Visiting Scholar - Dr. HUNG Keung - Graduate Student Seminar

Seminar for Graduate Students

The transformation from traditional Chinese art theory to inclusive & digital media art education: Interactive Chinese Characters as a new learning method

My experimental research indicated that the four-dimensional construction of Chinese characters can create temporal and spatial experiences. I am interested in integrating these traditional concepts via digital media technology so as to transform the role of the viewer away from the concept of the ‘play-appreciation’ into an interactive video installation platform. In this workshop, the participants are introduced the way of examining and exploring the possibility and limitations of combining Chinese shu (書) ‘brush writing’ (calligraphy) and hua (畫)‘painting in 2D and 4D practice today. Therefore, a series of Interactive Jam with “Animation Workshop of Creative Chinese Writing (text/typo/shape/form)” is a new concept of creative workshop that offers an opportunity for participants (students) to explore the transformation of 2D visual experience to 4D virtual experience (animation and interactive) through re-creating Chinese character-writing on clipping books, traditional Chinese rice papers, digital images sequence and interactive software. Therefore, this pedagogy integrates digital media technology with the meaning and structure of Chinese characters to create an inclusive art education system. It further transforms the aesthetic value of Chinese ‘brush writing’ and ‘painting’ in 2D and 4D practice (time-based experience) as part of creative teaching methodologies. Though this new teaching methods, learners gained an elevated experience of the cultural ideas in arts: (i) observe-appreciation (art learning), (ii) play-appreciation (art making) and (iii) literati gathering Chinese characters (art sharing). Combining Chinese culture, arts and digital technology, experienced learners and novice can contribute to a creative learning process.