Prospects of Metaverse Exhibition Utilization & Sustainability - A Case Study of Total Museum

This study analyzed the utilization of metaverse exhibitions and the prospects for sustainability, focusing on the case of the Total Museum of Art's metaverse project. In the literature, the utilization of metaverse exhibitions is divided into digital twin exhibitions and creations on metaverse platforms depending on the implementation method, and supplementary/ parallel/independent/alternative exhibition types are applied in each method. As a result of the analysis, digital twin exhibitions showed a tendency to implement exhibitions passively by realizing the museum space and works realistically or by replicating existing exhibitions. With regard to auxiliary exhibitions, accessibility, educational usefulness, preservation as a digital archive, and research and exchange possibilities were factors predicting sustainability, while for concurrent exhibitions, accessibility, the expansion of various experiences, and the novelty of planning intentions were factors predicting sustainability. Metaverse platform creation showed a tendency to implement exhibitions actively by planning independent exhibitions and creating new works. Independent exhibitions showed factors predicting sustainability, such as accessibility of the content, respect for diversity, and inclusive art activity practices, while alternative exhibitions showed factors predicting sustainability, such as art creation and collaboration, events through continuous updates, dynamism of group activities, and combinations with other fields. Based on this, regarding digital twin exhibitions, we discuss the need for professional planning and operation through the use of digital curation processes, and on the topic of creation within the metaverse platform, we discuss the possibility of many changes in social interactions and the art ecosystem through metaverse art activities that combine art and technology. Hence, this study presents the dissemination of art and new artistic possibilities for metaverse exhibitions and provides important insights as a theoretical and practical study.