Shyang Wang · CLIENT: Cultural Affairs Bureau of Hsinchu City
Hsinchu Scroll is an interactive installation created for an exhibition in Hsinchu City, Taiwan. The design adapts the traditional Chinese handscroll into a spatial journey through two galleries, each measuring about 30 by 15 meters with a ceiling height of 5 meters. Infrared depth sensors track visitor movement and trigger real-time calligraphy and flowing water effects. Lightweight modular screen structures and high-gain projection fabric support large-scale digital projections. In a final zone, visitors leave digital calligraphic marks and join the evolving exhibition.
Press Kit
- Unique Properties
- This project establishes a new exhibition paradigm by transforming the traditional Chinese handscroll into a real-time, co-authored urban simulation system.
- Dimensions & Packaging
- The exhibition spans two primary galleries, each measuring approximately 30 Meter x 15 Meter with a ceiling height of 5 Meter, providing a combined immersive volume designed for large-scale digital projections.
- Tags
- Digital scroll, Interaction Art, Techno-art, Hsinchu City, Chinese Art Exhibition, Media Art
- Production Technology
- To bridge traditional culture with technology, the project employs Infrared depth sensors and tracking to capture visitor movements, triggering real-time interactive calligraphy and "flowing water" effects. The physical installation uses lightweight, modular screen structures and high-gain projection fabric to ensure visual clarity while maintaining a flexible, eco-friendly exhibition layout.
- Design Challenge
- Technical Scarcity in Traditional Ink Wash Representation: While digital tools abound for Western art, sophisticated frameworks for translating the atmospheric, rhythmic brushwork of traditional Chinese landscape painting into dynamic digital media remain scarce. The team conducted extensive research to develop shaders and fluid dynamics that honor the "spirit resonance" of classical ink, ensuring the digital output felt organic rather than synthetic. Computational Innovation in Urban Mapping: A significant innovation involved the computational synthesis of Hsinchu’s modern cityscapes with the compositional logic of the legendary Along the River During the Qingming Festival. This required massive real-time data processing and custom algorithms to weave contemporary urban memory into a seamless, unfolding digital scroll—transforming a static masterpiece into a living, generative metropolitan narrative. Cross-Institutional Strategic Collaboration: Bridging the operational cultures of a municipal city museum and a world-renowned institution like the National Palace Museum presented a complex logistical and creative challenge. The design had to satisfy high-level academic curation standards while remaining accessible and engaging for a local civic audience, ultimately establishing a new collaborative model for global-local cultural exchange.
- Project Duration
- This exhibition started on February 3 to May 10, 2026 in Hsinchu City Art Museum in Hsinchu City, Taiwan.
- Operation Flow
- The exhibition is structured as a progressive spatial journey through two expansive galleries about 3000 sq. Ft each. Upon entry, visitors follow a curated "scroll-like" flow, transitioning from historical garden aesthetics to a futuristic digital landscape. Interaction is multifaceted: infrared sensors and motion tracking trigger dynamic visual changes on the walls, simulating the "Meandering Water" banquet. In the dedicated tea and music zones, physical rituals are augmented by generative digital media, where the rhythm of the music and the steam from the tea influence the ambient digital projections. The flow concludes in an interactive co-creation zone, where visitors can leave digital calligraphic marks, effectively becoming part of the living exhibition.
- Research
- This challenge is critical as it addresses the broader issue of how non-Western aesthetic systems can survive and evolve within algorithm-driven digital environments.This research addresses the "Digital-Cultural Gap" by developing custom shaders that replicate the "Spirit Resonance" (Qi Yun) of classical ink wash painting. By integrating IR depth sensors and FFT acoustic analysis, the project creates a "living" environment where human movement and ambient sound directly influence generative visual output. The breakthrough lies in "Computational Urban Mapping"—synthesizing Hsinchu's high-tech architecture with the compositional logic of legendary masterpieces.
- Inspiration
- Inspired by the traditional Chinese handscroll, this project reimagines the exhibition as an unfolding spatial experience rather than a static display. It transforms cultural memory into a continuous narrative journey, drawing from literati garden traditions of the Tang and Song eras and historic Hsinchu landmarks. By merging classical aesthetics with contemporary urban identity, the design bridges heritage and technology, creating an immersive and evolving cultural landscape.
- Image Credits
- Cultural Affairs Bureau of Hsinchu City
National Palace Museum, Taiwan
AMUS ART TECH Co., Ltd., Taipei
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