Indonesia has a rich heritage and unique culture. This is evident from each region, as each has its own unique culinary specialties. On March 1, the Indonesian Culinary Museum Foundation announced their collaboration with Indonesian AR company WIR Group, one of the pioneers of augmented reality companies in Southeast Asia, to build a metaverse of the museum. 

This virtual museum is an effort to preserve the richness of Indonesian culinary specialties, presenting information about Indonesian culinary in an engaging and interactive three-dimensional display. 

The foundation and WIR Group also teamed up with seven culinary experts, Santhi Serad, Arimbi Nimpuno, Primo Rizky, Gupta Sitorus, Janoe Arianto, Tria Nuragustina and Kevindra Soemantri, to realize the idea. 

The Indonesian Food Museum aims to document Indonesia's culinary riches, ranging from recipes and cooking techniques along with raw materials and species. It is also considered the first culinary museum foundation in Southeast Asia. 

"In order to be a preservation instrument and also educate the public, the Indonesian Food Museum will be presented with a contemporary approach. Our vision is to preserve Indonesian culture," Santhi Serad, the head of the museum, said. 

 

 

 

 

 

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The museum as part of Indonesia's presidency at G20 Summit

Santhi explains further that the museum will be part of Indonesia's Metaverse, which will be launched at the G20 Summit as part of Indonesia's presidency in November. It also claims that it's the first museum in Indonesia to take a step in the metaverse. Even adapted to the metaverse concept through the internet, the museum will be made as realistic as its real-world counterpart.

There are plans for a physical museum in 2024, however, the exact location is still under consideration.

Metaverse itself is a technology that allows people to gather and communicate in a virtual world by Relying on augmented reality (AR) technology, virtual reality (VR) and artificial intelligence (AI), which can take place simultaneously.

"People can visit the Indonesian Culinary Museum without having to come physically, without the hindrance of time and place. From Sabang to Merauke, they can enjoy this experience while learning about Indonesian culinary culture," Michael Budi, CEO and Co-founder of WIR Group, added. "We hope that with this digitalization, the younger generation will be more attracted to learn and preserve Indonesian cuisine." 

The Indonesian Culinary Museum Foundation and WIR Group have officially signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on Tuesday, March 1, 2022. The virtual museum will be accessible through Indonesia Metaverse, which is scheduled to be released in November.