https://www.behance.net/gallery/91873459/VR-The-Meme-Museum
Above is a link to a project started by Michael Szabo a digital artist and animator. His goal was for his students to create an environment (a virtual museum) where contemporary comedic art could be displayed and interacted with through virtual reality (VR).
In this environment, contemporary art—digital memes—could be consumed in a sort of historical context, much like navigating a normal museum and perceiving the pieces as historical artifacts. As the pieces themselves are digital forms, applying them to this scene is not difficult.
To me, this project poses an interesting thought experiment about the future. If we are to imagine the digital museum of the future, what would it look like? Are physical spaces necessary for digital art? Since we consume this art on a daily basis I think it’s fitting that it could eventually be an experience curated for at-home viewing through VR goggles. And since there is no space constraints in a virtual environment, the idea of what a museum is could change. Take for example the possibility that you gamify the museum. It could become a large maze in which you are taken back through time and experience the contemporary art of the time while trying to find your way out.
Then why stop there? Digital art that we normally consume on a 2D screen limits the possibilities. But with this 3 dimensional space that doesn’t have to abide by our physical laws, the artistic freedom is limitless. The very idea of what art creation and curation represents could be turned on its head. The experience of passively observing a stationary piece would be replaced by full immersion and interactivity.
But, as is common for the discourse around digital art, the question of value and ownership arise. This art is easily replicable. Simply copy and paste the source code and boom you have an exact replica down to the pixel. Does this then nullify the transactional value that a piece of art may have? Memes are widely circulated and that’s why their presence is so stated. Would digital art in this new environment then mimic that process?
There are many questions to be asked about the future of digital art and history, but with every new digital technological advancement, the horizon changes. I for one am excited about the possibility of paradigm shifting engagement with art and hope to be part of the generation that gets to experience it.
