When the Nobel Peace Prize laureates Maria Ressa and Dmitry Muratov were in Oslo, they were documented as holograms, securing their legacy for generations to come.
When the two Nobel Peace Prize laureates arrived in Oslo for the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony, they were also asked to be captured in 3D for the Metaverse. Ressa and Muratov are now digitized as three-dimensional holograms ready for the virtual, augmented and metaverse future. This weekend, when opening the Nobel Peace Prize exhibition, Ressa and Muratov were introduced to their holograms for the first time. “Wow, that is so cool”, Maria Ressa said, before striking several poses with her own hologram.
REACHING NEW AUDIENCES
Kjersti Fløgstad, Director at The Nobel Peace Center says the following: “This year’s Nobel Peace Prize was awarded two journalists for their courageous fight for freedom of expression in the Philippines and Russia. If this can help make their stories reach even further, we believe it is worth exploring”.
Since 1901 the Nobel Peace Prize has been awarded 102 times, to 137 laureates. The globalisation of the Nobel Peace Prize has picked up speed since the 1980s, and now the Metaverse can help increase the geographic relevance even further.
THREE-DIMENSIONAL INTERNET
The traditional institutions behind what is regarded as the world’s most prestigious prize are no strangers to digital ventures. The archives of the Norwegian Nobel Institute are currently being digitalized, and this year’s Nobel Peace Prize Exhibition will be both a physical and a digital experience.
The Norwegian company Holocap has developed a technology to digitize and reconstruct real people as three-dimensional holograms (in virtual, augmented and Metaverse realities). The technology is referred to as volumetric video and is predicted to become an important part of bringing real human presence into Metaverse platforms in the future.
“Metaverse is a collective term for the future three-dimensional internet, and it will only grow in importance as a platform. It has been object of some critique, and therefore we feel adding valuable content like messages from real life heroes will be an appreciated asset in this 3D internet future” says Peder Børresen, co-founder at Holocap.
BRINGING THE LAUREATES TO THE VISITORS
Director Fløgstad is thrilled: “We see this as a democratization of knowledge. Every year, we welcome thousands of visitors to our museum. With this new tool, it will be easier to bring the inspiring stories from the laureates directly to peoples’ homes.”
“This gives us many opportunities today, and the beginning of a work we do not yet know the potential of. For example, when the museum is closed, passersby could still “meet” and take pictures with the laureates outside our premises”, Fløgstad continues.
High-res images (photo: Inia James / Who Dares)
Film with supers (photo: Who Dares) can be downloaded from here.