A collection of virtual elixirs, each one providing a solution for a single aspiration, comes to life inside Sense of Promise. Fantasies and unattainable perfections lie behind the closed doors of five digital rooms in Superficial Studio's browser-based virtual world, set to the sounds of Ruven. Each contains a tonic consisting of hopes and dreams. Real bitcoins can be used to purchase the opportunities to be young, wise, happy, powerful and brave—the trick is that each antidote is a one-of-a-kind digital artifact. Ruven
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Belinda Chen and Andrew Kupresanin, creators of the virtual repository of modern aspirations, started the project by reflecting on a cultural tendency of buying the latest “sure-bet” miracle product. “Undeniably many of us are more invested in belief than in reality," they tell The Creators Project. "Say a premium anti-aging cosmetic costs $100 while a similarly effective non-branded moisturizer costs $10. The premium cosmetic is 90% perceived value, and 10% material benefit. By removing the 10% material benefit [with Sense of Promise] we’re catering solely to the consumption of beliefs."
This perpetual search, however, based on a belief in quantifiable benefits, could simply be satisfied by exploring the virtual space's dark rooms. Each is filled with ancient symbols offering you a path to absolute knowledge. But as soon as someone obtains a magical elixir, it disappears from public view while the virtual empty wonderland remains.
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