Metamuseums
I have been watching the launch of Meta (Facebook's rebranding as a metaverse company) with interest in-part because of how the growth-promise for digital creators is being presented in the context of art museums.
The anthemic launch TV commercial features a group of teenagers in a museum gallery, stepping into the frame of a Henri Rousseau painting titled "Fight Between a Tiger and a Buffalo" and becoming immersed in the scene in a completely imaginary, contemporary way.
This breakdown of the normal barriers between artwork and viewer, happens right after the Tiger speaks a line from the opening of The Twilight Zone - "This is the dimension of imagination."
The music starts and once fully immersed in the scene, everyone starts grooving. A hexagonal arch appears in the distance. The Meta motion logo materializes. And then the whole thing is over.
Art is supposed to be moving, but this spot takes it to a whole new level - adding dimensionality to the original work, making it accessible in a way that has never before been possible.
Currently you can't go into the Cleveland Museum of Art and actually do this.
And yet, for museums, the metaverse suggests a wide opportunity to present their collections in new ways.
By making art more accessible to potential audiences anywhere there is interest - particularly underserved and differently abled ones.
By applying new modes of engagement that are consistent with old goals - like educating, inspiring, connecting, remembering and so forth.
The language sounds a little bumpy to my ears right now. The metaverse. Augmented galleries. Metamuseums.
And yet, it's a big idea that captures my interest the way the web did several decades ago. Perhaps the AR/VR winter is over?
At least for now, it's a great TV spot. If you haven’t seen it already, please watch it here.
CREDITS
Advertiser: Meta, parent company of Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Oculus / Spot: The Tiger & The Buffalo / Creative Agency: Droga5 NY / Media Agency: Mindshare / Director: Andrew Thomas Huang / Music: "Way In My Brain" by SL2 / Painting: "Fight Between a Tiger and a Buffalo" by Henri Rousseau, Le Douanier / Voiceover: Introduction to "The Twilight Zone" / Copy: Step into a world of imagination with Meta and explore endless possibilities as two dimensions become three.
