Refraction & The Future of Festivals

With over 1,600 members worldwide, including founding artists Nate Boyce, and Lorna Mills, the DAO has collective goals of uplifting artists, creating community and building modes of collaboration. Refraction DAO (decentralized autonomous organization) looks at the festival model as both an opportunity for tangible experiences, but also as a system that needs reinvention. And if you’re going to take a construct and blow it up, the best way to do it is with the help of 1,600 people.

Festivals are a model for collective experiences: encompassing artists, staff, partners, volunteers, and audiences. By focusing on community participation and ownership, Refraction is taking the traditional festival model and flipping it into a platform for expression and progress — and for their debut at Miami Design Week, they did just that. Contemporary artists, cutting-edge musicians and on-chain creatives gathered at the Future of Cities Climate + Innovation Hub to experience the pillars of the DAO IRL with musical acts including Yaeji, Jimmy Edgar, Sel.6, Space Afrika, Debit, Marie Davidson, Doss, INVT.

Over 60 visual artists, including Alex Gibson, Andy Rolfes, Elna Frederick, Laya Mathikshara, Mark Dorf, Raphaël Moreira Goncalves, and Suren Seneviratne + hypereikon created site-specific works that were minted live throughout the festival. Central to the dynamic works was curator Dina Chang. Diana Chang prioritized Refraction’s core value for the season–Creatives First”–with the help of Refraction co-founder Malcolm Levy, and selected artists that embody Refraction’s mission to promote diversity and support underserved communities. “I believe in artists, and I believe in art,” said Chang. “The best thing a person in my position can do is champion the voices and talents of others. In short, I’m always a fan, of those I meet and of those I know.”

Chang drew on subcultures and historic movements for inspiration, including legendary artists that have been active in the space since the '80s and '90s, like Krist Wood from Computers Club. Whether fresh or historical, established or lesser known, Chang’s curator style balanced progressive emerging talent, including the best new creatives coming out of Latin America, with more familiar names in the digital art sphere.

Many of the participating artists were recipients of Refraction Season 03’s Creative Grants programme, where artists are awarded across 3 funding tiers allocated across events, community programming, and commissions for the Refraction collection and editorial platform, totalling up to 100K $USDC. The projects chosen represented and lived alongside the previous projects collected, performed and facilitated by the DAO.

Andy Rolfes, 'Formentation'

Included in the exhibition was visual artist and director Andy Rolfes. Using performative and interactive toolsets alongside traditional methods, they work extensively across industries to build stills, animations, performances, and interactive experiences. Rolfes is a rising star in the visual art world, having worked with everyone from Lady Gaga to SSENSE to MoMA. Their portfolio only speaks partially to their mastery.

When reflecting on the work, Rolfes remarks: “As I played with dreamstates and concepts of euphoria, I found a place of thinking about ourselves merging with nature and how we reflect off each other. The key, though, came from watching a close friend deal with the loss of a family member, causing me to reflect about the beautiful ephemerality of some of our relationships in life. Things and people sweep by, making it all the more important to appreciate the beauty in front of us before it too fades off into another form. I didn't want to make this a piece about grieving, though I have my own family members I've lost through recent years. No, I wanted this balance to focus on the bright beauty that can be reflected out of that time.”

To design the exhibition, Refraction partnered with Nike and Virgil Abloh-collaborator Craig Barrow. With Barrow’s unique point of view and meticulous attention to detail, the Future of Cities Hub was enveloped in mirrors, light installations, and modular elements evolving over the course of the event. Responding not only to the artwork, but to the space itself, Barrow focused on taking advantage of the foliage by incorporating reflective materials to optically expand its presence, and carving out sections through design in an otherwise corner-less lot.

“With exhibition design, first and foremost, the artwork on display has to be clear and look good. It’s not about what I'm designing; the artworks on display have to shine through. My task is to enhance the artwork but also guide and engage the viewer; show them how best to experience a piece and give them the opportunity for moments of reflection with the art,” said Barrow of his practice.

Andy Rolfes, by Jason Gorelick at Gray Area in San Francisco

As a Berlin-based designer, Barrow was excited to visit the “Magic City”, and took inspiration from the surroundings he imagined would line the street. “It’s flashy and luxurious and at the same time rough and gritty, whilst remaining playful and fun. It may sound a bit obvious but for me having never visited Miami before, it’s my only understanding of the city and I wanted to reflect on this in the exhibition design. I wanted to create something lux but still a little tongue in cheek.”

Tonight, Refraction Festival moves from to a new location at the Frost Museum’s iconic planetarium for a one-night only world premier of Miami-based electronic musician Danny Daze’s Blue, a sonic art experience and live performance. Intentionally created for high tech planetarium environments, Blue is an immersive audiovisual work based on Daze’s forthcoming album. The 33-minute piece features meticulously crafted sound design and all-new original music by Daze. Its visual embodiment was created in collaboration with Sensory Works, Joseph Nickson, and Konx Om Pax. The experience is heard via a premium 40,000-watt, 16-point surround sound system and viewed in ultra high 8K definition on a seamless 67 foot dome screen.

Festival Curator, Dina Chang

While Refraction Festival’s Miami takeover might be coming to a close, the future of music festivals is opening up swiftly. By enablingweb3 infrastructure, Refraction has made it possible to transform the technology into a tangible, communal experience. The benefits of the web3 infrastructure are made clear when you enter their space and network. From the merch booth, to buying artworks, to joining a community with thousands of the most culturally tapped in people you can think of, Refraction makes web3 a space of possibility for those whose digital wallets are filled to the brim, and those who are simply crypto-curious.

Culture

The Club Is Coming to the Stage

We enter and make our way to what is approximately front left of the DJ booth, where we’re accustomed to dancing at clubs in New York. “So is this a techno club or a dance performance?” yells an uncertain participant in my boyfriend’s ear. He laughs, bouncing along to Ben UFO, and yells back, “It’s both!” The club has long been a hot topic in European contemporary dance but it is only now making its way into New York performance venues, largely through transatlantic tours. R.O.S.E. follows recent examples like Michele Rizzo’s HIGHER xtn. at MoMA PS1 (May 2024), (LA)HORDE’s Room with a View at NYU Skirball (October 2023), and Gisèle Vienne’s Crowd at BAM (October 2022).

Do these performances compromise the club’s spirit — a space idealized for its anonymity, dark lighting, and thundering music? The notion of the club as a utopian escape is admittedly just that — an ideal — because of how its intense conditions can create barriers to entry. Still, the club remains sacred for many, a place to forge connections and embrace an alternative state of being. Looking at how performances transfer this spirit to new settings reveals what aspects of the club are essential and those that aren’t.

Sharon Eyal, R.O.S.E. 2024. Photography by Stephanie Berger, courtesy of Park Avenue Armory.

Eyal’s dancers make their entrance. The lighting shifts from roving blue to yellow spotlights as Ben UFO’s tracks transition to more melodic beats. Clad in deconstructed lace Dior lingerie with dark red tears painted on their faces, the dancers move cautiously in a tightly maintained pack, slicing paths through the horde with hoof-like steps and jerky leg extensions. After around ten minutes of this controlled choreography, the dancers vanish as the lighting shifts back to blue and Ben UFO picks up his dubby beats. The club, as we knew it, resumes. This cycle of tightly executed movements and free-flowing club-goers repeats several times, each time emboldening the dancers to plunge further into the crowd.

Clubbing in a building once built for the U.S. Army National Guard on Manhattan’s Upper East Side turns out to be surprisingly successful — at least for the audience. What starts as an awkward, scattered group searching for their non existent seats gradually gels into an engaged, bouncing crowd that erupts in cheers each time the dancers enter and exit. Performance patrons who might never step foot in a club find themselves swept up in its potential for communion, moving in unison with fellow ticket holders. But it isn’t until the very end of R.O.S.E. that the dancers finally break free from Eyal’s choreography and join the fired-up audience in a brief moment of improvisatory movement with the music. By keeping her dancers at arm’s length, Eyal seems more interested in the club as a backdrop for her signature movement style than wholly as a space with meaningful stories to be told.

Michele Rizzo, HIGHER xtn. 2024. Photography by Cameron Kelly courtesy of MoMA PS1.

Back in May, I attended Wire Festival, a multiday electronic music event at Knockdown Center that had no shortage of organically united dancefloors. It attracted a crowd of seasoned ravers who were eager to celebrate the start of spring as they danced alongside DJs who played well into the daylight. I left Wire in an afternoon daze to see Michele Rizzo’s HIGHER xtn. at MoMA PS1. My sleepless euphoria only deepened as the performance unfolded, starting with a lone dancer who looked plucked out of the festival.

The dancer, dressed in sneakers, baggy jeans, and a tight tank top, shuffled slowly into the gallery, perfectly in sync with the looping bars of an understated electronic melody. Soon, other dancers, clad in the same staple rave uniform, joined him — each having traveled from Europe for the U.S. museum debut of HIGHER xtn., which premiered at the Stedelijk in Amsterdam in 2018 and quickly became a fixture at kunsthalles and festivals across the continent. As the score’s tempo climbed, the choreography locked into a 16-count sequence, which the dancers executed with precise synchrony. They remained intensely focused, never making eye contact with each other, as they sought release in the endless repetition of synthesized beats. Once the dancers reached their limit, they stopped the sequence and exited the gallery, one by one.

HIGHER xtn. used the focused daylight of the gallery to highlight the meditative release found in the repetitive movements that dominate dark dancefloors. The performance’s restraint brought more consistency and intentionality than Eyal’s all-encompassing club construction in R.O.S.E. Yet both performances offer enticing entry points into club culture for those who may not frequent raves. Rizzo’s ecstatic, hypnotic repetitions reveal how the club can mirror other meditative practices, while Eyal’s interpolation of performance and clubbing helped hesitant audience members blossom by the end. Still, both works overlook one of the most underappreciated aspects of clubbing — its potential for individual expression. HIGHER xtn.’s pristine uniformity especially risks promoting the outdated techno trope that there’s a “right” way to dance to electronic music.

Maybe this shortcoming is, in fact, a benefit. For habitual ravers jaded by one too many sunrise sets, it’s a reminder to return to the club with more intention. If you pause and peer through the darkness, you’ll see hundreds of people moving to the same beat, each with their own subtle variations. This collective choreography is a ready-made spectacle that doesn’t need validation in a theater or museum. And when the music shifts slightly, you can watch the ripple effect sweep through the crowd while feeling the new beat in your body. Maybe this small bit of magic is best left on the dance floor.

Culture

Real Slick, Jack: Psyche Organic Arrives in New York

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Culture

Porsche SCOPES Brings Art, Music, and Design to Toronto

The festival was a full immersion into Toronto’s dynamic creative energy. Day one set the tone with DJ collective Living Room, followed by an experimental performance by Claire Rousay that captivated the crowd. Jewelry designer Steff Eleoff unveiled her Porsche Taycan 4S art car installation—a bold fusion of automotive and wearable art inspired by her Sedona ring—while OVO Sound’s Naomi Sharon and DVSN wrapped up the night with powerful, genre-defying performances.

We witnessed SCOPES Toronto bridging underground and mainstream with day two’s lineup. DJ Korea Town Acid’s set paved the way for Angelphroot and Dameer’s debut of BASSMATI, a track blending South Asian influences with bass-driven sounds. Chippy Nonstop’s return to Toronto and Richie Hawtin’s extended set were milestones of the evening, proving that the city’s underground scene has a global resonance.

The final day featured standout performances from local pianist Harrison, Indigenous artist Tia Wood, and hip-hop visionary Sean Leon, who elevated his set with a live choir. Moonshine Collective’s film and musical performance explored themes of African utopia, showcasing art’s power to bridge culture and technology. Rising Toronto star SadBoi, who paused her tour to perform at SCOPES, further underscored the festival’s commitment to nurturing local talent.

Throughout the weekend, we experienced installations from artists like Mitsu Mitsu and culinary creations from Bar Mordecai, capturing the multifaceted creativity Porsche SCOPES brought to Toronto. This milestone 10th edition, open to all, allowed Toronto’s vibrant arts scene to thrive, underscoring SCOPES’ mission to celebrate local talent while connecting it to a global audience.

office had the chance to connect with rising star SadBoi ahead of the event. In our conversation, she shared insights into her creative journey and reflected on what performing and growing up in Toronto means to her and her work.

How are you, and where are you at right now? You told me you were traveling.

Um, I’m good, I’m feeling really good right now. I’m traveling back to Salt Lake City. I had a show yesterday in Seattle. I’m on tour right now with Coco and Claire.

How is touring life treating you? Do you like it?

I love being on the road. To be honest, I feel like I don’t know—like I’ve had good experiences and bad ones—but this time it’s really fun, especially with the people I’m surrounded by. It’s also the longest tour I’ve been on; I have about four more weeks to go. I’m trying not to think about how many days I have left.

Do you feel homesick?

Yes, because when I start thinking about how many days are left, I start to miss my dogs. I’ve just been trying to stay in the moment—I don’t even know what day of the week it is, to be honest with you.

Oh, sweet! What are your dogs’ names?

Jillian and Winston. I know, they’re crazy names.

You’ll be performing at SCOPES in Toronto, which is where you grew up. Do you feel like the crowd is different when you perform in Toronto compared to other cities?

Yes, I mean, Toronto just feels different because it’s home. Every time I come back to perform, something in my career has changed. The last time I performed in Toronto, people just wanted to have a good time, and I’m excited to perform back home again to see everyone’s reactions. I know it’s going to be different from the last time. It’s exciting to see your own growth. Toronto is a tough crowd, though. If we’re with you, we’re really with you.

So, they’re super picky? You have to gain their respect, or what is it?

I think Toronto people are in their own world, but when something really connects with them, they’ll lose themselves in the moment. But it takes something to bring them out of that. Toronto crowds are tough because even if they like you, they won’t show it outright until they’re really vibing with you.

It’s like a vibe check, right?

Exactly. They’ll enjoy your performance, but it’s hard to explain. When people visit Toronto, they often say, “Oh, you guys are so nice,” and I’m like, “I don’t think we’re that nice, we’re just polite.” Like, you can walk down the street, and no one will say anything, but it’s just our mannerisms.

You mentioned Toronto can have a moody energy, especially at night, and that the underground night scene there really inspires you. Can you talk more about what makes Toronto's nightlife so influential for you?

Absolutely, Toronto has this unique energy that comes alive at night. Similar to New York, there are the popular clubs everyone knows, but you need to find your niche—the people who know where the real parties are. I remember going to raves in high school yards, sneaking in because I wasn’t old enough. Events like Baby, Jerk!, and Yes Yes Y’all were pivotal, exposing me to DJs blending dancehall with EDM—something I hadn’t seen before. Toronto nightlife is moody and intense, but when everyone’s out, it’s like the whole city is alive.