PhD student April Riddle traveled to Europe this summer to conduct dissertation research. April’s primary focus on this trip was visiting two exhibitions that examine the concept of worldbuilding: Worldbuilding: Gaming and Art in the Digital Age (Centre Pompidou-Metz, France) and Collective Worldbuilding: Art in the Metaverse (House of Electronic Arts, Basel, Switzerland). These shows featured art games and game art that question the role of virtual worlds, welcome new forms of participation within the museum space, and represent and critique the causes and symptoms of economic and environmental crises. 

Another highlight of April’s trip was traveling to London, where she experienced Gabriel Massan’s exhibition Third World: The Bottom Dimension at the Serpentine Galleries. This exhibition, which featured an NFT minting experience, allowed visitors to individually or collaboratively play a full video game exploring Black Brazilian experiences and the legacies of colonialism. 

During this trip, April was additionally able to visit the Between Worlds exhibit at the Photographers’ Gallery in London, which also investigated virtual worlds, and the Centre Pompidou in Paris, where the institution’s collection of NFTs is currently on display.

This trip was generously supported by a Murnane Travel Scholarship and an Arts and Sciences Graduate Research Small Grant.