Unframing spatial presence and resonating aesthetic presence : a “continuous interaction” of visitor engagement with Chinese art

Author

Yi ZHU (朱軼)

Date of Award

6-3-2025

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Discipline

Arts

Department

Visual Studies

First Advisor

Prof. HO Chui Fun Selina

Second Advisor

Prof. CHEN Fong Fong

Abstract

Digital technologies, as a prevalent method of display in museums, has been widely used in the presentation and creation of Chinese art, such as software, hardware, and interactive installations in exhibitions. According to Peng Feng (2022), digital technologies can effectively disseminate Chinese classical artworks while enriching visitors’ experience, enhancing their perceptions of aesthetic concepts and facilitating their understanding of the artworks. However, current studies are primarily focused on the social and cultural background information conveyed by the objects, rather than the visitor experiences in the process of interaction with the artworks. Digital technologies can engage visitors through active interaction with the respective artworks, rather than merely gazing at them from afar. This subtle, unobtrusive, and interactive experience can be understood as “presence,” which produces an on-the-spot sensation for visitors to understand Chinese classical philosophies, aesthetics, and culture when appreciating traditional artworks in digital forms. Applying the conceptual idea of the “presence” studies, the thesis specifically asks how the contemporary curatorial and artistic practices of using digital technologies have intervened in the display of Chinese artworks and affected the visitor experiences. Drawing from Chinese aesthetics, Hui Yuk’s notion of Cosmotechnics and Presence Theory originated from contemporary western scholars, I suggest a conceptual framework, Presence Experience of Chinese Art, with the central idea of “continuous interaction,” incorporating (i) “unframing (wujie) spatial presence” and (ii) “resonating (ganying) aesthetic presence.” I argue that the intrinsic quality of “continuous interaction” embedded in Chinese aesthetic experiences serves as the foundational catalyst for the digital transformation in museum experiences of the visitors. Drawing upon this distinctive characteristic and integrating digital technologies into museum applications: (i) a heightened spatial encounter is facilitated, creating an exploratory and boundless “unframing” space, which constitutes the “unframing (wujie) spatial presence;” (ii) an enhanced aesthetic engagement through interactions with other individuals, objects, and the environment, thus forming the “resonating (ganying) aesthetic presence.” Using this framework, this research delves into the visitors’ presence experiences while they interact with the digital display of Chinese art. The framework specifically explicates how the traditional Chinese aesthetics concepts of rhythmic vitality (qiyun shengdong), and empty space (liubai) can be digitally transformed in exhibitions to provide visitors with a presence experience.

With reference to eight case studies of digital displays and exhibitions in mainland China and Taipei, the research underpins that digital displays and presentations have engaged visitors in the two dimensions of “presence experiences” within the framework to different extents. A supplementary visitor study of four exhibitions also demonstrates that visitors remain present in the spatial and aesthetic process of experiencing artworks, and they appropriate, negotiate, or contest the traditional concepts and approaches to experiencing Chinese art. The research conclusively contributes to understanding visitor experiences of Chinese art and evaluating its curatorial and artistic practices in the digital age. The new framework not only considers the social and cultural meanings of artworks and their themes but also highlights the continuity of the interactive experiences of the visitors and the environment in digitized exhibitions of the Chinese artworks.

Language

English

Copyright

The copyright of this thesis is owned by its author. Any reproduction, adaptation, distribution or dissemination of this thesis without express authorization is strictly prohibited.

Recommended Citation

Zhu, Y. (2025). Unframing spatial presence and resonating aesthetic presence: A “continuous interaction” of visitor engagement with Chinese art (Doctoral thesis, Lingnan University, Hong Kong). Retrieved from https://commons.ln.edu.hk/otd/244/