The 2022 Metaverse Design Idea Festival, Led by REMAC TY and supported by the RIBA China office, opened up a new space for every existing city in the metaverse. The competition also explored the possibility of a cultural extension in the digital world by further promoting "My City" from reality to virtuality.
This project solicited conceptual design proposals related to future cities and urban cultural life from artists and designers around the world. Offering praise to the city they loved, and at the same time, looking to the future, reflecting on the creativity of contemporary young designers, and increasing the attention of the crowd in a larger design industry chain through online and offline publicity.
The 2022 RIBA China Metaverse Design Idea Festival consisted of three themes:
The identity
In the metaverse, designers must create an identity for an existing city, which can be a specific place, such as a monument, park, or square, or a particular type of visual element with commemorative and symbolic meanings. It can be a series of objects, clothing, or character settings. All designs must be integrated with the urban scene to bring higher recognisability to the city and provide spiritual sustenance for residents to seek identity and belonging. It is also possible to design and conceive an entire city based on the spatial topology or the way of experience.
Commune
In the metaverse, designers must propose ways to create and share value. The premise is to express how to create and explore value and how to share value based on the existing cultural life of a city. The work can be an industrial building, such as a comprehensive production facility, in which one can study the virtual creation mode, or a shopping mall or exhibition hall, which can learn the virtual sharing mode.
My life
How will I exist in the metaverse, and how can my identity change? These discussions by designers must be based on the actual state of existence in their current city. The work can be character design (character design must be presented in conjunction with urban scenes) or residential to express their lifestyle.
The 2022 competition was launched on 12 July and closed on 30 August 2022. Following 50 "creation days" by entrants from around the world, the festival jury selected 100 creators.
The results were published on 11 November and awards/related activities will be announced at a later date.
Download the programme of the 100 young creators’ work. (PDF)
