Museums presently thrive in physical space where visitors can explore and appreciate the grandeur of a building, art pieces, and artifacts. It's been this way since people started collecting artwork, artifacts, and anything that representing culture and history.
However, technology is disrupting many industries including the arts and cultural space, significantly impacting the ecosystem that surrounds it. More musuems are turning to the virtual to attract larger audiences and bring new experiences to their visitors.
They can be called metaverse-native museums but they are also known as digital or virtual museums. A lot of iconic institutions, i.e., the British Museum and the State Hermitage Museum, foray into the metaverse in the form of NFTs, but that is only the beginning ot the experience a museum can create within the metaverse.
A metaverse-native museum is different from a regular museum because it doesn't exist in the physical world. The metaverse is an idea that the internet is a completely imnmeserive virtual world where you can walk around in, communicate with your friends, and have unique experiences just like it was the physical world. Think of it like the Matrix or Ready Player One. The concept of the metaverse continues to evolve and improve as the technology becomes better, but already a couple of musuems are testing out how they can create virtual experiences.
We've seen multiple exciting virtual museums, art galleries, and other cultural and educational venues popping up in the metaverse these days. Here are some of them:
Musee Dezentral
The Musee Dezentral is a stunning sight, with its tall ceilings, beautiful columns, historic sculptures, and majestic water fountain in the marble hall. However, as visitors to most museums will tell you, it's really the artwork on display that is the main attraction.
Hall of Fame is the first hall you'll find upon entry, and it's full of now-iconic digital collectables from crypto art collections, i.e., the Bored Ape Yacht Club, CryptoPunks, and CryptoKitties. Alongside these pieces are works by world-renowned artist Damien Hirst. You'll only need a computer and an internet connection to visit this incredible museum.
WildSkil Gallery
Theodore Holdt, a prominent Portland-based artist, isn't just selling his work as digital collectables but also displaying them in the metaverse. Holdt is an artist whose work is characterized by chaos and vibrancy, often featuring a mix of disorderliness, disconnected elements, and unfinished stories. The gallery, combined with the scenery, leaves visitors amazed and captivated. And we must admit - there's nothing like it.
The Vordun Museum
Jake Vordun, a Second Life resident, created this one-of-a-kind metaverse museum to display real-world history with the art that assisted in shaping and capturing it. At the museum, guests can discover long-gone cultures and peoples via stunning works by celebrated artists. This metaverse-native museum also offers a few amenities, i.e., cafes and gift shops.
Your first visit to the Vordun Museum will trigger traditional museum vibes because of the vibrant sculptures and interactive displays. One noteworthy activity is "A Night to Remember: a Titanic Story Like Never before." It's a unique exhibition that delves into the tragedy of the Titanic while simultaneously telling the stories of the ship's history, including the people who lost their lives in the disaster.
SciArt
At SciArt, the goal is to push the envelope regarding building design and art displays. The futuristic building is sure to wow guests, and the artwork breaks the boundaries of what's possible in the real world. But don't get us wrong - this one's in the metaverse, not a physical space. The emulation of a physical museum environment is top-notch, ten out of ten.
Visitors are met by Byteforms, where a futuristic exhibition showcases the connection and relationship between humankind and AI. There's also another floor where the theme is on the reflection of human identity. Finally, the last offering is a display of all the prospects brought by the metaverse.
SciArt's exhibitions always explore the crucial role of humanity's interactions with the digital world, but that is only part of what they offer. Their artists go deep below the surface to find and capture mesmerizing elements.
MUSE0
We felt like we were over our heads when we first entered MUSE0. It's the most advanced and modern museum in the metaverse, catering to art, tech, and VR enthusiasts. The massive space is both immersive and interactive - guests can explore in-depth exhibitions on a plethora of topics or wander around the building itself.
At MUSE0, an online museum where artists and collectors curate, a novel approach to collaborative curation exists. Moreover, MUSE0 is a decentralized autonomous organization so that you won't find typical hierarchies in the art world. In other words, users will have the opportunity to curate their exhibitions, allowing for new and unique experiences that could never be replicated in the real world.
The Distinctiveness of Metaverse-Native Art Museums
Art fans in the metaverse aren't limited to simply viewing art. There's an option to interact with it. The best example of this interaction is by following an external link, where they can purchase artworks minted into digital collectables. Metaverse-native art museums also foster social relationships among artists and fans since there's no physical boundary.
A major advantage of NFTs is that they allow artists to connect with collectors and fans directly, cutting out the need for a middleman. We've also seen collectors exhibit their collections via these museums to support their favourite artists. This exemplifies art museums' positive impact in the metaverse, creating a closer bond between creators and collectors.
Overall, each virtual museum offers something unique and special to its guests. Whether it's SciArt's exploration of digital relationships with AI or MUSE0's decentralized autonomous organization, there is no shortage of exploration possibilities within the metaverse. With more and more people turning to the metaverse to experience art, it wouldn't be a stretch to say that these museums are the future of art.
