Metaverse has gained broad public attention and discussion recently following Mark Zuckerberg’s transformation of Facebook into Meta.Yet the term metaverse is not a new thing that gets born out of the blue it was a product of the underlying phenomenon of the technologies and internet where it was once regarded as ‘maybe just a passing fad as millions give up on it.’As the landscape of the internet evolved since the 90s, the notion of “Metaverse” first being introduced to the world by an American writer Neal Stephenson, has been in the scene ever since.
During the outbreak of the pandemic, the architecture industry has been overwhelmed by unprecedented limitations, oscillating between traditional and innovative practices.Ar Ridha Razak, who is affiliated with various institutions ranging from architecture, educational training, and creative agency, discovered how different layers of age groups have indeed engaged in the virtual world and benefited from them.Hence, he started to explore how architects could participate in the metaverse, indeed surprisingly Malaysian architects have participated in the Metaverse for quite some time, for instance, KLAF 2020/2021 has invited an architectural digital artist Chuah Chong Yan as one of the speakers, whose works were regarded by Ridha as The Metaverse in the upcoming 20 years.
The presented works by Seetizenplus were as follows:
1 Creating First Meta-Digital Twin: Reinterpreting History
2 Reconstructing Old Palace: Curating Activities with Community
3 Designing Metaverse for Collectable NFT Business
4 Creating Education Meta Forest for Kids and NFT Sang Rimba Holders
5 Transforming PAM Centre from Physical to Digital Social Engagement
From the inception to the utilization of the digital world, everything was done via avatar participation in the virtual world, in other words, duplicated social events in the virtual form.They have received positive engagement from the end-users, it is meaningful as it has instilled education, historical and cultural appreciation, and even nature awareness regardless of the physical restriction due to the pandemic.
Kudos to the initiative and volunteerism offered by the Seetizenplus to bring the PAM Centre into the Metaverse, to be the first NGO architecture association to have its Metaverse in the world.It was handed over to PAM in the event with PAM President Datuk Ar Ezumi Harzani bin Ismail entering into the PAM Centre Metaverse by wearing the VR headset in the real world, offering the audience a glance at the real-time experience within the metaverse.
As the blockchain is mainly an economic means heavily dominated by the highest hierarchy of society, is the art and creative industry able to reach the same economic power as par with others?The question was raised by the KLAF 2022 Director that aims to address creativity via the theme“Mindshaping for the Future”.“We have to work harder and we will reach there,” Ridha puts it.
