nomlog MEETS→
Metaverse x Real
Possibility of creating experiences
photo art exhibition
discuss as an example

We will start a dialogue series [nomlog MEETS →] NOMURA GROUP employees meet experts who are active in various fields and talk about the possibilities of future “spaces” and “experiences”.

The theme this time is "Creating Metaverse x Real Experiences". A team from NOMURA GROUP, which considers the possibilities of creating spaces and experiences using the Metaverse, will visit a photo artist who is challenging himself to combine art and the Metaverse. What is the possibility of an experience that combines the metaverse and the real that can be seen from the perspectives of art and space?

 

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nomlog MEETS→
Tomohide Ikeya (Director of the voluntary organization icon/Artist)

With the aim of creating a community among artists, he launched the “voluntary group icon”, and last year hosted the photo art exhibition “icon CONTEMPORARY PHOTOGRAPHY Ⅱ” that combined the metaverse space and the real exhibition space. While he himself is a photo artist, he is also focusing on revitalizing the art market.
https://tomohide-ikeya.com/

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<Round-table discussion members>

From right:
NOMURA Co., Ltd. Satoshi Yamazaki (Business Produce Division), Yumasa Okamoto (Concurrently, Institute of Future Creation)
Voluntary group icon Tomohide Ikeya, Moeko Suzuki
NOMURA Co., Ltd. Kota Yamada, Kai Kosaka (Business Produce Division)
* Content planning and photography: Mizuki Ogura (Business Produce Headquarters)
* Content planning and writing: Satoko Yokota (nomlog editorial department)

Bringing Japanese photo art to the world level

Yamazaki
We would like to take advantage of our experience in creating many real spaces so far, incorporate new concepts such as the Metaverse and NFT into space creation, and create new experience value by combining the real and the Metaverse. . From now on, we plan to collaborate with various people and make various efforts such as converting our communication space "RE/SP 2" into a metaverse. I'm pleased to meet you, today.

Okamoto
Mr. Ikeya has a track record of holding photo art exhibitions in conjunction with the metaverse space, and there are many things that we can sympathize with from the perspective of "creating experiences" that we value when creating spaces, regardless of whether they are real or metaverse. I felt that there might be, and received this opportunity. First of all, please tell us what led you to launch the Voluntary Group icon.

Mr. Ikeya
icon is a media activity that uses SNS to interview various artists, introduce exhibitions, etc., and disseminate information about culture and art. The reason for launching this project is that even if an exhibition is held at a gallery, the visiting times of the viewers and the artists are different, and the slight difference in the length of time they stay creates a lack of communication between the two. .

So, I started by posting interview videos with artists on YouTube. Eventually, we started holding "artPotluck" as a place for artists to communicate with each other, and now it's a good opportunity for artists to exchange opinions and promote their works. Developing from there, we have planned an exhibition specializing in contemporary photography from 2021.

Icon's big vision is to "improve the level of Japanese photo art". Photo art in Japan has a high level, but the evaluation is low. In particular, due to the existence of SNS, the evaluation of the photo itself, which is the price, is declining. Furthermore, photo art exhibitions (photo exhibitions) in Japan are aimed at supporting young artists, and there are few places that sell their works.

Furthermore, when producing advertisements, in Japan, the point of view is "Which talent should I use?", but overseas, I think about "Which photographer should I use?" The focus is completely different. Through our efforts at icon, we have the underlying desire to improve the status of photo artists and shift the entire industry to overseas markets. I would like to exhibit at art fairs overseas in the future.

What are the advantages of adopting the metaverse space?

Okamoto
Great vision and action. Please tell us about last year's exhibition "icon CONTEMPORARY PHOTOGRAPHY Ⅱ," which was the first time you introduced the Metaverse space.

Mr. Ikeya
In September 2022, we hosted a four-day photo exhibition in a real space, and a month before that, we opened the Metaverse space and set up a talk event by the exhibiting artists. Two months before the event was scheduled to be held, it was decided that the subsidies would be withdrawn, and we began to invite artists active in contemporary photography to participate, and from there we created a Metaverse space and prepared the procedures for selling the works. It was days like running through.

2022 "icon CONTEMPORARY PHOTOGRAPHY Ⅱ" real venue and Metaverse space

The advantage of the Metaverse space is that it is flexible and does not require renting a space, so costs can be reduced and data can be collected. It is a great advantage to be able to play a role as a preview. First, create a sense of excitement in the Metaverse space that makes you want to go!

Exhibitions in the real space tend to be held in a short period of time due to the cost involved, but the advantage of the pre-made Metaverse space is that it attracts visitors over the long term. There were people who lived far away and could not come to the real exhibition space, but they came to the Metaverse space many times.

Okamoto
Have you intentionally changed anything between the real space and the Metaverse space?

Mr. Ikeya
At first, we tried to create the Metaverse space with the same layout as the real exhibition space, but after some trial and error, we dared to change it. This is because I felt that it would be interesting to have a completely different appearance from the actual exhibition space, as it would give a sense of metaverse. “Size” was also an interesting factor. Among the exhibited works, there was a very small work, but when I changed the scale in the Metaverse space and displayed it on a larger scale, it looked very attractive.

Okamoto
The ability to easily change the scale is appealing.

Mr. Ikeya
In addition, the artist himself becomes an avatar and enters the Metaverse, becomes smaller like a dwarf, creates works, and exhibits them in a real space. It's impossible in the real world to be able to "create inside the work". I felt like I was able to create a world view like a movie.

Okamoto
The world of the Metaverse is more interesting when you are just flying around.

Mr. Ikeya
If you turn a real space into a metaverse as it is, it will inevitably look like a second-rate product. In the Metaverse, you can arrange the layout freely, so it's fun to experiment with various things, such as removing the ceiling, adding the sea, changing the background with a timer, and so on. Unlike the real space, there is no need to delimit it as "open from this day", so it is also attractive that you can start loosely, simulate in advance, and gradually update.

Furthermore, unlike Instagram Lives, which are sent from a single point of view (camera), you can look at the venue from various angles in the Metaverse space, and it is interesting that the way you receive the work changes depending on the person. When the talk event was exciting, I was able to immediately add the past works that were talked about to the Metaverse space, and the audience was able to express their emotions with applause, etc., so it was good to see the excitement in both directions. is.

Metaverse x Real, each role and synergistic effect

Yamazaki
The perspective of the Metaverse space as a pre-promotion is very interesting. On the other hand, in the real space, you can "appreciate the real work with your own eyes" = "a valuable experience that can only be done there".

Mr. Ikeya
Recently, the value of "one-of-a-kind" = "things that cannot be expressed on a monitor" has risen sharply. Produce a sense of anticipation on the Metaverse and directly experience the real "work that goes beyond the monitor". By combining both worlds, I hope to be able to comprehensively connect to the sales of works.

Yamazaki
It would be nice if there was a culture of displaying more photo art in Japan.

Mr. Ikeya
I think it's good to have both people who really like photo art and people who enjoy photo art casually. For example, even if the return to the artist is decreasing due to the situation of "all you can listen to music with a subscription", the number of users will increase steadily due to the low usage fee, and the real value will increase and the admission fee for live performances will rise compared to before. You're there, aren't you? I believe that paintings and photography will eventually follow suit.

Yamazaki
It is the world of Metaverse and NFT that can create a culture that can be enjoyed casually like that. On the Metaverse, creating fans through the world view. And create essential value in real space. Both wheels are important.

Okamoto
It's true that on the Metaverse, you can create a sense of anticipation through your experiences there. It would be interesting to be able to continue communicating with the world of the Metaverse even during the exhibition in the real space. Mr. Ikeya, what are you conscious of in your exhibition methods?

Mr. Ikeya
I think that the liver is the sense of scale that I mentioned earlier, and the image. In art museums, long videos are often played in a loop, but depending on the timing of your arrival, you may have to wait until you return to the beginning. I've become a different world...

Therefore, I applied a medium* to the monitor placed in the Metaverse space and created an original photo frame that plays back the video of my work. I was able to convince myself that ``if this is the case, a video work can also be established as an installation.'' In the real world, it is difficult to apply a medium to an actual monitor to make it durable, so this is something that can only be done in the Metaverse space.

*Medium: Material made from marble powder and acrylic resin

Okamoto
It's original and interesting. How was the reaction of the customers who actually visited the Metaverse space?

Mr. Ikeya
There were many reactions like "Wow, the real thing was like this!". On the contrary, some people may have thought that Metaverse is better.

Improvise! Ideas for creating exhibition experiences

Okamoto
The important thing is how to add parallel experiences through real and metaverse spaces. Based on last year's experience, is there anything you would like to challenge at this year's exhibition?

Mr. Ikeya
I think it would be interesting to set up a large monitor in the real space and play the image of the Metaverse space so that you can see the state of each other's space. Should the camera be a fixed point, or should it be mobile?

Okamoto
It might be interesting to see it from Mr. Ikeya's point of view! A camera is attached to the eye level, and the viewpoint that rotates around the venue is followed. When you look at the works of other artists, you can see where you are paying attention. I thought that it would lead to new realizations for the artist who created the work.

Mr. Ikeya
That's interesting! At last year's exhibition, we received requests from people who were too far away to come to the real space and wanted to see the actual venue, partly because the Metaverse space was booming. It may be good to change the line of sight to relay.

Okamoto
In the Metaverse space, I feel that it is important to be conscious of the story design of the experience when planning. In order to do that, I think the point is​ ​to think about "where is the blank space that can be interesting?"​

Yamazaki
It's also important to clearly show the difference from reality.

Okamoto
Also, how about creating a Metaverse space as an "exhibition space created by everyone" while taking questionnaires from visitors? It seems that the relationship between the two is born and it will be interesting.

Mr. Ikeya
That's good too. As the organizer, I am happy because I can understand the impressions of the visitors.

Okamoto
Also, I'm sure that the artists' fans are interested in the background and process of creating their works. I think it's good to have the experience of being able to touch such a behind the scenes.

Yamazaki
For example, an artist may take thousands of photos for a finished product, but only a few are released to the world. For example, the discarded photos are still valuable to the fans, and I thought it would be nice if they were valued.

Mr. Ikeya
That would be nice as a service for fans.

What we can do for society through the Metaverse

Okamoto
Finally, we are working with the proposition of "making society and towns happy through the creation of spaces." Mr. Ikeya, a photo artist, what kind of impact would you like to have on society in the future? Also, please tell us what you think about the relationship between the city and art.

Mr. Ikeya
In order to raise the level of the art market, I would like to think about how we can create opportunities to come into contact with art and create contact points with artists in our daily lives so that more people can enjoy art. .

Okamoto
I feel that we can work together to create spaces that are close to our daily lives. I hope we can continue to think together about creating experience value in the Metaverse x Real world. Thank you for your time today.

lastly…
We had you show valuable work in atelier.
Thank you, Ikeya-san and Suzuki-san.