KL NFT ConFest extends to a 7-day affair in August, Free Malaysia Today joins metaverse

Last week, we talked about attending an exclusive NFT event organised by NFT Pangolin and Miss Universe Malaysia Organization (MUMO). If you’re thinking of attending an NFT event yourself too, here’s some good news.

In two months, there’ll be a festival held in Kuala Lumpur that’s all about NFTs, and the tickets are already being sold now.

M1NTED becomes a 7-day festival

In April, we reported that M1NTED, a local NFT ConFest, would be held at the Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre in June. Before you panic and think you’ve missed your opportunity to get tickets, M1NTED has actually moved their dates to August 22 to 28.

That’s right, it’s no longer a two-day event like we thought. According to a tweet from the team, M1NTED has extended their fest to last seven whole days instead due to “overwhelming support”. The actual conference still lasts for two days, though, as the five additional days are dedicated to “pocket events”.

To recap, this ConFest (meaning conference and festival) aims to better understand NFTs through panels, activations, airdrops, NFT showcases, and more.

M1NTED has also released a list of speakers on its website, including:

The tickets are already available, with two types up for grabs. General Access tickets, which cost RM154 per ticket, include admission to the conference at KLPAC for both days, 27 and 28 August. They also get access to all pocket events from 22 to 25 August.

VIP tickets are priced at RM704, and they offer everything the General Access does along with additional perks such as front-row seats during the conference, three meals at Tiffin by the Yard, free flow of light bites and beverages, access to closed networking events, and an invitation to a WrapUp party.  

So, will you be attending the ConFest this coming August?

FMT joins the metaverse

Free Malaysia Today (FMT), the independent news online portal, is collaborating with Mart Expo, a network of artists from around the world.

According to FMT’s article, more than 100 artists will be showcased through the collaboration, with half of them being Malaysians. Under the collaboration, artists will showcase 500 works of art both online and offline. The art will also be minted into NFTs.

The collaboration was launched by the tourism, arts and culture minister, Nancy Shukri. Ambassadors and diplomats from Argentina, Azerbaijan, Belgium, Croatia, Cuba, the Netherlands, Namibia, Senegal, Kuwait, Iran, Ghana, and Tajikstan were reported to be in attendance.

Azeem Abu Bakar, FMT’s managing director, said that the company, as a web-native business, recognises the relevance of blockchain technology, especially concerning the emergence of art-based NFTs.

“And as the largest English news portal in Malaysia, we are committed to bringing added value to this amazing community,” he said.

Penang artist turns slaps into NFTs

Pelempunk is an NFT artist that Vulcan Post is no stranger to. We first featured the creator in another roundup article for his rendition of the infamous Oscar slap.

While writing, we learnt that all of Pelempunk’s NFTs involve slaps. After all, his name comes from the Malay word pelempang, which means slap or smack. Amused and intrigued by the artist’s concept, we decided to reach out to write a full feature on him.

Turns out, Haizeel, the Malaysian behind Pelempunk, is an animator from Penang who has been doing art since he was a kid. He graduated from MMU University, Cyberjaya in 2013 with a major in Film and Animation, which comes in handy for his full-time animation job as well as his part-time work in NFTs.

The reason why he decided to go with the slap motif was that he found it humorous and relatable. To learn more about Haizeel’s story, check out our article on him.

Joining the climate controversy convo

If you’re in any way involved with NFTs or blockchain technology in general, you would have heard all the debates over the tech’s impact on the climate.

Despite criticisms from climate activists on the subject matter, the NFT scene only seems to be growing every day. Blockchains such as Ethereum and Bitcoin are still operating on proof-of-work protocols, which are very energy-intensive and therefore bad for the environment.

The good news is that platforms such as Ethereum have been working to shift to proof-of-stake instead, and there are also more proof-of-stake blockchains now such as Tezos, Solana, and more. But there are still some environmental issues tied to the tech that we can’t ignore.

We wrote an explainer article that delves into the specifics of NFTs and the climate, so if you’re confused or curious, you can check it out to learn more.

Featured Image Credit: M1NTED / Pelempunk