An event dubbed “part art exhibition, part technology convention” is set to explore the boundaries between bitcoin and the art world later this month. Artists, collectors and bitcoin enthusiasts alike will head to the Bitcoin Meets Art event at Stockholm’s Capitol concert venue on 23rd August for a fresh take on the art market.

The evening will showcase a range of artwork inspired by the digital currency, which visitors will then have the opportunity to buy using bitcoin. DJs and musicians will provide the soundtrack to the night in return in exchange for the digital currency.

The event will also feature a workshop from the team at Stockholm-based bitcoin exchange Safello, who will explain bitcoin and the digital currency market. The company’s bitcoin ATM, the first in the Swedish market, will also be up and running at the event.

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Safello chief executive and co-founder Frank Schuil explained as to why the company chose to collaborate on the project. He said: “This event aims to kick-start creative thinking around bitcoin. Artists have a way of pushing the boundaries of technology to see what’s possible. It evolves from experimentation to new applications.”

Artists taking part in the even come from across three different continents and include Trash is Free and Milos Rajkovic. Each piece being showcased will incorporate bitcoin in a different way, with one artist knitting QR codes on to oven gloves in a quirky, textile take on the theme. Each piece of artwork in the show will be accompanied by a QR code that will link directly to the artist’s bitcoin wallet.

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Bitcoin tipping platform ChangeTip has announced that it is expanding its service to YouTube, Tumblr and Google+. The platform already supports bitcoin micropayments on social media sites like Twitter, Reddit and StockTwits – a popular network for traders and investors.

Dubbed a ‘love button for the Internet’, ChangeTip lets users gift friends and content providers with small amounts of bitcoin as a more tangible alternative to the usual ‘like’ or ‘+1’. In order to send a tip, users must simply connect one or more of their social media accounts to ChangeTip, then top up their wallet balance using the QR code provided.

The ChangeTip team is hoping to leverage the low cost of bitcoin transactions and enable the use of micro-tips for all sorts of content distributed online, so, as well as tipping appealing content, the service can be used for gifting or even fundraising via social media. Content monetisation for blogs and other media is also an option.

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“We believe people are basically good and we let them show their appreciation directly in everyday social media interactions,” said Nick Sullivan, ChangeTip’s founder and CEO. The platform says it wants to change the concept of a “share” or “like” into financial appreciation which, incrementally, can add up to substantial amounts of money.

As well as specific flat amounts, tips are also denominated in everyday items, including a ‘coffee’ ($1.50), a ‘hamburger’ ($2.50) and – bizarrely – a ‘kitten’ ($3.00). Users can also create their own custom denominations, such as ‘3 beers’ or ‘2 coffees’. More elaborate denominations, like ‘a trip to Paris’ are also possible, within limits. The default maximum tip is $25, but this can be adjusted in the user’s account settings.

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The Wikimedia Foundation, the non-profit that owns and curates noted online encyclopedia Wikipedia, has received more than $140,000 in bitcoin donations since it began accepting contributions in the digital currency last week.

The news follows the announcement of the organization’s partnership with California-based payments processor Coinbase to accept bitcoin on 30th July, a development that was widely seen as a validation of bitcoin’s potential to impact non-profit fundraising.

Coinbase revealed the fundraising milestone in a new blog post, saying that the $140,000 – an amount worth approximately 237 BTC – is a sign that bitcoin and the open-source site will continue to prove to be a powerful combination.

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The company added: “We were particularly excited to enable the Wikimedia Foundation to accept bitcoin donations because we feel that the decentralized, inclusive nature of Wikipedia is well aligned with bitcoin and we wanted to help the bitcoin community contribute to the democratization of information.”

The Wikimedia Foundation had been internally discussing the addition of a bitcoin donation option for months as grassroots support within its community grew. Notably, Coinbase announced on 1st August that it had dropped all processing fees for the non-profits it serves, including the Wikimedia Foundation.

In the past, the Wikimedia Foundation has said that the decision was made only after strong internal debate about the legal and financial implications of doing so. The company previously said: “Using Coinbase, a bitcoin exchange, we’re able to immediately convert bitcoin to US dollars, requiring minimal technical implementation on our end. Since we now also have guidance on how to account for bitcoin, there is a clear understanding of how to legally manage it.”

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