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Cultural renaissance, thanks to technology
From:Shanghai Daily  |  2018-12-01 04:30

THE Forbidden City, a spiritual Buddhist cave at Dunhuang and ancient paintings come to life with modern computer technology in the downtown Yuyuan Malls exhibition “Renaissance of Traditional Culture.”

“All of the exhibited installations are the research results of professors and experts over the years,” said curator Wang Zhigang, an associate professor at Beijing’s Tsinghua University.

“They are showcased in public for the first time in Shanghai, enabling visitors to enjoy them in an interactive and immersive way,” he said.

The exhibition features digital innovations of Chinese cultural heritage conducted by teachers and students from the Academy of Arts and Design at Tsinghua. Interactive design techniques revive centuries-old heritage to make it seem real.

One of the big highlights is the digital reconstruction of the No.159 Buddhist Cave of Dunhuang, an ancient city in northwestern China famed for splendid murals.

Augmented reality and virtual reality create the authentic color and details of the cave’s magnificent murals, with damaged parts restored.

With virtual reality glasses, helmet and controller, visitors can step into the 1,000-year-old cave, where they are welcomed by a holographic, animated flying goddess who dances on air. There are also pop-up introductions to statues in the cave.

The Dunhuang presentation is a nationally funded scientific study and cultural protection project led by Tsinghua professors Lu Xiaobo and Xu Yingqing.

Two teams spent years in the caves doing research, including 3D-data scanning of murals and data recovery that can recreate the shades of color used 1,000 years ago.

Elsewhere in the exhibition, an animated interactive film entitled “Skeleton Puppets,” designed by artists from the Institute for Creative New Media and Performing Arts, is an installation inspired by the eponymous fan painting by Li Song during the South Song Dynasty (1127-1279).

The painting illustrates a big skeleton puppet manipulating a small puppet, with an audience of two women holding children.

The artists make the painting come alive with modern animation techniques. By simply clicking the screen, people venture into the skeletons’ world.

The small puppet sits, jumps, runs and squats as your finger moves on the strings, but if you cut out the thick string, you’ll be surprised to see it’s actually the smaller one that manipulates the bigger one.

“It’s an ironic metaphor for contemporary artists getting stimulated and enlightened by ancient culture,” said curator Wang. “It suggests who is the real boss behind appearances in today’s world. It might not be what the painter tried to express almost 900 years ago, but we can put our own thoughts into it.”

Modern interpretation can also be seen in many other art installations. The exhibition displays the works of students in a way that is experimental and provides new perspectives on how cultural heritage may be viewed by the younger generation.

Student Qi Wen’s wooden-and-iron installation “Neither Big nor Small” is an art piece that transforms bound feet into modern high heels by simply switching a handle.

“Chinese women were required to bind their feet in old times, and modern ladies wear high heels,” Qi said.

“From my point of view, they are the same thing to some extent. It’s just different aesthetics in different times. Anyway, you can have your own interpretation.”

The digital remake of the well-known 12th century Chinese painting “The Night Revels of Han Xizai” allows visitors to scroll back through time. Project leader and artist Shi Danqing cleverly unfolds the digital painting by a wax candle with Internet of Things technology. When a person holds the candle in front of the digital painting, the light will illuminate the part where the hand moves.

Haiyantang, the largest European-style garden in Yuanmingyuan, or the Old Summer Palace, comes alive again — virtually, of course. It allows viewers to experience the magnificence of the historic architectural masterpiece that was destroyed in the mid-19th century. The project was initiated by Professor Guo Daiheng from the architecture department of Tsinghua, who spent 16 years restoring Yuanmingyuan Garden by digital technology.

“The public has few chances to truly learn about our cultural heritage,” curator Wang said. “People often have a vague idea about it, usually thinking that cultural treasures are far removed from daily life. This exhibition can offer a quick, fun channel for people to get close-up, personal contact with traditions and art crafts by means of innovative installation techniques.”

Venue: 3/F Huabao Tower, Yuyuan Malls

Address: 265 Fangbang Road M.

Date: through December 10

Admission: free

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