Interactive Chinese Characters Project as a New Learning Method

‘Flip and Fly’ Workshop:

Interactive Chinese Characters

 

 

Aims:

My proposed new Dao Gives Birth to One project (2009-2012) examines the possibility and limitations of combining Chinese shu ‘brush writing’ (calligraphy) and hua ‘painting’ in 2D and 4D practice today. My digital art project Dao Gives Birth to One (a series and workshop) suggests how the ‘Yellow Box’ concept of ‘play-appreciation’, and the Dao’s cyclical sense of time and space, can be realized through digital technology, by shifting the role of the viewers from passivity to activity. 

 

Objectives:
I will then organize a series of workshops entitled ‘Flip and Fly’, a digital animation workshop of Chinese character-writing, which aims to offer an opportunity for audiences/participants to take part in creating and exploring their own extra-animated characters with the artist. This will become part of the installation Dao Gives Birth to One. I am in the process of designing and implementing creative workshops of this kind to explore and reinterpret the concept of wan shang (玩賞, ‘play-appreciation’), shifting the role of the audience from passivity to active participation and creativity.

 

Stage One:
In the exhibition venue,  I attempt to allocate four screens (out of the 12) as real-time interactive with the audiences in this cosy environment. Thus, on the one hand the audience can simply enjoy the spiritual atmosphere created by the video installation through viewing the movement of the flying characters. On the other hand, they could also act as participants, merging into the virtual space and interacting with the flying Chinese characters.  

 

Stage Two:
Furthermore, I will organize a public lecture and workshop for the audience right after the opening of my show ‘Hung Keung: Dao Gives Birth to One’ project . First of all, in the lecture session, I first introduce and demonstrated how the concept of multiple viewpoints is applied in Chinese characters, and how Chinese characters are closely related to the human body and to objects that are themselves related to the human body. 

 

Stage Three:
Then in the workshop session, I will  invite the audience to create their own text base of the philosophy of time and space in relation to Chinese characters. Afterwards, I will take  another two weeks to digitalize all their drawings into animated texts, and then programmed and integrated those new texts into my interactive artwork. Then all the audiences will be invited to come back to the exhibition venue / another exhibition space ( can be also virtual space)  to play with their 'artwork'. The result regarding to the response of the audience and the public was very positive and excited. 

 

Result and Outcome of this innovative + interactive project
In this new direction, I attempt to extend the meaning of ‘participant’ from someone who plays an artwork through interaction to someone who creates their own artwork with the artist. Thus the audience is no longer passive as an audience but also actively engaged in the creation of an artwork and then as playing with their own artwork.