Flying Apsaras Dance, Buddha Forms Mudras – The Animated Dunhuang Murals Exhibition Opens

By Li Xinyi, compiled and reported

 

Visitors to the Dreamland Pavilion at Taipei’s Flower Expo are sure to remember the impressive scene where flowers slowly bloom and petals flutter through the air with just a wave of the hand; those who saw the Riverside Scene at Qingming Festival at the Shanghai Expo must also recall the experience of walking into the painting with its figures; but this time, at the “Animated Dunhuang Exhibition” held at the Songshan Cultural and Creative Park, Taiwanese cultural creatives have teamed up with a multinational production crew from the UK, the US, and mainland China. Using Hollywood MOCAP technology and software, they have unveiled the mysteries of Dunhuang Cave 220 for the first time, allowing you to wave your hand and watch flying Apsaras dance gracefully out of the Dunhuang murals, taking you back to the prosperity of the Tang Dynasty.

The Animated Dunhuang Exhibition is the first of its kind to combine Hollywood MOCAP motion capture technology, floating projection technology, holography production techniques, and infrared interactive sensing technology. It brings static Dunhuang mural stories, dancing Apsaras, and Tang Dynasty court musicians to life through the integration of digital technology and music, seamlessly blending real dynamic visuals with special effects. As soon as visitors enter the exhibition hall, they can immediately experience the vivid stories and musical enjoyment of Dunhuang. Among the exhibits, the floating projection technique—combining live-action filming and motion capture to present the elegant postures of flying Apsaras—has garnered the most praise, becoming the first in Taiwan to use imagery to interpret Dunhuang murals, making the Hu Xuan dancing girls on the murals come alive with ancient music.

Director Ma Qingzhong, who studied in the UK, has further transformed the 159 Dunhuang saints—from dancers and musicians to deities, Buddhas, and auspicious animals—in the painting “Amitabha Pure Land Transformation Diagram” into full-scale 3D animations. With their diverse expressions and movements, and with the help of a professional team including animation directors and dance instructors, motion capture photography technology was used to create dynamic effects, enhanced by digitally composed music arranged in antique styles, and edited into a complete animation according to the storyline. This allows audiences to clearly see each figure performing their divine duties and aiding the Buddha in preaching. The exhibition also features Taiwan’s first naked-eye 3D relief image of the Amitabha Buddha statue, where wishes made before the Buddha can instantly receive a blessing in the form of a dynamic mudra. Visitors can interact up close with the grand Buddha statue and write their wishes on a prayer card to take the blessings of the Buddha home.

 

Exhibition website: www.dunhuangart.com.tw