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06:53
With the new year looming, many art museums in China are holding year-end exhibitions in big cities, with multimedia technology a prominent feature.
The Beijing Times Art Museum's "To the Light" show is a case in point. The surrounding sound and light effects make visitors feel like they're at an amusement park.
A visitor posing for a photo at an exhibit. /CGTN
"With the device moving and its shadow changing, we decided to join in to see if it would look better," said exhibition visitor Shu Shan. "The artist transforms a still image into a moving one. The combination of light and shadow, movement and stillness is an interesting and refreshing concept to me."
Since ancient times, light has been a reliable and important time teller. Inspired by that, curators have themed many multimedia creations around the concept of time to viewers' appreciation.
An exhibit named "Intimacy No. 4" at an exhibition. /CGTN
"I feel warmness and sunshine in this piece," said Zhang Zhe, another visitor. "To me, the bright window in the middle indicates a vision for hope."
The interactivity of the exhibits and their contemporary aesthetics may connect with visitors easily, but some of their hidden inspirations have to be revealed by the artists, like the space consisting of two hexagonal light towers.
An exhibit named "Bound & Bond" at an exhibition. /CGTN
"I think that each monochromatic light such as red, blue and green can be regarded as an individual," said the creator Liang Hongwei. "They flicker faster and faster until the device becomes an ascending white light layer by layer. We know that physically white light is a collection of many different colors of light. What it tries to convey is the process of individuals coming together into a collective body."
Liang Hongwei noted that many domestic artists have been using multimedia technology since 2013, but he has concerns about the trend.
"Nowadays, many creators get bogged down in technology," he said. "Some may put too much energy into pursuing more advanced technology rather than artistic ideas."
The application of multimedia in art has driven the development of many art museums in recent years. Luo Dan, project manager of "To the Light," said exhibitions that provide visitors with a more interactive experience have attracted the most attention during the year and she expects the popularity will grow in the coming year.
