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Press Release
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Animated opera reimagining Bizet’s Carmen, exploring sexuality, consent, tragedy & rebirth.
Opera, fine art and couture may seem a world away from the digital images normally associated with NFTs. One year since the record-breaking sale of Beeple's $69m jpeg, we launch the L'AMOUR REBELLE NFT, a new kind of performance grounded in centuries of tradition.
On Tuesday March 29th, Authentify Art and partners will invite 100 guests into a specially constructed dome to launch the NFTLA VIP programme. Mezzosoprano Merav Eldan will appear to float in a custom dress by Rami Kadi; composer Zachary Whitney will conduct an acoustic ensemble; and Leo Crane's charcoal animations will envelope the audience.
The project reimagines the classic aria Habanera from Georges Bizet’s Carmen. It is a collaboration between Figuration fine art studio (UK), Electrifying Opera (Israel) and Rami Kadi couture (Lebanon), presented by Authentify Art (USA) and partners. It has been made possible thanks to the opportunities to share and create in global NFT communities.
This historic moment will be available to collect as a series of NFTs with unique physical utility. These include a film with Executive Producer opportunity, limited edition vinyl records, original charcoal drawings, as well as a Time Capsule created and sealed at the World Premiere performance.
“There’s a conflict between digital precision and the messy sensuality of the physical world. Where they meet is where we feel the real impact of technology today. In L’ amour rebelle, we’re showing how traditional artforms can be centered and elevated through web 3, connecting our textured human existence with the promise of the virtual realm.”
“Carmen immediately throws you to a world of power and beauty. We wanted to keep its glory while stepping away from the piece and making it into something new. The arrangement is a darker interpretation of the aria’s lyrical content, where following one’s own passion is the central theme, whether in personal relationships or in our relationships with progressively intrusive technologies.”
COUTURE
For the performance, Rami Kadi has dressed Merav in a delicate off-white gown, with hand-embroidered water sequins placed over an off-white silk chiffon fabric, with asymmetrically placed ethically-sourced ostrich feathers. Merav will also wear Rami’s Black Kaftan Lucid Algorithms Gown (featured in this video), embroidered with sequins and beads as a physical replication of one of Rami Kadi's NFTs, featuring a border of colored cruelty free feathers. This Spring-Summer 2022 gown is a delicately hand-made couture piece with over 400 hours of making. This dress is an example of how the physical and virtual worlds can merge in fashion, further venturing into the world of real-life NFTs.
MEDIA IMAGES
All images © Figuration/Electrifying Opera 2022
Notes to editors
Credits
Directed and animated by Leo Crane
Musical arrangement by Zachary Whitney
Vocals performed by Merav Eldan
Featuring Roy Joseph Butler
Couture by Rami Kadi Maison de Couture
Presented by Authentify Art and partners
A Figuration / Electrifying Opera production
About Electrifying Opera
Electrifying Opera is the collaborative creation of musicians Zachary Whitney (composer/producer) & Merav Eldan (opera singer). Partners in life as well as in musical endeavors, they have revolutionized the NFT space by releasing the first ever Opera NFT, exploring the boundaries between electronic and traditional western music. So far, they have rearranged and produced some of the greatest pieces from the operatic repertoire. Their first original piece is due to be released in April.
About Figuration
Figuration is a creative studio in London, UK, founded by animator Leo Crane and writer/performer Roy Joseph Butler. Using a unique blend of visual storytelling and group engagement, they reveal stories that connect us to our world. Their productions are regularly screened and exhibited in festivals and art spaces, winning international acclaim and multiple awards.
About Authentify Art
Authentify Art protects the integrity of artworks globally while providing artists, collectors, galleries, and museums with secure solutions. Their secure art identification technology connects physical assets to digital data, creating trust for the market and unparalleled access to art.
About NFTLA
NFT | LA is an integrated conference experience: an epic IRL conference fused with immersive Metaverse integrations and the robust nightlife scene of Los Angeles. Explore the city of angels and journey into its new role as a global conduit for the adoption of web3 in sports, music, art, and entertainment.
About Rami Kadi Maison de Couture
Rami Kadi is a Lebanese-American fashion designer. As a pioneer in fashion technology, he has recently embarked on a journey of digital fashion by immersing his couture collections in the Metaverse. He launched his first Spring-Summer 2022 NFT collection, entitled Lucid Algorithms, on the Cardano blockchain. This collection combines Rami Kadi’s couture creativity with the Algorithm’s computation of it, in the first ever human-machine couture collaboration of this scale in the fashion world.