Resonance

About

Resonance explores how virtual reality (VR) could be a useful tool for preserving cultural heritage and cultural events. Recreating the 2023 Cau Cau Carnival, held in Jinlun, Taimali Township, Taiwan.

It is crafted from field recordings and 360 footage, all taken on site during the festival.

Resonance was presented in both exhibition and conference in 2023.

Research

Resonance was presented in conference at the Symposium of Cultural Resources 2023, in Taipei, in a paper titled "Towards Virtual Reality Cultural Heritage: Resonance (2023) and VR as a Tool for Preserving Culture and Cultural Events". The manuscript can be provided upon request.

Abstract

This paper elucidates the potential of utilising Virtual Reality (VR) as a tool for preserving and (re)presenting the knowledge and experience found within both tangible and intangible cultural heritage. This potential ranges from the presentation of artefacts to the recreation and re-experiencing of specific cultural events and customs. In this paper, I argue that VR is uniquely positioned to (re)present intangible cultural heritage due to its unique features of presence, participation, empathy, compilation of resources and accessibility. These features allow users to become embedded within cultural contexts and traditions. To demonstrate this potential, I detail my experience producing Resonance (2023), a VR experience recreating aspects of the Cau Cau Carnival, held in Jinlun, Taimali Township on the pacific coast of Taiwan. Finally, I outline several current limitations and future potentials of applying Virtual Reality tools to the preservation of cultural heritage. While not a replacement for physical sites, VR introduces new modes of learning about, experiencing and connecting with cultural traditions worldwide.

Video

If possible, please download and play the experience.

If not, below is a video to give you further insight into the project.