFT?!” VNA Amrita was keen to express herself in the 3D realm, explaining: “This is the first time I have applied 3D visualisation techniques to my Voice Note Art concept. I believe this allows me to create dynamic art, while harnessing the creative advantages of NFT art.

“Before I discovered NFT art, Voice Note Art was limited to 2D. Now I am able to really capture the dynamic aspect and flow of sound to take the viewer off the page, and through new dimensions in order to experience the art through a deeper multisensory experience.”

The first UAE-based NFT artist, Amrita was born and raised in Kenya, is a British citizen of Indian origin and has lived in Switzerland, Zimbabwe, Uganda, and the United Kingdom, before moving to Dubai in 2007.

Amrita’s process involves recording a voice note of a word or phrase, and capturing the unique shape and structure of its sound wave. She then hand draws each vertical line into individual images and symbols that encapsulate its intrinsic aspects and essence, thus blending the shape of the sound with its meanings and associations.

Reflective of this international diversity, Amrita’s work combines traditional storytelling with the energy and technology of the modern world. Her original Voice Note Art concept won the “Outstanding Artist Award” at World Art Dubai in 2019, and was selected for Expo 2020.

Jen Naiff, Head of Marketing and Digital Growth at Terra Virtua said: “We’re excited to showcase Amrita’s innovative and beautiful work, especially as it moves into an immersive 3D realm for the first time. “WTNFT?!” VNA represents a natural evolution of Amrita’s unique process and style, capturing an important moment of change. NFTs are disrupting the way we create, consume and think about art, and this auction allows collectors to be part of this pivotal development.”