Kay Vasey is not your typical tech founder. As a lawyer-turned-entrepreneur, she established MeshMinds, a technology-enabled art organisation based in Singapore. Their mission? To bridge the gap between art and technology, empowering creators to protect cultural heritage and our shared ecological environment in the digital age.
The organization made its debut with ‘MeshMinds 1.0: ArtxTechforGood’ at Singapore’s ArtScience Museum in 2018. The event was a digital playground exploring Augmented Reality (AR), Virtual Reality (VR), and 3D printing.
The show was a massive success, but it was a serendipitous connection that truly launched them onto the global stage. A Columbia University student, Laura Barrera Vera, secured an internship with MeshMinds after reading about their success. Through a chance networking encounter at the Botanic Gardens, Laura introduced Kay to the Deputy Regional Director of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP). This meeting solidified a partnership between MeshMinds and the UN that continues to drive impact today.
One of the most striking results of this collaboration was the 2018 launch of ‘Oceans We Make,’ a VR experience designed to educate the public on plastic pollution.
Viewers are immersed in a diving experience, starting in pristine waters surrounded by marine life. Soon, however, the user is overwhelmed by debris, eventually witnessing the terrifying vastness of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. By using gamification, MeshMinds found they needed only three minutes of a participant's time in VR to make a lasting educational impact regarding ocean conservation.
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From Roblox farming to the Metaverse
We have only covered a fraction of MeshMinds' innovative projects. To learn about their "Urban Farm Tycoon" game, their work with UNESCO, and how Kay uses her legal background to navigate the tech world, read the full feature in EMERGENCE, the 1st volume of INTERLUNAR’s zine.
