We’ve been quiet recently, and we’re really sorry about that. But don’t worry, we haven’t gone anywhere. In fact, we’re thrilled to announce that we’ve closed a Series A investment round. This has been in the works for a while and is exciting in many ways; the funding allows us to provide more support to the artists we feature while making sure the Museum is the best it can be as we move closer to release.
The Museum has come a long way since we started working on it in 2017. At the time, it wasn’t a museum at all, at least not in the way it is now. Rather, we were fascinated by the work people were creating with VR, and wanted to do something with these artists. Considering some of the friction involved with VR experiences (discovery, access, actually putting on the headset, etc.), the original idea was to make something along the lines of a ‘virtual magazine’, where it would be easier to experience all the art in one place, as opposed to having each piece be its own app. With this early version of theMOR—or TH-er—as we called it then, we were more focused on having it be a gateway to different standalone experiences. It wasn’t until we implemented multiplayer and hosted our first experimental party, that we realized the potential for this space. From that point, we were confident about the direction we wanted to take the project.
Since then, we’ve had the opportunity to feature amazing work created by equally amazing artists. From the start, we’ve been intent on supporting artists by paying them for their work, and we’re glad to now be able to do that on a larger scale. Through our parties, we’ve worked to build a community around this new medium--a space for people to not only appreciate the artwork but to also interact with one another, which is crucial for an emerging medium like VR.
Suffice to say, it has definitely been a learning experience. So much has changed in theMOR and in the VR space as a whole, but our goal of working with artists to define what is possible in virtual reality has remained the same. We want to thank the artists and everyone who has volunteered or contributed to the Museum. It’s difficult to describe in words how much we appreciate the support.
Now we have an actual office, which opens new doors for collaboration and community outreach. We’re also pleased to welcome a few people to the team. You might know Andy Moore, Lindsay Jorgensen, and Stephen Gray from their work on the VR game Fantastic Contraption, and Adam Madojemu, who co-directed the VR music video, Pixel Hearts. It has been a surreal experience watching this grow from a simple idea to being able to work on theMOR in this capacity with a team of talented people.
The Museum is expanding and we’re excited to have you along with us.
What’s Next for the Museum of Other Realities
In addition to some new features and improvements, we’re officially opening our doors to the public later this year.
Before then, we will hold more private parties in the MOR, so stay tuned for announcements. Looking forward to seeing you THere!
