The virtual church from Nadya Tolokonnikova and Metajuice will feature NFTs and special events, supporting LGBTQIA+ causes.
Pussy Riot is establishing a business in the metaverse. IMVU and Nadya Tolokonnikova, founder of Pussy Riot, announced the launch of Utopia, a Web3 community space, during NFT NYC on Wednesday.
IMVU was founded in 2004 as a 3-D virtual world and social network platform where users can create personalized avatars, explore various virtual destinations, and engage in conversation and events with others.
Tolokonnikova, who has a history of utilizing Web3 technology to champion significant social causes, played a key role in establishing the Ukraine DAO. This initiative was established with the aim of raising funds to assist individuals impacted by the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Additionally, Tolokonnikova was involved in the creation of Unicorn DAO, which was established to provide support to artists who identify as women or as members of the LGBTQ+ community.
Likewise, Utopia provides a digital platform known as the “Pink Church” to cultivate parity between genders, encourage advocacy and ethical principles, and advance camaraderie, individuality, and ingenuity.
“It has always been a dream of mine to create a Pink Church of Feminism,” Tolokonnikova said in a statement. “Eventually, I’ll find a way to build it in real life. But the first step is to launch this vision in the metaverse.”
“It’s very thrilling to launch Utopia in IMVU and make it feminist, queer, diverse and radical,” she added.
Long before Web3 was a gleam in Satoshi Nakamoto’s eye and the concept of constructing a metaverse was confined to the pages of Neal Stephenson’s Snow Crash, online games such as Second Life, Gaia Online, and IMVU built bridges between social media and virtual environments.
IMVU says there will be four exclusive NFT drops for Utopia. The first one will happen on April 14. The digital collectibles can be used with IMVU avatars by the people who own them. North Caucasus SOS, a Chechen organization that assists LGBTQIA+ individuals in the region, will receive a portion of the proceeds from the sale of the artifacts.
Tolokonnikova showed off the collection at an invite-only event at NFT NYC. Those who went had the chance to get a free exclusive NFT.
When the Utopia Quest starts on April 17 at noon PST, players will be able to look around the Pink Church and get an NFT reward. In June, there will also be a Pride party to celebrate the LGBTQ+ community.
The Russian Interior Ministry added the artist and activist Tolokonnikova to its list of individuals sought last month.
Content Source: decrypt.com
