Since 2018, Dr. Jewel Jiang, a New Media Artist and Curator who chairs the Department of Drama, Film, and Television Art Design at Tianjin Academy of Fine Arts, has been actively exploring the "theatrical expressions" of digital humanities and has contributed to numerous projects in this field. At the 4th Dialogue of the C.E.A. Museums Cooperation Initiative, she highlighted that the future of museums lies in developing the "digital humanities theater". This approach involves using technological media to create virtual stages that run parallel to the real world and offer a variety of experiences. To achieve this, it is essential to focus on both expanding the theatrical experience and enhancing digital performance.
Full speech by Jewel Jiang
Expanding the theatrical experience essentially means incorporating new media into traditional settings to cater to the diverse needs of modern spaces. In the 2023 special exhibition "Sounds of a Millennium", Dr. Jiang’s team created a 13-meter-long "Wall of Sounds". Through interactive technology, visitors could embark on a sonic journey through time, hearing different sounds as they touched the wall and connecting with ancient instruments.
The "Wall of Sounds"
In the same year, in an exhibition titled "The Splendor of Time’s Passage" about the Twenty-Four Solar Terms, Dr. Jiang’s team developed new media installations such as "Winter Landscape: A Fusion of Reality and Illusion”, and the "Multi-treasure Pavilion of Tianjin Museum", presenting artifacts through innovative interactive methods.
Dynamic interpretation of "Winter Landscape"
On July 9, 2024, the "Peaks in View: An Immersive AI Art Exhibition of Authentic Works by Yun Nantian and Qi Baishi" opened at the Changzhou Art Museum. Tianjin Academy of Fine Arts' "Future Theater" team presented a creative immersive experience that blended original artworks with AI art. After viewing the original pieces by the two masters, visitors could enter a virtual space guided by cameras, as if they were stepping into the paintings themselves.
The Immersive AI Art Exhibition of Authentic Works by Yun Nantian and Qi Baishi
Enhancing digital performance aims to elevate the audience experience and reshape culture through technology while preserving, promoting, and disseminating artistic value. Since 2018, Dr. Jiang has led her team in the research project "Palace of Ephemeral Splendor: Immersive Reproduction and Dissemination of Dunhuang Art". They have conducted in-depth field investigations at the Mogao Caves and created a wealth of visual content.
The naked-eye visual effect of the restored Mogao Cave 275
2022 was a groundbreaking year as Dr. Jiang's team successfully expanded the project from academic research to a broader theatrical stage. In May, the immersive interactive image show "Palace of Ephemeral Splendor: Encounter the Oldest Grottoes of Mogao" premiered at Tianjin Academy of Fine Arts Museum. The performance opens with a time-crossing dialogue between the Taoist priest Wang Yuanlu and contemporary students, weaving a narrative about the Mogao Caves' enduring journey through time and their revival.
A poster of the "Palace of Ephemeral Splendor: Encounter the Oldest Grottoes of Mogao"
As the project evolved and its impact expanded, the "Palace of Ephemeral Splendor: Dunhuang Art Immersive Image Show" premiered at Banlam Grand Theater on August 2, 2023. The production made full use of the theater's performance space, offering the audience a truly immersive artistic experience.
Palace of Ephemeral Splendor: Dunhuang Art Immersive Image Show
After years of developing the digital humanities theater, Dr. Jiang has concluded that future museums must harmonize the interplay with history and culture, technology, leading academic institutions, and industry. With a robust foundation of economic and technological strength, the preservation and continuation of cultural artifacts can truly thrive. The future generations will then be able to look back at history and build the future through unique aesthetic and visual experiences.
Jewel Jiang New Media Artist and Curator, Chair of Department of Drama, Film and Television Art Design, Tianjin Academy of Fine Arts
Dr. Jewel Jiang is an Associate Professor and Master's advisor at the Tianjin Academy of Fine Arts. In 2016, she studied at the ZKM Center for Art and Media Karlsruhe in Germany on a government scholarship and has also been a visiting scholar at Tsinghua University. Selected for the "Tianjin 131 Talent Project", she serves as a principal investigator for projects funded by the National Arts Fund and the Ministry of Education's Humanities and Social Sciences Youth Fund. Her research focuses on narrative creation using light and space, as well as the integration and dissemination of culture and media.
