VesselVerse: A Tribute to Basketball and Art through NFTs

The VesselVerse isn't just a collection of digital assets; it represents a groundbreaking fusion of basketball's dynamic culture with the innovative realm of blockchain technology. The art was spearheaded by Victor Solomon, the renowned artist behind the redesigned NBA trophies, and 3D capture technologist Andrew Kenney, this project transcends traditional NFTs to celebrate basketball as a vessel for creativity, community, and innovation.

The Visionary Process Behind VesselVerse

At the heart of VesselVerse lies the collaborative genius of Victor Solomon's detailed basketball sculptures and Andrew Kenney's 3D capture techniques. Their synergy has birthed an algorithmically generated cosmos of 9,125 unique digital collectibles. Each Vessel is a masterpiece, embodying the spirit of basketball in a digital format that's both nostalgically familiar and refreshingly innovative.

Bringing the VesselVerse to life required not just creative vision but also a robust technical foundation. Our team was instrumental in constructing the digital infrastructure that powers the VesselVerse. From the ground up, we developed a seamless web3 integration that bridges the gap between Solomon's artistic vision and the blockchain world.

Genesis Vessel

The Genesis Vessel sets the foundational aesthetic and community ethos for the VesselVerse, endowing its holders with enhanced governance rights and a pivotal role within the ecosystem. This initiative kicked off with a free mint, allowing early adopters to claim their piece of history directly from the minting site we developed.

Season 1 Auctions

Season 1 of VesselVerse introduced a novel approach to NFT auctions, utilizing a fork of the Nouns auction protocol with an hourly release rhythm. This ensured a vibrant, continuously engaging marketplace where each auction's conclusion seamlessly initiated the next. Our server, monitoring smart contract events, managed auctions with precision, optimizing gas prices for cost-effective transactions.

Season 2 Mint

Following the auction phase, Season 2's public mint coincided with the NBA All-Star Weekend, introducing a fresh array of Vessels. Minting took place on the same platform, with each new Vessel being revealed upon minting, adding an element of surprise and excitement to the collector experience.

The Backbone of VesselVerse: Our Tech Stack

• Smart Contract: Utilizing Solidity, we crafted the smart contract that underpins our NFT collection on the Ethereum blockchain, ensuring security, efficiency, and scalability.
• Back End Development: Our server infrastructure, hosted on AWS ECS and leveraging web3.py, listens for smart contract events, facilitating seamless auction transitions and optimizing transaction costs.
• Web Development: The custom-built website, designed with React, TailwindCSS, HTML, and SASS, offers an intuitive and engaging user experience for collectors and enthusiasts alike.
• Web3 Interactions: Integrating the wagmi library, we enabled robust interactions between the website and the Ethereum blockchain, ensuring a smooth and secure minting process.