SciArt Lab Metaverse Branch

[dgrmunch]

SciArt Lab Metaverse Branch

IMPORTANT: Do you want to become a patron of the SciArt Lab? We will publish your name/brand in our sponsors wall. You can contribute with $ETH, $MANA or any ERC20 token to 0x7fCAD8632C69b6489455Be08b690B41AA52B2146

Description:

The SciArt Lab is a Research and Development Lab for the open exploration of Science, Art and Technology. We believe in a world built on overlapped transnational and distributed networks. We never liked physical and national boundaries, so we mainly operate in the cyberspace. And soon we will open a campus in the distributed metaverse thanks to the patronage of Decentraland.

Project Lead: Diego Gonzalez - contact@sciartlab.com

Team: SciArt Lab

Goal: Our main goal is to enable unconventional research and creative prototyping in innovative and unusual ways. We combine artistic explorations with fun science and technological implementations, hacking traditional ontological and epistemological constraints, building bridges beyond the limits imposed by a specific academic field. Studying uses of VR for research, therapy and education, discovering new methods to teach science, understanding the inner nature of social agents, playing with artificial intelligence models, composing music with genetic algorithms, simulating complex adaptive systems, exploring cognitive science with artistic representations or experimenting with new techniques for visual expression through photography or virtual reality.

Category: Private (managed by an external entity: SciArtLab.com)

LAND Needed: 200 contiguous parcels for main facilities + extra donations

Startup Costs: This is an open-ended project, so every contribution will be welcomed.

How will funds be raised:

Patronage would be our preferred way of funding; it fits with our philosophy and it helps us to create with freedom while producing open commons. However, in combination with commons-based production supported by patronage-based funding, we are a private initiative and our economical model will be for-profit. In that regard, we will raise funds in different ways:

• Individuals and organizations can become patrons of the SciArt Lab. You can contribute with $ETH, $MANA or any ERC20 token to 0x7fCAD8632C69b6489455Be08b690B41AA52B2146. For donations in other cryptocurrencies, feel free to contact us. We would really appreciate your help. Contributors will be advertised in the district. We will have a wall of sponsors to promote the names/brands of contributors in our facilities.
• We will offer NFTs linked to our artistic production. That way we will offer artistic value and long-term investment possibilities.
• We will allow other artists and creators to sell their own work in campus by paying a fee.
• We will offer LAND leasing for projects which align with our interests and values.
• We will offer free and non-free courses to support our educational model.

Collaborations and orientation towards commons:

• Despite having a for-profit economic model, we are commons-oriented by nature. So most of the content, resources and exhibits in the SciArt Lab Campus will be initially free, supported by voluntary donations. However, as said, we will have revenue sources as already described to support our business model.

• We have collaborations with different universities and research centers. So we will continue contributing to global research in fields like neuroscience, education and economy.

• We will host the SciArtist-in-Residence program, a low-friction platform to offer collaborative space for creators. We will offer cheap or free space for selected commons-oriented projects and early contributors; we will accept donations from the different members of the program which are oriented to commons production though, as a way of reciprocal help. We will also host for-profit initiatives which can afford a formal leasing in the district as a way to make profitable and sustainable our project.

How will contributors see a return value:

• Commons-oriented production: We will generate value and innovation within the growing ecosystem. We will deliver open commons and content like we have been producing so far. The SciArt Lab Metaverse branch is an extension of our already existing project, so we will continue delivering research outcomes, open prototypes and value as we have done so far.

• Use of LAND and NFTs investment: LAND leaseholders and investors in cryptoart NFTs will be able to use our infrastructure to support their own projects, economic initiatives and investments.

• We will also advertise services so sponsors are welcome.

Partners

• Magg Architecture
• Decentraland

Note for contributors of extra parcels:

This project is a private initiative for the development of a VR branch of our already-existing lab (http://sciartlab.com). Developing this project as a district gives us enough freedom to guarantee the autonomy of the lab while creating a community around our field(s) and values.

We will build the main facilities of the SciArt Lab Metaverse Branch on 200 parcels (which have been donated by Decentraland to our project). The development of these 200 parcels will take place by our team in collaboration with Magg Architecture.

Despite these 200 parcels, for any extra parcel donated to the district, we would like to offer certain degree of freedom, as long as the content and the goals of the contributors have similarities with our interests.

As land donors, even though the property of the land would be managed by the lab, you will be automatically considered members of our community of "SciArtists in Residence". This would be a community of like-minded residents in campus, open to different kinds of collaborations :)

In that sense, we don't see any problem if you want to develop your own small art gallery/private lab. Rather, we find it very exciting. You can even use up to 90-95% of your contributed parcels to develop personal enterprises. As long as you produce innovative or creative outcomes in line with our mindset, you will be producing value for the community.

So you are very welcome to build your building for private use while sharing part of your work with us. Furthermore, as a "SciArtist in Residence", if the content that you create in your land and the projects that you develop are interesting, we will also publish and promote them in our website and social media channels.

As it has been exposed, the SciArt Lab is a private initiative. So in that sense we will not manage the district as a DAO. Being a "SciArtist in Residence" is like having a spot in a university campus to develop your own project/startup/initiative. So if you are an early donor, you will get the benefit of free leasing. Otherwise, you will have go to through our leasing program, become a partner or sponsor, sign a a leasing agreement or apply to be a SciArtist in Residence, depending on the nature of your project.

We will have specific aesthetic rules for the buildings in the district though. Not very constrained but just to keep a reasonable look-and-feel in the area. We will expose those rules once the auction is done and we have a general idea about the number of contributors. We still have to define that policy with our architecture lead. Additionally, we will define some basic content constraints for the district to avoid a bad use of the land for non-related topics, offensive content, etc... That would not be a big deal, just common-sense policies to guarantee a peaceful development of everyone's goals.

Eventually we will launch the official campaign for our "SciArtists in Residence" program to lease space for other creators, developers, artists, startups, open-source projects... etc in the initial 200 parcels. There will be some requirements and a selection process for that purpose. However, if you have contributed land, you would be a "de facto" SciArtist in Residence skipping part of the official process.

As long as you follow some basic policies, you may be considered a permanent member of the program. This category of collaborator would imply that you will have freedom to develop your own personal projects with a permanent space, as long as your projects are aligned with some of our interests (science, art, technology, innovation, research...) and 5-10% of your contributed land is used for common ground.

So please, if you want to contribute to the project or are looking for a collaboration in the terms previously described, send us an email to contact@sciartlab.com with a documented proposal.

More info: http://www.sciartlab.com Follow us on Twitter: @sciartlab

[Fluidified]

Hi SciArt Lab!

I love the idea of a place for science and art and I already contributed some LAND (it might even become more). My question is if I may use this land also to build my little site. I plan to let it have a private as well as a public area where I like to show things I am currently working on. I haven’t decided if I like to have the “showroom” inside or outside the house.

Are there any rules yet? Do you agree with the idea that let's say at least 30% (or maybe 50%) of the contributed area must be accessible to the community and visitors of SciArt Lab and is supposed to be actively used for showing art and/or science? The rest of the contributed land could then be used by the individual as he/she wishes (e.g. building a house/small art gallery/private lab or rooms and much more…)?

I think that giving individuals the right to stay and build there own place as they wish as long as they share some of their space and knowledge with decentralands citizens would be an essential rule for the district of SciArt lab to grow now and in the future.

Also, I saw that there are discussions about where the new districts will be located. Can you influence this? It would be great if we will be next to the university such that we can give and/or attend classes by just walking there.

Best wishes, Fluid

[MethaneRain84]

Hey guys!

Super new to the tech and crypto world in general but I have a few questions about your space. I dedicated the min of 1000 MANA for this project because I have been building little circuits for not too long and have a physics background.

This seemed like a great little space for my current and hopeful future projects. I am very new at programming and am a bit lost on what to do if I actually get some land for this project. Would I need to hire someone to help build on my land?

Also do you think the interest is in this project? Do you know what kind of feeling you have for the success of it?

Thanks and sorry for all the questions.

[dgrmunch]

Hi @Fluidified, @MethaneRain84!

I am glad you have contributed to the district! I have updated the main description of the district so everybody can read now a more detailed explanation: https://github.com/decentraland/districts/issues/78

We will keep updating this document. Hope this clarifies your doubts ;)

Thanks!

[dgrmunch]

@MethaneRain84 it is cool that you been building little circuits for a whole and have a physics background. Send us a proposal when what you want to develop. In case you need help for the construction process, go to chat.decentraland.org and somebody will help you. I expect that in some months the editor will be very easy to use and complete ;)

[dgrmunch]

@Fluidified I forgot to tell you that we are discussing with the team of Decentraland the location of the district. So far it looks like we would have a good spot in Genesis City but we will let you know soon ;)

[MethaneRain84]

@dgrmunch Thanks for the response! It is energizing to hear more about the project, I can't turn my brain off to all the potential this and the larger decentraland project have.

Thanks for all the guidance as this has quickly become much more complicated than I first thought, not a bad thing just trying to keep up :) I am responsible for the constructing of my own space on the LAND, which I can get help with at the main decentraland chat. Then I would come to you with proposals for projects I'm working on, once accepted they would be part of my personal space?

Again I am very new so I apologize if any of these questions are too newb.

[dgrmunch]

Exactly :) And no apologies! We all are pioneers in an unexplored land :)

[Fluidified]

Thank you for all the information! I have a very good feeling that I can contribute content that fits to the scope of Sci Art lab. I’m a scientist and hope to find a space to demonstrate physics. Instead of using pure math I feel that there are more intuitive ways using a combined approach based on 3D models. I have some larger goals in mind but like to start with small steps first. Once Decentraland is ready to be populated or at least when there is a clear roadmap for SciArt Lab I will be ready to send proposals.

I’m looking forward to creating with you!

[MethaneRain84]

@dgrmunch I don't know where else to turn, I still can't get into the auction and wondering if anyone else is able to bid in your district yet? I can't get any response from admins or devs on the decentraland chat board and seems most people are getting in.

[dgrmunch]

Hi @MethaneRain84! Unfortunately, the auction already started, so currently is impossible to stake $MANA for district land. However, there are different ways to collaborate with the SciArt Lab. As I have explained in a comment previously, we will launch eventually the "SciArtists is Residence" program. The lab will launch that program in order to host organizations or people who want to develop their own project within our campus. We will offer low cost leasing so, if your project fits with one of our topics of interest, you will be able to have a space in the SciArt Lab Metaverse branch at that point ;)

[dgrmunch]

Document updated ;)