The National Palace Museum presented A Journey Inside Paintings and Calligraphy: VR ART in room 210 of its Northern Branch Exhibition Hall I in Taipei from 15 October to 15 December 2018. The museum worked with HTC to let visitors explore historic artworks through VIVE Pro headsets. The exhibition has ended; the museum now lists it among past exhibitions.
Up the River During Qingming VR combined a high-resolution view of the painting with interactive reconstructions of three scenes. Visitors could examine details in an 8K artwork display and encounter narration presented as Emperor Qianlong. In Rainbow Bridge, a mission to help a stranded boat introduced river transport. The outdoor theater let visitors prepare opera performers by choosing costumes, makeup and hairstyles. Golden Orchid Restaurant involved restaurant duties and the origins of Chinese dishes.
Two further experiences extended the exhibition beyond Qingming. Roaming through Fantasy Land recreated the landscape of Zhao Mengfu’s Autumn Colors on the Qiao and Hua Mountains. The Spirit of Autobiography animated Huaisu’s cursive calligraphy through natural imagery and dance, and let visitors try writing with a virtual brush. Together, the experiences used participation and visual exploration to introduce cultural history.
In April 2019, HTC reported that the exhibition received an honorable mention in the MuseWeb Conference GLAMi Awards’ Exhibition Media or Experience: Immersive category.
