#MétaversCity is a hybrid project bridging the metaverse and the real city, exploring the fusion of tangible and virtual realities in the post-digital era.
Anchored in Tétouan, this research-creation initiative invites students to design an open and innovative shared space by connecting the physical and the digital, the social and the cultural, through an experimental and collaborative approach.
Workshop Teachers/Trainers
Khaldoun Zreik (Fr)
Khaldoun Zreik is a French academic specializing in information and communication sciences. He holds the position of Director of the Faculty of Sciences and Technologies of Digital Media (STN) at Paris 8 University. At the same time, he leads the Paragraphe laboratory, a research unit in information sciences, communication, psychology, and ergonomics, affiliated with Paris 8 University and CY Cergy Paris University.
As an editor, Khaldoun Zreik is responsible for the “International Journal of Design Sciences & Technology (IJDST)”. He also co-edits the “Revue des Interactions Humaines Médiatisées (RIHM)”.
Marc Veyrat (Fr)
Marc Veyrat is a French artist and academic specializing in art sciences. He is a senior lecturer qualified to supervise research (HDR) in art sciences and heads the Hypermedia Communication department at the Université Savoie Mont Blanc.
He is also a member of the CiTu – Paragraphe laboratory at Université Paris 8 and an associate researcher at the UNESCO Chair / ITEN (Innovation, Transmission, Digital Publishing). As an artist, Marc Veyrat explores the interactions between digital art, networks, and information strategies, particularly in mixed reality (XR) devices and through social networks or the web.
He develops projects combining research and artistic creation, emphasizing innovation and new media in the fields of art and communication.
Jonathan Juste (Fr)
Jonathan Juste is a Franco-Swiss designer and digital creator. He holds a Master’s degree in Interactive Writing and Interaction Design from Université Savoie Mont-Blanc. As a developer, graphic designer, and educator, his transdisciplinary practice spans various media, from still and animated images to digital and interactive design, using programming to create visual and auditory experiences. He supports artists in the realization of their digital projects, notably immersive works in augmented and virtual reality. Jonathan Juste is also a lecturer in the Hypermedia Communication department at Université Savoie Mont-Blanc and the programmer of the MétaversCiTy platform. In 2017, he founded Pixelpirate, a company specializing in digital design and development. He is the programmer of the MétaversCiTy platform.
#MétaversCity
“#MétaversCity is a futuristic place located both in the metaverse and in the city at the same time. It is a hybrid space (augmented and diminished) extending beyond the physical (tangible) world. It is a thriving space evolving in the post-digital era, where the boundary between tangible reality and virtual reality blurs. At the heart of this evolution, the MetaversCity project leverages a metaverse-type platform to design, imagine, experiment, and test strategies for merging the real city and the virtual city.”
Khaldoun Zreik
“#MétaverCiTy is a research-creation initiative that invites students to imagine, question, and build an innovative ‘Common’ space together. Not to ‘create a new place, but to, each time, in every place, open the possibility of the arrival’ of this ‘Common.’ Structured through the conceptual, formal, and structural links between the tangible world — in this case, Tétouan — and the Internet, between the body and information, between politics, society, economy, education, and culture.”
Marc Veyrat
Program
- Day 1: Presentation of #MétaversCity > Group formation > Exploration of Tétouan and its Medina > Collection of various materials in the field (photographs, films, interviews, various materials) and on the Internet (social networks, etc.) to define initial concepts by the end of the day. The idea is to start working immediately after a brief presentation of #MétaversCity to avoid wasting time.
- Day 2: At INBA, presentation of the information collected in Tétouan the previous day by each group in the early morning, followed by the presentation of concepts (by each group) by late morning (mind maps, sketches, models, vector drawings, etc.). A new round table discussion will take place at the end of the day.
- Day 3: At INBA, three meetings are held during the day to review the progress of each group’s work: in the early morning, early afternoon, and end of the day. The setup and creation of the teaser, which will represent the project for the final workshop exhibition, begin.
- Day 4: At INBA, three meetings are held during the day. Each group finalizes their projects. Projects are implemented on #MétaversCity. Teasers are finalized and published on YouTube. A general presentation of #MétaversCity INBA – TÉTOUAN to the entire team takes place at the end of the day. Preparation of the exhibition for the Saturday evening opening: references / concepts and notions used / visual presentation setup, etc.
Educational objectives:
Four student groups are formed: 1/ Socio-political, 2/ Socio-economic, 3/ Art and Culture, 4/ Education. Reflecting our societal relationships, these four groups must innovate and imagine a possible — perhaps even utopian — future by utilizing the #MétaversCity platform. To achieve this, they will need to collaborate, create connections, foster exchanges, rely on references, and operate within both the tangible and intangible worlds. This involves collaboration between physical groups using traditional or digital tools, between their respective modules self-generated by #MétaversCity, and across past, present, and future by exploring Tétouan’s territory and heritage.
The educational objectives are numerous. First, to be creative by innovating based on mastery of their respective tools, whether artistic or not, as they might involve “craftsmanship” or artisanal techniques; to be attentive to the digital worlds surrounding us, which enable us to create connections beyond borders and language barriers; to imagine a livable future for the planet while understanding and respecting its diverse cultures; to acquire and discover new references and “ways of doing” relative to one’s approach by using tools related to the construction and exploitation of #MétaversCity; to be fundamentally curious and eager to explore new territories and cultural forms while aiming to meet the expectations of those territories; and finally, to work as a team toward a common and shared goal, affirming individual identity while listening to Others.
Biennale of Art Schools in the Mediterranean – IBNA Tétouan (Ma)
Encourage and develop artistic and cultural exchanges between cities, regions, and countries in the Mediterranean, relying on the higher education network of visual arts and young artists from these schools. Promote and develop international cooperation to facilitate the long-term implementation of joint artistic projects between different schools and to foster the mobility and professionalization of artists across the Mediterranean region.
National Institute of Fine Arts – INBA
A multidisciplinary team of teacher-researchers, artists, and experienced professionals ensures the theoretical, artistic, and technical training and guidance of students.
Theoretical courses and practical work are supported by internships, master classes, civic actions with associations, field experiments, and the completion of final projects.
The university curriculum is designed to guide students toward the autonomous management of their artistic careers, notably through professionalization initiatives. In addition to its educational and artistic mission, the institute actively participates in the cultural and artistic scene of Morocco and the Mediterranean by organizing several annual events, including the “International Comic Strip Forum,” the “Tétouan Design Event,” and the “Mediterranean Art Schools Biennale.”
Infos
- 18 > 23.11.2024
- Institut National des Beaux Arts de Tétouan
- HJC8+9GH, Tétouan, Maroc
Production
- As part of the Biennale of Mediterranean Art Schools
- National Institute of Fine Arts – INBA, University of Paris 8 – CiTu – Paragraph
- With the support of Transcultures and Pépinières Européennes de Création (Digital Emergences – Arts/Sciences Program)
