Swiss School Unveils the World’s First Student-created Metaverse
(Above): The House of Fashion not only explores avant-garde avatar designs but also champions a more sustainable approach to textile production, reflecting the metaverse’s commitment to environmental consciousness. (Source: Institut auf dem Rosenberg)
Boundary-pushing school, Institut auf dem Rosenberg, will debut the cutting-edge virtual world during Climate Week NYC and Art Basel Miami.
Institut auf dem Rosenberg (Rosenberg), the pioneering Swiss boarding school renowned for its tech-forward and innovative education, will premiere the first-ever student-created metaverse to select audiences in New York and Miami.
The Rosenberg Meta is a virtual ecosystem for student projects, showcasing achievements in humanities, sciences, and arts using Web3 technology. Conceived and designed by Rosenberg students aged 6 to 18, in close collaboration with Studio 697 THz, this groundbreaking project highlights the transformative power of creativity and technology in an interactive digital world.
The impact on learning is a compelling amplification of students’ classroom experiences by merging analog teaching methods with the digital world. This approach offers tangible applications of future technologies while showcasing collaborative student projects, many of which have come to life in partnership with industry leaders such as MIT, UC Berkeley, and ABB.
Stepping through the metaverse portal, visitors enter a vibrant network of passageways and monuments which together conceptualize a sustainable floating society that narrates a vision of a sustainable future, covering themes such as global awareness, human rights and advanced technologies. Currently, the digital world houses 117 different artifacts of collectible digital art set in spectacular environments–each conceptualized and designed by the students, showcasing a dynamic blend of creativity and collaborative spirit across the student body. The digital artwork created by Rosenberg students in collaboration with Studio 697 THz, will be available for purchase online at instrosenberg.ch/meta, with all proceeds going directly to charities focused on environmental conservation, sustainability, peer-to-peer engagement, and human rights.
“The Rosenberg Meta is not merely a digital playground; it is a testament to the ingenuity and creativity of the next generation,” said Bernhard Gademann, President of Institut auf dem Rosenberg. “This project marks a major milestone in virtual world development and highlights the crucial role of education in driving technological innovation. By equipping students with the resources and support to realize their visions, we are paving the way for a future where creativity, sustainability, and purpose converge.”
The Rosenberg Meta will debut to the public for the first time during Climate Week NYC at the Climate Ring art and performance exhibition, in collaboration with Studio 697 THz and led by SwissNex, from Sept. 25-27.
Further to this, Studio 697 THz facilitated the showcasing of The Rosenberg Meta at Art Basel Miami from Dec. 6-8, featuring 3D-printed artifacts in soil co-developed by students in collaboration with MIT, Boston. In the future, the Rosenberg Meta will open its digital doors to student participants and select visitors, inviting them to join town hall meetings and auctions for philanthropic causes.