A new era of new media art has arrived, where sound awakens Giuseppe Castiglione’s paintings

By Li Xinyi, compiled and reported

Imagine using sound to bring Giuseppe Castiglione’s “Spring Blossoms in a Bower” to life, immersing yourself in the vibrant spring scenes of birds chirping and flowers blooming; step into Wen Zhengming’s “Snow-Covered Mountains and Passes,” and lose yourself in the winter wonderland crafted by layers of light and snow; you can even help decorate Zhao Mengfu’s “Autumn Colors on the Qiao and Hua Mountains.” In this new era of technology, museum exhibitions have evolved beyond 3D animations to include interactive experiences with audiences. The National Palace Museum’s annual finale new media art exhibition—“Seasons of the Palace Museum”—is now on display at the Boiler Room of Huashan 1914 Creative Park. It’s a feast of art offering entirely new sensory experiences.

The exhibition is divided into sections titled “Spring Birth,” “Summer Lotus,” “Autumn Colors,” “Winter Snow,” and a film screening area. “Spring Birth” uses voice-controlled devices to animate birdsong and the blooming of flowers within painted screens; “Summer Lotus” features a gentle summer breeze, making fish and ripples in the lotus pond gather and disperse with visitors’ steps; “Autumn Colors” employs motion sensing to let hands manually highlight and magnify the delicate beauty of the paintings; while “Winter Snow” uses electrochromic glass and intelligent visual recognition technology, allowing visitors to enjoy the beauty of changing snowscapes and light colors inside the glass as they move closer or farther from the artwork.

Additionally, the film screening room in the exhibition area will show internationally and domestically award-winning 3D animations such as “National Treasure Rally,” “The National Palace Museum: The Modern Chapter,” and “Roaming Through Time: Savoring Life.” The exhibition runs from today until May 20, 2012, after which it will move to the “Museum of the Future” at Taoyuan International Airport, allowing visitors from around the world to appreciate the essence of Chinese culture treasured in Taiwan.