The Sandbox hosts its first wedding, Hollywood actor auctions NFT of eye and more

by · September 20, 2022

The Sandbox hosts its first wedding, Hollywood actor auctions NFT of eye and more

Decentralized blockchain-based metaverse The Sandbox has held its first hybrid digital-real-world wedding on its metaverse.

The bride and groom, Singaporean couple Joanne Tham and Clarence Chan, CEO of music company Bandwagon, celebrated their marriage on Saturday in a “70s disco glam” themed wedding, which took place in a digital replica of Singapore’s famous Alkaff Mansion.

While the pair were physically present in a real hotel location with some guests, their digital avatars were also present in The Sandbox metaverse and could be seen by guests joining remotely. The event was hosted by The Sandbox co-founder and operations manager Sebastien Borget in a digital avatar form.

After their first virtual kiss as husband and wife, the couple left the Metaverse to continue their celebration offline.

The wedding was the result of a collaboration between 1-Group, Smobler Studios and The Sandbox, with Web3 design agency Smobler Studios recreating The Alkaff Mansion and its distinctive architecture in The Sandbox. 1-Group manages the real manor counterpart.

Watching an NFT auction

Hollywood star Javier Bardem is set to ‘donate’ a close-up of his iris via an NFT as part of a fundraising campaign aimed at restoring sight to people in developing countries.

Bardem, a renowned Spanish actor and director is known for his roles spanning his 30-year career, including Dune, James Bond Skyfall and his award-winning performance in No country for old men.

The image of his eye will be auctioned off by Ojos del Mundo (Eyes of the World Foundation) on September 29, with a starting price of $9,027, or 9,000 euros. The digital photograph will come in the form of a non-fungible token (NFT) and will also come with a printed image signed and dedicated by the actor himself.

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Part of the group’s new fundraising campaign, Iris of the World, the Eyes of the World Foundation hopes to raise enough money to expand “lines of action and/or promote new projects in the Saharawi camps, Mozambique, Bolivia or Mali.”

“I am delighted to partner with ‘Irises del mundo’ by donating a photograph of my iris for auction and continue to help the foundation’s work on avoidable blindness,” Bardem said in a statement.

Javier Bardem is the first celebrity to support the initiative by “donating” his iris, but the group has teased other auctions at some point in the future without revealing specific names.

NFTs are set to be a “hole-in-one”

The PGA TOUR, which runs a series of men’s golf tournaments in the US and North America, has partnered with NFT marketplace Autograph to create a golf-based NFT platform.

Set to launch sometime in 2023, the deal will allow golf fans to purchase digital content featuring their favorite players and moments from the archives and the current FedExCup season.

PGA TOUR NFT collectors will also have a chance to access exclusive digital experiences, in person and on-site.

PGA Tour legal director Len Brown said the latest partnership is aimed at engaging fans and bringing them closer to the game and their favorite players.

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Autograph is an NFT marketplace co-founded by National Football League (NFL) quarterback Tom Brady, which has also featured NFT collections of top-ranked tennis pro Rafael Nadal and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Indianapolis 500 collection.

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The PGA joins other major sports leagues in insisting on agreements to enter the Web3 space.

The NFL and National Basketball Association (NBA) both have long-term deals with Flow blockchain creator Dapper Labs, and Major League Baseball (MLB) also has an NFT partnership with Candy Digital.

Palm Beach is getting its own NFT restaurant

Downtown West Palm Beach, Florida has become home to a new NFT restaurant, Vinyl Fish Club (VFC).

Using blockchain technology, the restaurant uses NFTs as membership tokens for diners to access special events both on and off the premises, as well as a concierge service.

Membership also provides access to a special food menu, whiskey tasting and VFC’s private room for after-hours cocktails and tastings.

The tokens trade for a floor price of one Ether (ETH), with a total of 50 available.

The restaurant is open to the public, but VFC says they will give priority to members when it comes to seating.

More good news:

Despite Minecraft creator Mojang Studios being against the integration of NFTs, one metaverse-focused company managed to introduce NFTs into several games, including its own Minecraft server.

Japanese gaming giants are positioning themselves for mainstream blockchain gaming adoption, despite potential backlash from the gaming community.