During Decentraland’s annual Metaverse Art Week, which took place from August 24 to 28, curators explored innovative ways of utilizing digital space to create interactive and lifelike art experiences.
Taking inspiration from the real-life Biennale art event, the metaverse world designed its virtual festival to resemble the physical event, where art is displayed in public spaces. Attendees of the in-real-life (IRL) festival can stroll through spacious pavilions and various parts of the city to engage with artists and brands outside of traditional gallery settings.
Giovanna Graziosi Casimiro, the events and community producer for Decentraland, shared her thoughts on this year’s design concept with Cointelegraph.
Art galleries and exhibitions are not new in the digital world. Companies like Spatial have already implemented digital nonfungible token (NFT) art galleries, and traditional art houses like Sotheby’s actively host NFT art events.
In Decentraland alone, there are six major art galleries hosted by well-known NFT marketplaces such as Rarible, SuperRare, and KnownOrigin.
What sets this event apart is the interactive nature of the art. Decentraland expects significant engagement based on past events like Metaverse Fashion Week, which attracted 108,000 unique visitors, according to the foundation.
The quality of metaverse events and avatars has become a major topic of discussion in the industry, particularly after feedback regarding the quality of avatars in events like Metaverse Fashion Week. Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg recently faced criticism for the avatars available in their new digital experiences.
Casimiro emphasized that the Decentraland team prioritizes addressing this issue in the development of their events. As an example, they introduced Opensea’s infinite gallery, where users can stand in an interactive hall filled with constantly moving art. According to the team, this mechanic is a first in the metaverse, and the community will be able to utilize it in the repository.
While digital art design can be captivating, accessibility remains a challenge for new users. Experts across the industry highlight education as a crucial factor in breaking down barriers to entry.
Casimiro highlighted the importance of creating accessible and educational components in digital events to keep users engaged.
Interactive art galleries, poetry readings, and digital performances are the next frontier in metaverse engagement. In July, metaverse infrastructure company Condense introduced new technology that allows the live streaming of IRL events into the digital world.