A galaxy not far away

Ivy Ong-Wood

My back-seat pilots were just as excited as I was. “Left a bit, now right a bit, go forward … oops, too much, back up, back up, now shoot!”
For a non-gamer, handling that joystick to break up meteorites and collect rocks to build my own planet was no space walk. 
But once I got the hang of it, that was the best part of Pacific Place’s NFT immersive installation Orbstellar Metaspace. 
Created by new media art studio, Xcept, the mall”s first-ever artech exhibition – which combines art and technology – invites aspiring astronomers on an intergalactic journey. 
Tickets are HK$120 on weekdays and HK$150 on weekends. For that price, you get to design your own planet and turn it into an NFT souvenir.
First, you scan the QR code to register your planet. Then, sit back in the spaceship commander chair at the space station and prepare for lift-off. Once you have collected enough space rocks and little extras – such as the extremely pretty rainbow ring – continue your journey through the black hole into the metaspace galaxy, where you can watch your planet come to life as part of a digital-art universe. 
Ascend into the luminous white hole, your final stop before returning to Earth.
You can even take home the planet you created in the form of an NFT token featuring your custom creation (from HK$168 with case). Other exclusive and co-branded merchandise are also available for sale. 
Orbstellar Metaspace opens today and will run until October 9 at Shop 100A in Pacific Place. Finding it is a bit tricky – when I asked the woman at the information counter, she gave me a spaced-out look – but head for the IT shop and Starbucks and you will find it. Tickets are available on Klook.