The metaverse is an important platform for the interaction between the future virtual world and real society. It is the practice of cluster innovation of a new generation of information technology. It is an important development direction of the next generation of the Internet and a comprehensive upgrade of the Internet digital industry. Countries all over the world are competing for the metaverse ecological layout.
Science fiction is moving towards reality, and we are also standing at the cusp of the changing world. According to the overall deployment of the Shanghai Municipal Party Committee and Municipal Government on cultivating the layout of new metaverse tracks and centering on the goal of ‘building a new Xuhui and reinventing a new Xuhui’, we cultivate and strengthen the new driving force for the development of Xuhui’s metaverse. The ‘Metaverse Future’ metaverse design and creativity competition (World Metaverse Design Contest, abbreviated as WMDC in English) was officially launched in October 2022. With the themes of the imagined ‘Metaverse Future’ and the closely related ‘coexistence of virtual and real’, through the organic integration of ‘product + scene + design’, it provides a communication platform for contestants to express themselves, dialogue with the industry, and gain insights into the future. It commends a group of talents with benchmark significance in the field of metaverse design innovation and strives to create the ‘Pritzker Prize in the metaverse field’. Under the guidance of the Xuhui District Party Committee and District Government and with the care and support of relevant universities, enterprises and all sectors of society, WMDC has received extensive responses in the industry. A total of more than 1,500 high-quality entries have been received. This exhibition selects more than 100 excellent works/groups and conducts a centralized display at the cultural new landmark ‘Nine Drops Water Art Museum’ in Hongmei·Caofang Development Park. The forms include digital art, video works, animations, VR interactive device experiences, etc. Multiple check-in points are set up to allow viewers to closely feel the technological charm and trendy trends represented by the metaverse where the virtual and real are integrated.The opening hours are closed all day on Monday throughout the year; open from 10:00 to 18:00 from Tuesday to Sunday throughout the year; open from 10:00 to 18:00 on National Day.
