Introduction
Knowledge and art nourish our soul. Delving into the unknown often rewards us with the most unexpected cultural wonders.
The National Palace Museum (NPM) and Tainan Public Library have joined forces to organize the exhibition ArtVenture Together—A Digital Journey from the 17th Century Onwards at the newly-inaugurated New Main Library. The theme is aimed at highlighting the shared role of libraries and museums as receptacles where culture can be transmitted and upheld. This ten-thousand-mile journey will traverse countless book pages and scrolls, combining humanities and technology to showcase the beauty of art and culture.
The exhibition venue is divided into three sections: "Adventure Map", "Brave the Wind and the Waves", and "Legendary Treasure". Visitors will turn into adventurers and set out on a fantastic digital quest, searching for legendary hidden treasures. The Kunyu Quantu (Great Universal Map; 1674 CE)—a world map drawn by Fr. Ferdinand Verbiest during the Qing era—will prelude this quest at the departing point, "Adventure Map". Augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) versions of the map depict 17th century knowledge and fantasies by bringing to life ancient and modern conceptions of creatures, cartography, and so forth. "Brave the Wind and the Waves" is centered on the Tong-an ships. Interactive exhibits, teaching aids, videos, and other elements are used to unravel the structure of Tong-an ships and begin this maritime expedition. Moreover, local features of Tainan, represented by Fort Provintia and cultural artifacts from the collections of the 1661 Taiwan Warship Museum and NPM, are also featured in this section. "Legendary Treasure" presents the cultural richness and artistry behind the Tibetan Dragon Sutra in The Tibetan Dragon Sutra: Floating Shadows and Transmogrification—Immersive Interactive Theater.
NPM's great achievements in digitization of cultural heritage are demonstrated through AR, VR, immersive theater, interactive new media, high-definition videos, digital objects, and so forth. These are aimed at enabling the general public to freely explore and interact with invaluable artistic and cultural artifacts.