Sept. 22 – Oct. 3, 2023
The Inaugural International Festival Celebrates Intersection of Street Art and New Technologies with Blockchain-Powered Scavenger Hunt, Augmented Reality Sculpture Garden, and Other State-of-the-Art Activations
DENVER WALLS, a new international mural festival and part of the globally renowned WORLDWIDE WALLS (FKA POW! WOW!), has unveiled the partner organizations powering the festival’s technology-centric activations taking place throughout the festival Sept. 22 – Oct. 3. Activations will be held throughout RiNo Art District, which is the presenting sponsor of DENVER WALLS, and will include an augmented reality sculpture garden from ILLUST, projection-mapped murals by LightBrush and DSDI, and a blockchain scavenger hunt powered by COZ.
“Colorado is known for operating in both the organic and technological/mechanical worlds, and the tech integrations we’re featuring at DENVER WALLS will celebrate a fusion of those worlds,” said Ally Grimm (aka A.L. Grime), the Denver-based artist spearheading the festival. “Art and technology are two of our most important educational tools for evolving communal perspectives. So, in addition to highlighting Colorado as a leader in the integration of art and technology, we sought to curate a lineup of artists and activations that elevate our collective understanding of the world around us and showcase the creatives driving this new frontier in physical and digital art.”
During the festival, attendees are encouraged to participate in a blockchain-powered scavenger hunt that sends visitors on a quest around the RiNo Art District to explore each mural. Featured on each mural will be a custom bronze plaque with RFID and QR code technology that can be scanned to learn more about the artist, as well as earn points that can be redeemed for exclusive festival merchandise.
The bronze plaques, powered by COZ, will initially be limited to DENVER WALLS commissioned murals, with a long-term goal to produce plaques for all murals throughout RiNo, which could then be activated year-round by the District and local businesses to offer limited-time specials and promotions.
Additional tech-forward activations integrated throughout the festival include:
- Sept. 21 | School of Motion Meetup w/ DENVER WALLS @ Ratio Beerworks — Hear guest speakers from DENVER WALLS and technology partners COZ and Waveform.exp dive into how new technologies are being interwoven in street art, and learn about some of the tech integrations coming to the RiNo Art District for this year’s festival.
- Sept. 22 | Projection Mapped Mural From Nychos @ Mission Ballroom — Beginning around sunset and leading into Ben Bohmer’s scheduled show at Mission Ballroom, LightBrush will be projection mapping the newly completed mural from Berlin-based artist Nychos.
- Sept. 22 | Augmented Reality Sculpture Garden @ Mission Ballroom — Explore an augmented reality sculpture garden presented by technology partner ILLUST, where multiple 3D sculptures hidden from the naked eye will be virtually displayed for visitors who scan the plaza’s activated QR codes.
- Sept. 30 | Projection Mapped Mural From Greg Mike @ 2900 Larimer St. Block — Taking place in tandem with DENVER WALLS Street Fair, Atlanta-based artist Greg Mike will have his mural brought to life with a projection mapping experience at The Block Distilling in partnership with DSDI.
“In the last decade, the RiNo Art District has become the innovation hub for the Denver’s arts community, offering a vibrant, progressive environment that attracts creatives from around the world,” said Charity Von Guinness, executive director of RiNo Art District, which is the presenting sponsor and a creative partner for the event. “The fusion of art, technology, and community happening throughout DENVER WALLS is the perfect showcase for the pioneering spirit that defines both our arts and tech culture here in Denver.”
For more information on DENVER WALLS artists and activations, visit www.denverwalls.com and follow the festival on social media @DenverWallsFestival.