The advent of the metaversean always-online second world and emerging internet megastructurerepresents a fundamental shift in our notion of digital systems and physical presence. In this context, FAE2 outlines what is required from 21st century cultural infrastructure in order to shape the metaverses evolution.
Engaging with over fifty practitioners and organisations across art, film, gaming, technology and wider cultural industries, FAE2 articulates the challenges and opportunities that institutions face in this landscape. Contributors to FAE2 include artists Larry Achiampong, David Blandy, Danielle Brathwaite-Shirley, Joey Holder, Rindon Johnson, Keiken; Dr Jo Twist OBE, CEO of UKIE; Andie Nordgren, Producer and Director of Unity Live Platforms; Lucy Sollitt, Curator; Jay-Ann Lopez, Founder of Black Girl Gamers; Trevor McFedries, Co-founder of Brud; Kadine James and Lucy Wheeler, Founders of Immersive Kind; Gabrielle Jenks, Digital Director, Manchester International Festival and many more.
The strategic briefing is organised into three chapters. Chapter 1 explores user experience of art (UXA) as a model for reassessing the key touchstones of cultural institutions digital strategy with the advent of advanced virtual environmentsdigitally produced 3D spaces. Chapter 2 surveys the emergence of metaverse-native art in art-adjacent fields such as gaming, blockchain, film and architecture as a result of their openness to developing new skills, proficiencies and business models around emerging technologies.
As a planetary-scale infrastructural project, the metaverse represents a challenge to cultural institutions role as public interest organisations. Cultural institutions can only continue to fulfil this role if they are advocating for and contributing to the construction of an open and accountable 21st-century cultural infrastructure. Chapter 3 proposes a set of vectors for a sector-wide effort to take active steps in that direction, which include:
Greater interoperability between cultural institutions as well as with art adjacent fields; Investment in advanced production capabilities; Recognising and supporting expanded economic and distribution rationales; Harnessing new proficiencies that propel deeper engagement with users-as-stakeholders; Devising new systems of measurement.
