emerging idea THE METAVERSE IS HERE

As designers begin experimenting in virtual worlds known as the metaverse, futuristic aesthetics are starting to influence real-world design

FEATURE Hugh Metcalf

The metaverse, so far, has largely sat in my consciousness alongside cryptocurrency and NFTs. It’s something that I know is happening in the background and that many people are incredibly passionate about, but if you were to ask me what it’s really about, I couldn’t tell you.

However, recently my ears have pricked up at mentions of the metaverse in design circles. While Mark Zuckerberg’s recent reveal of his avatar that looked like 10-year-old computer game graphics didn’t convince me that the metaverse was something that demanded any of my attention, hyper-realistic images of ethereal, other-worldly architecture and interiors being ‘built’ for virtual worlds has highlighted that this is fast becoming a platform for a new and invigorating exploration of design.

However, with no plans to inhabit a virtual world myself at this moment in time, I was interested to know what implications architecture and interior design in the metaverse would have on what I termed the ‘real world’.

'To me, the term “real world” has no meaning,’ world-renowned digital artist Andrés Reisinger is quick to tell me. ‘I see a tangible world and a digital one, both real. The former remains and will remain an important reference, as it’s the one we can more easily and instantly associate to our human, bodily being.’