- The British Museum has indicated plans to create an NFT collection with the help of metaverse project The Sandbox and French firm LaCollection
- The cultural institution will also develop a virtual space inside The Sandbox to add to its quest to birth immersive experiences for its visitors
- The museum wants to use the opportunity to connect with a wider audience
The British Museum has announced plans to create an NFT collection with the help of metaverse platform The Sandbox and French firm LaCollection. The cultural institution will also tap into the partnership to develop a virtual space inside The Sandbox game to add to its quest to birth immersive experiences for its visitor. It also wants to use the opportunity to connect to a wider audience.
270 Years Old Artworks Become NFTs
Collectibles in the collection will feature some of the museum’s collections some that date back to 1753, in a move that it thinks will help it advance its “museum of the world, for the world” mission.
Immerse yourself in a world of history, art, and culture of the @britishmuseum 🇬🇧 as digital collectibles and metaverse experiences…inside The Sandbox!
In collaboration with @LaCollectionOffhttps://t.co/ksihwcbUFf
— The Sandbox (@TheSandboxGame) July 27, 2023
The British Museum believes that an NFT collection and a metaverse platform will help showcase the actual volume of its “collections.” The Sandbox COO Sebastien Borget commented on the development saying that it offers gamers on the platform a chance to explore human history.
This isn’t the museum’s first foray into the blockchain world. The institution has in the past, for example, released several digital artworks including a digital version of the 1831 Katsushika Hokusai’s ‘Under the Wave, Off Kanagawa’ woodblock print in collaboration with LaCollection.
Not the Only Museum to Embrace Web3
Although The British Museum is among few such institutions directly interacting with the web3 world, it’s not the only one embracing digital artworks.Â
Museums in Barcelona, Amsterdam and England have agreed to showcase a physical artwork that also exists as an NFT. The Paris art museum Centre Pompidou also received a CryptoPunk NFT for display at the museum.
With The British Museum being the oldest public museum in the world, it’s to be seen whether its move to join the web3 world will influence other traditional cultural institutions to expand their audience base using blockchain technology.
