For Generation Z, i.e. anyone born between 1995 and 2010, coexistence of the physical and the virtual worlds constitutes normality: they are used to virtually meeting friends and playing on interactive digital platforms. They probably don’t know the concept of Metaverse, but are in fact, at least in part, already well into it.
对出生于1995年至2010年间的Z世代而言，现实世界和虚拟世界共同构成了生活常态，他们习惯于线上交友以及把玩各类互动数字平台。他们可能不了解元宇宙的概念，但却已在某种程度上身处其中。The word first came to the world’s attention in October 2021, when Facebook changed its name into Meta. In fact it had already been mentioned in a novel by Neal Stephenson, "Snow Crash", back in 1992. Today it stands at the centre of the world media’s attention. The Metaverse is a network of virtual worlds, connected between them through augmented reality and in which one can move, interact, socialise and share things and experiences through a 3D avatar. A true immersive experience thanks to VR headsets and gloves, with apps that can run indifferently on smartphones, PC’s or gaming consoles, and in the future on any type of device, according to Mark Zuckerberg himself. It is a world of its own, standing halfway between reality and virtuality, but where interactions and business are indeed very real, with a 10-figure economic worth.
2021年10月，Facebook更名为Meta，元宇宙的概念首次进入人们的视野。事实上，早在1992年，Neal Stephenson的小说《雪崩》中就已提及元宇宙。如今，元宇宙成为了全球媒体关注的焦点。它是通过增强现实技术相连的虚拟世界集合，人们可以在其中使用3D角色移动、互动、社交并分享事物和体验。Mark Zuckerberg表示，元宇宙应用可在智能手机、电脑或游戏机上运行，未来还有望兼容所有设备，再辅以虚拟现实（VR）头盔及手套，便可打造出真正的沉浸式体验。元宇宙是介于现实和虚拟之间的独立世界，但其中的用户互动及业务却能实实在在地创造几十亿的经济价值。According to Bloomberg Intelligence, the Metaverse market will reach a stunning 800 billion dollars by 2024. A taste of this metafuture is offered by social gaming and NFTs (see box). An NFT is a form of digital token guaranteeing authenticity and unicity. It is based on blockchain technology and unequivocally proves that the owner of one such token is also the legitimate owner of the digital work connected to it.
彭博资讯预计，到2024年，元宇宙的市场规模将高达8000亿美元。社交游戏和NFT（详见文本框）推动了元未来的发展。NFT是用于确保数字资产真实性和唯一性的代币。它依托区块链技术，可有效证明代币持有者是相应数字资产的合法所有者。For the creative industries, the Metaverse rush has already started, in particular for fashion and luxury, for which digital demand, according to a report by Morgan Stanley on NFT and social gaming, should generate an extra 50 billion dollars in sales by 2030.
在创意产业界，元宇宙方兴未艾，尤其是在时尚和奢侈品领域。根据摩根士丹利关于NFT与社交游戏的报告，到2030年，元宇宙中的数字需求将带来500亿美元的额外销售额。Brands like Gucci, Balenciaga and Nike were the first to create virtual fashion collections for avatars in games such as Fortnite and Roblox, where one in five gamers dresses up his or her own avatar in a different outfit every day. Considering that some of these outfits can reach a retail price of 9.5 thousand dollars, one can realise the enormous business potential this market represents.
古驰、巴黎世家、耐克等品牌率先针对《堡垒之夜》、《Roblox》等游戏中的角色推出虚拟时装系列，在这些游戏中，每五名玩家中就有一人每天都为角色更换不同服饰。其中部分服饰的零售价高达9.5万美元，由此，元宇宙蕴含的巨大商业潜力可见一斑。
ART, DESIGN, ARCHITECTURE
艺术、设计与建筑
The art world, and that of design and architecture, were no less keen on grabbing the new opportunities offered by NFT: “Mars House”, a video concept of a house on planet Mars created by Krista Kim, a Canadian architect of South Korean descent, was sold as an NFT for half a million dollars on the SuperRare platform.艺术、设计及建筑界对NFT热情不减，纷纷抢抓NFT带来的新机遇。由韩裔加拿大建筑师Krista Kim创作的“Mars House”，以视频呈现出火星上房子的概念，以50万美元在NFT平台SuperRare上售出。
Then there’s “The Shipping” NFT collection by Argentinian designer Andrés Reisinger: a series of ten objects, between tables and chairs, to be inserted in different types of digital homes, and that Reisinger sold on Nifty Gateway for a hefty half-a-million dollars. Physical copies of five of these items were actually produced and delivered to the clients. Among them, the already iconic “Hortensia Chair” , which went viral on social media in April 2021, now part of the Moooi catalog in a limited edition.
阿根廷设计师Andrés Reisinger的NFT系列“The Shipping”由十件介于桌椅之间的物品组成，可嵌入各类数字家庭，最终以50万美元的高价在Nifty Gateway上成交。其中的五件物品拥有实体版本，已实际生产并交付客户。在这些物品中，尤其值得注意的是标志性的“Hortensia Chair”，这款沙发于2021年4月在社交媒体上走红，如今已是Moooi的限量产品。
The Shipping
Hortensia Chair
In 2022 January, Reisinger, together with architect Alba de la Fuente, presented the “Winter House Residence” (3), a virtual building characterised by sharp geometric lines and soothing colours.2022年1月，Reisinger与建筑师Alba de la Fuente联合推出了“Winter House Residence”，这栋虚拟建筑由清晰的几何线条和柔和的色彩构成。
In August 2022, the “Unhinged” furniture collection by American designer Misha Kahnè was auctioned off at Christie’s for 170 thousand dollars. The famous auction house is no stranger to NFT art. It started dealing with it in October 2020, auctioning an NFT painting by Robert Alice, “Block 21”. It was sold for 130 thousand dollars. At the time, Christie’s declared that it was a “new, radical form of art”. But an absolute record was reached with “Everyday: The First 5000 Days” by Beeple, sold for jaw- dropping 69,3 million dollars, following a frantic bidding that nearly sent Christie’s website crashing. It is currently considered as the third most expensive work of art by a living artist ever auctioned, and possibly the best proof of the global success of NFT art.
2021年8月，美国设计师Misha Kahnè的“Unhinged”家具系列在佳士得拍卖行以17万美元的价格成交。这家著名的拍卖行对NFT艺术领域并不陌生，早在2020年10月，佳士得便开始接触NFT，并以13万美元的价格拍出了Robert Alice的NFT画作《Block 21》。当时，佳士得称这件作品为“颠覆性的全新艺术形式”。佳士得NFT拍卖记录之最由Beeple的《每一天：最初的5000天》创造，这个作品以6930万美元的惊人价格成交。拍卖当天，由于竞价太过激烈，佳士得网站几乎崩溃。该作品不仅是在世艺术家作品拍卖史上价值第三高的艺术品，更是NFT艺术全球成就的力证。Next to digital-first objects, which constitute the true originals, albeit occasionally turning into physical versions of themselves, we find digital works that take after real life. It is the case of “Living Vase 01” (4-5), an NFT created for Vogue Singapore by Lanzavecchia + Wai design studio and inspired by a Ming period vase.
尽管数字优先物品偶尔会衍生出实体版本，但仍是由原创概念构成的，而有些数字作品则是由真实生活驱动的，“Living Vase 01”便是如此。这件NFT作品由Lanzavecchia + Wai设计工作室为新加坡《Vogue》创作，灵感源自一件明朝花瓶。
Living Vase 01
Who knows, in the future we might see classic works of art available in a digital form to ornate virtual homes, or indeed museums such as the Museum of Crypto Art, the Museum of Contemporary Digital Art or the B.20 Museum. Future generations will tell, but we probably won’t have to wait long!
未来，经典艺术品可能会以数字形式走进华丽的虚拟家庭或各大博物馆，例如加密艺术博物馆、当代数字艺术博物馆或B.20博物馆。一切还不得而知，但用不了多久，答案便会水落石出！
