What is the metaverse to the future of Hong Kong’s arts scene? Here’s what virtual experts and artists are saying about this brave new world

But Samuel Lam, the CEO of X Social Group, claims that the Metaverse Art Theatre has more to offer. The first phase of the theatre’s launch offers a community element that neither a virtual screening or live theatre have: the audience can interact with one another online during the performance with the chat function, whether with friends they know are attending the show, or strangers who are dialing in.

Katy Cheng, Hong Kong Arts Festival’s marketing director, says, “As a marketer, my job is to ask why people outside of the arts circle don’t go to the theatre even if our shows are of good quality.” She has often been told, especially by novice theatregoers, that people can feel judged and embarrassed for clapping at the wrong moments; others don’t like having to travel to a space and then sit still for hours, especially when they can’t eat or drink, despite a theatre supposedly being a place for entertainment. She believes that the metaverse could be a solution. “For traditional theatregoers, they can always attend in-person shows. But for those who prefer the metaverse, they have a choice. The point is to find a way to eliminate the limitations of live theatre.”

Gemie, a two-year-old Asian entertainment-focused metaverse platform and NFT marketplace headquartered in Hong Kong, has taken interactive elements to the next level with their metaverse concert hall. In October 2022, the company released 1,000 NFTs in the form of VIP passes which grant holders access to entertainment experiences in the Gemie Metaverse, such as exclusive virtual meet-and-greets with and virtual concerts of celebrities; K-pop groups P1Harmony and Cherry Bullet under FNC Entertainment, a South Korean entertainment company set up by singer Han Seong-ho, and J-pop girls group Fruit Zipper under Asobisystem, a Japanese production company specialising in youth fashion content, are among Gemie’s list of collaborators. In November 2022, the company recreated Hong Kong rock band Beyond’s iconic purple studio, 2 Floor Rear, in the metaverse under the supervision of the band’s drummer Yip Sai Wing. While Beyond disbanded in 2005, fans today can travel back to this 1990s-vibe private studio to hang out or, interact with Beyond avatars, or watch them perform.

“In real life, you can’t really [interact with] your favourite artist, right? You can buy a ticket to a Blackpink concert or go to see Andy Lau sing and dance, but you can’t actually reach them,” says John Fung, Gemie’s co-founder. He says that, for people who like to watch a livestream of art shows or sports, TV channels already exist, so Gemie is offering something different by “bridging the gap between celebrity and fans”.

In June, Gemie co-hosted a global audition called Metaverse’s Got Talent with City Pop Tokyo, an NFT project funded by Asobisystem. At the time of writing in April, Fung was still figuring out the technical aspects of the show, such as the option between a preset dance routine for the candidates’ avatars or flying the candidates to Hong Kong to motion-capture their dance moves. But the main idea is that candidates will submit videos of themselves singing so that their avatars can audition with a real human voice in Gemie metaverse’s pink concert hall designed with J-pop aesthetics. They will then undergo rounds of voting by Gemie NFT-holders and a judging panel made up of the founders of City Pop Tokyo and professional singers. The winner will sign a contract with Asobisystem to launch a career as a metaverse pop star.

In case you missed: How does a rising Hong Kong playwright bridge the virtual and physical theatres?

Fung says the metaverse allows people to share their performance skills yet remain anonymous. “This encourages people who are shy; in the metaverse, everyone can show their talents to the world,” says Fung, who is a professional magician and was invited to a casting for an audition in America’s Got Talent in 2018. He also feels that the biggest selling point of the metaverse is to take away the limitations of geographical boundaries. “You don’t have to spend money on travels and accommodation; the costs for joining the competition are lower; the onboarding process is easier.”

As well as expanding the audience experience, the metaverse is also enabling artists to develop creative visions which have previously been impossible to realise. In the next phase of the Metaverse Art Theatre, expected to be launched later this year, features and functions will be added: from something as simple as lightning, flashes and explosive sound special effects—think fireworks blowing up right next to Blackpink avatars in the K-pop girl group’s metaverse concert in July 2022—to 3D effects using AR (augmented reality) and VR (virtual reality) where the audience wear a headset to enter a virtual world; smart LED projectors and holograms with which the audience are immersed in a fictional space; and MR (mixed reality) with which a live audience can interact with digital elements shown on phone screens to influence how the productions will turn out.

Hong Kong composer Elliot Leung, who collaborated with the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra (HKPhil) and Web3 and NFT company Artifact Labs on The Metaverse Symphony in May, feels that the metaverse has brought creatives of different disciplines together for new artistic possibilities. The Metaverse Symphony was the world’s first symphonic work to be performed in both a concert hall (the Hong Kong Cultural Centre) and the metaverse (The Sandbox). For the live version, Leung incorporated soundbites from members of the public into the final movement and invited artist Henry Chu to create a companion digital work of art that changed colours and patterns according to the mood of the music. The virtual concert took place in a virtual space featuring iconic Hong Kong elements and the city’s Statue Square that was designed by Artifact Labs; the audience avatars could walk around the space, interact with the musicians and play games during the performance.

Leung also believes that a metaverse concert hall offers excellent opportunities for classical music education. “When something is seen as sophisticated, it’s hard to gauge interest. Say if I am an average-Joe gamer and I don’t know anything about Beethoven or orchestras; now the metaverse is a means for me to get to know about them in a very fun, interactive and even rewarding way, because I can go into the game and challenge my friends in mastering this. The social part becomes like an incentive for me.” Leung, who started his career as a video game and film composer, adds, “With the metaverse, we can take [creating new music experiences] a step further because players and users can now dictate how it turns out according to what they want,” Leung says.

Joey Liu, the co-founder of Artifact Labs’, says that the collaboration with the HKPhil is a great example of one of his company’s goals to achieve social responsibility. As well as offering public art education and a limitless digital platform to allow more artists to create, the blockchain-backed company has been working with global institutions with historic intellectual property, including academic organisations, enterprise companies, brands or, in this case, the cultural sector to archive and promote cultural and historical assets. “We’re not just going out there and creating NFTs and digital art of monkeys,” he says. “We have the expertise and experience building metaverse experiences, so we took on this incredible journey to make Elliot’s artistic vision a reality. The overarching philosophy in designing the Web3 concert space is to create an experience would make a user constantly discover something new, feel compelled to do something or go somewhere and have these moments of delight.”

Don’t miss: Threat or opportunity? Hong Kong AI artists evaluate their roles and chances against machine learning

HKAF, which celebrates its 52nd anniversary this year, acknowledges that there is a need for the cultural scene to adapt to the times. “People’s entertainment mode will change. It’s possible that the future of cultural experiences will be dominated by interactions in the metaverse,” says Eugene Lo, the festival’s associate marketing director.

But rather than seeing the metaverse as threatening the future of in-person theatre experiences, Lo and his team believe that the metaverse is both a way for artists to take ownership of their works by registering them on the blockchain and to preserve live arts for future references. Cheng, his colleague, adds, “The point of the Metaverse Art Theatre isn’t to replace live theatre; live and virtual theatres can complement with each other.

“Who knows? Traditional theatregoers may even become interested in the metaverse once they give it a try—and the same goes for people become interested in a live theatre because of the metaverse.”

NOW READ

Hong Kong icon Andy Lau unveils his first art show, that looks at his career, life as a dad and more, in new West Kowloon exhibition

Inspired by Taylor Swift and Lady Gaga, Hong Kong’s first Grammy’s Press Play artist writes songs on body positivity and turns bathroom sounds into music

AI and its role in society examined in ‘Hè Rite of Spring’, Miranda Chin’s latest adaptation of Stravinsky’s 1913 ballet for French May