Uncharted is a manifesto wrapped in a memory.
The unknown is the ultimate thrill of life – this night was about choosing to step into it, not with fear, but with intention.
On April 19, 2025, I invited friends and collaborators to join me on an experiment disguised as a party. Set across two unfolding acts, guests were invited to let go of certainty and step into a space where reality isn’t handed to you — it’s made by you.
Each guest was given a ticket to the unknown: an invitation containing nothing more than coordinates, a date, and a time.
The Voyage began at Pier 40. Guests boarded the Empress of Sausalito, greeted with champagne, a zine and pencil.
75 ultimately boarded.
The zine contained instructions and space to play M.A.S.H., a childhood fortune telling game. The back cover contained an NFC chip that led guests to a webpage to claim their "digital passport".
Once guests claimed their digital passports, each guest became a player. They could see names of all the other players who also joined the game and launch a camera from the web app. No instructions were given.
It was fascinating to watch people launch the camera from the web app and try to scan items throughout the yacht; paintings, tickets, etc. Nothing happened. Frustration grew for those who considered themselves strong puzzlers.
Scattered across the yacht were multiple instances of a jigsaw puzzle, which I spent months planning, designing, and producing. It wasn't just a game mechanic, it was the soul of Uncharted. The puzzle depicts an abstract octopus with a triange in the center, and the words "some paths only appear once you begin to walk them". It was finished a beautiful matte coating.
Some worked relentlessly to solve the puzzle and figure out what this was all about. Others socialized, danced, and let the puzzle remain in the background. The DJ played music throughout the yacht, the experience was in full swing.
56 minutes into the voyage, the first jigsaw puzzle was completed. This is when the first guest scanned the puzzle with the camera from their digital passport, and revealed a hidden AR layer — a virtual octopus emerging from the pieces of the puzzle.
After a short interaction with the virtual octopus came the next clue. The digital passport transformed with rainbow hues, and text on the top of the screen:
Castro and Market. Look for Blue.
The Voyage was coming to an end – but the experience was not over. Anticipation and curiosity rose.
The yacht returned to San Francisco and curiosity became the only compass. Those who chose to follow the trail disembarked into the Castro, instructed only to “look for blue.”
In Castro they would find directional arrows and various clues hung across the neighborhood, breadcrumbs leading toward the second act.
Thirty-three guests ultimately arrived at a spacious, private patio in the heart of the Castro, transformed into The Haven. Balloons, catered food, an open bar, refracted lighting, oversized mirrors, live DJs and countless surreal cues.
The Haven was the hidden heart of Uncharted, a refuge for the bold and the curious. It was where I first shared my vision for Shape Reality: an experimental brand exploring the intersection of physical, digital, and community.
Beneath all of the mechanics and intricacies, Uncharted was about agency. Nothing was fully revealed, and that was the point. Meaning emerged only through presence, connection, and courage.
Uncharted was about planting seeds — finding the first circle of supporters and collaborators who resonated with the vision, and proving to myself that people wouldn’t just show up, they would play.
Uncharted carried a simple message: lose the map and trust the unknown.
This was not an ending — it was the beginning.
[SHAPE REALITY EST. 2025]
