Photo: Deutsches Museum
NEW
Special Exhibition
METAVERSE: Phenomenal Digital?
The special exhibition “METAVERSE: Phenomenal Digital?” runs from 09.02.–22.09.2024 and is located on the 3rd floor of the Zukunftsmuseum.
The metaverse is the future of the internet. A boundless, immersive, interactive digital world that exists alongside the real world. The vision promises a digital life that mirrors reality. We can go wherever we want without having to constantly log in and out. We can use objects by picking them up or throwing them, not by clicking on them. And we can talk to people, meet them and touch them.
This vision of a parallel digital world is nothing new; it is taken from "Snow Crash", a 1992 science fiction novel by Neal Stephenson that describes the possible consequences of the metaverse for society.
This is the starting-point for the exhibition. It describes social, economic and legal phenomena like those already familiar to us from “prototype metaverses” such as Decentraland, Second Life and VR Chat, and outlines the positive and negative developments. It invites visitors to reflect and debate, to join in shaping the metaverse together.
Photo: Deutsches Museum
The five sections of the exhibition take us on a search for the metaverse and what lies behind the term. The metaverse promises to be the internet of the future, a digital world existing simultaneously with its analogue counterpart. It is where the boundaries between digital and analogue increasingly blur, raising the question of what is real.
An immersive installation invites us to explore what it feels like to be part of an all-digital environment. Superimposing a digital layer on the analogue world creates new possibilities of being. Avatars are our visual representations, taking the question of who we want to be to a whole new level. Likewise, new actions become possible when the laws of physics cease to apply and the world of possibilities becomes limitless. What can, and should, we do in the metaverse? And where might the limits be? This new world should not be completely lawless, because there are always people that need protection. But how is that organized in the metaverse, and by whom? What concept of law and order reigns there? And finally, when will the metaverse actually come along? Is it already here? And if not, when should we expect it?
The special exhibition is flanked by a supporting programme of events on the theme, primarily focusing on an area not covered in the exhibition –the use of VR and AR headsets and immersion in prototype metaverses. This area is supported by XR Hub Bavaria.
- 20.02.2024 Future Chat: Metaverse – More freedom and safety for all?
- 18.04.2024 VR Family / Pierre Kretschmer – Virtual Worlds / XR Hub
- 04.05.2024 “Dreiklang” Series Concert: Staatsphilharmonie Nürnberg
- 16.05.2024 RAUM App / XR Hub
- 20.06.2024 Vroom: Concert in the Metaverse / XR Hub
- 18.07.2024 VR Theatre / Staatstheater Augsburg
- 19.09.2024 Walk and Meet in the ISS / XR Hub
More information on events is posted in our Events diary some weeks before the event date.
MetaTour - Enter the Metaverse
Ever tried out a VR (virtual reality) headset? Or made comics come to life in an augmented reality (AR) app? Our tour of the "Metaverse – Phenomenal Digital?" special exhibition invites visitors to debate the various aspects of the metaverse and experience VR and AR for themselves in an immersive experience with app and VR headsets.
Tour details:
- Can be booked from age 12
- Length: 75–90 minutes
- Prices and conditions as for our normal museum tour
Click here to book: MetaTour - Enter the Metaverse - Deutsches Museum Nürnberg - Deutsches Museum (deutsches-museum.de)
Meet Me Meta - Augmented Comics by Meisterschule für Kommunikationsdesign
What will our daily social lives look like in the future? Will they revolve around virtual spaces where we meet people or avatars from all over the world to chat, have fun, game and discuss ideas? Can friendships work in the metaverse? And what does friendship mean in the digital space? Students on the Master’s course at HTL1 Bau und Design Linz (Linz Technical College) took dreams, hopes, fears and visions of the future as a basis and created augmented reality comics that address these topics and strive to provide answers.
To accompany our new “Metaverse: Phenomenal Digital?“ special exhibition, Deutsches Museum Nürnberg is staging an exhibition of risograph prints. An app brings the stories to life, creating vibrant visions of augmented reality that can be experienced directly. The exhibition is located in our Library on the 3rd floor.
The metaverse: frequently asked questions
What is the metaverse?
The metaverse is the vision of a virtual world where people can interact with each other. It is a computer-generated environment that often combines elements of the real and digital worlds.
How do I enter the metaverse?
To enter the metaverse, you usually need a connected device like a computer, smartphone or virtual reality headset. A special platform or app provides entry to the metaverse.
Can I enter the metaverse if I don’t have a VR headset?
Yes. You don’t need a virtual reality headset to enter the metaverse. There are many platforms that provide access from standard computers or smartphones.
What is Mark Zuckerberg’s metaverse?
Mark Zuckerberg, the founder of Facebook (now Meta), has announced his plans to transform Facebook into a metaverse platform. He is reshaping the structure of the company to create a full-scale virtual world in which people will be able to interact with each other.
What’s a metaverse share?
A metaverse share is a share (stockholding) in a company which operates in the metaverse –for example, a company that develops and supplies platforms, technologies or content for the metaverse.
What is the Sandbox Metaverse?
Sandbox is a platform for designing digital worlds. It has tools for creating content and developing interactive experiences. Sandbox is a “prototype metaverse”, similar to Roblox, Decentraland, VRChat and Horizon Worlds. It encourages collaboration and enables users to live out their fantasies in the virtual world.