Changes. Daily. A constant need for new, exciting experiences that provoke the human mind and keep it engaged all the time. Bombarded by information, craving for relevance, struggling to be up to date with everything, we are living in a world that just keeps on moving forward.
What about those who don’t? Those who remain in one place, preserving values or techniques. Are those meant to fade into obscurity and take with them the secrets of the past? Well…yes and no. The digitalization of almost every domain makes it easier to access information and gain knowledge (both from the past and current times), therefore it cannot be said that older methods will become obsolete. It could be said that most people (especially the younger ones) prefer the easier, digitalized version. And there’s nothing wrong with that. Some are inclined to the classics, some only want novelty, and some combine them gracefully. Art is also a very important part of the traditional world and it carries with it the memories of thousands of years of trends, revolutions, beliefs and developments. But will art survive in a world where reality is mostly focused on a computer screen?
The simple answer is yes. Art will never die. Art is representative of the era during which it is created. Art changes, evolves, transcends the mundane existence of everyday life and brings one closer to a deeper understanding of an issue, it gives joy or raises interest on a subject. Therefore, art can never die. But it can change shape or form.
There are many forms of art in this world (dance, music, painting, sculpting, pottery etc.), each with their unique way of being presented, different techniques and different appreciations. Some people consider dancing to be the greatest form of art, while others look down on it and believe a sculpture is the highest level of artistic expression. That’s one of the many appeals of art: its beauty is in the eye of the beholder. And the digitalization of media does not represent the death of art as we know it (on a canvas or in a live show). It just takes art into the future and makes it ingrained into a database forever. This way, art can live on forever, under many different forms.
A new wave of art is taking the world by storm though, and that is digital art. Drawings made on a tablet, 3D computer graphics, dynamic painting, raster painting and many more are forms through which artists express themselves and present their vision to the public. Through the digitalization of art, anyone with an internet connection and an idea of what they want to search can access the works of various artists. This process also contributes to the possibility of having your painting in a virtual museum.
After the pandemic broke out in 2020, a lot of cultural places were closed, concerts were cancelled and people were forced to stay at home, most of them being glued to their laptop or phone screens. Thus, brands and businesses had to adapt and shift their approach to a virtual one, so that people could still benefit from their services in spite of the global context that was happening. Virtual museums, online concerts with no audience at the location, virtual tours for apartments (for real estate agencies) were all options that the general public took part in and appreciated the companies for doing something so great during such difficult times. Of course, most (if not all) of these brands or companies were motivated to do these virtual events by money, but that doesn’t change the fact that virtual reality is becoming more and more part of our daily lives.
With the slow, but steady rise of the Metaverse and cryptocurrencies, it is quite clear that virtual reality is an indispensable tool for brands that wish to remain relevant and appeal to as many of their customers as possible. The pandemic proved that virtual reality can be used for many aspects of life (work, gaming, shopping etc.), therefore brands that don’t provide online options for their clients are bound to remain in the shadows. Of course, real experience is still relevant and sought after (especially after so much time of isolation and living in fear), but the question changed from “Should I also do something in the digital world?” to “What should I do first in the digital world?”. The digital experience can be a great one mostly. Just imagine: you’re home, in a meeting for work, but also shopping from the new collection of spring clothes from your favourite brand. Your favourite artist is having an exposition in a museum, but it’s at the other end of the world, so the chances of you attending are low. But the exhibition is also live on Facebook, where you can also ask questions for the artist, so the world is a good place again. The possibilities are endless. It only depends on you if you want to take them (and on the brands that want to pursue this, of course).
The option of going to a virtual museum is maybe the most intriguing one. In a museum, the experience of looking at the paintings, taking in the scent of the paint, walking for hours along corridors filled with history creates a joyful moment in your life. It does represent a sensory and amazing experience for the viewer. In a virtual museum, you may not be able to have the full sensory experience, but the excitement of wandering through the artworks remains (even if it’s in a different form). With a VR headset, Oculus glasses or even just through your desktop, you can still access information about the artists and their work and, therefore, learn something new and exciting. A virtual museum also ensures that you can display as many works as you want, however you want and the safety of your works is also taken care of. Going to a virtual museum may sound inauthentic, but it does provide just as real of an experience as going to an actual museum. So why not go for it and try it? You never know what wonders you may find.
