After putting together a “national team” to produce medical-grade masks and develop COVID-19 vaccines, Taiwan has now assembled a “virtual reality national team” to participate in a decades-old festival where art and technology meet.
Have you thought of what Dadaocheng, the heart of old Taipei City, would look like back in the day? Now you might just be able to stroll down the streets of the historic quarter as depicted in the work of Taiwanese artist Kuo Hsueh-hu, but in virtual reality.
Kuo’s paintings, and many others, are being brought to life with virtual reality and augmented reality technology by Taiwan’s VR national team. At the team’s head is National Taiwan Normal University professor Huang Hsin-chian. Huang and the team are participating in the Austrian-founded Ars Electronica Festival, which dates back to 1979 and aims to brings art, technology, and society together.
This year’s festival theme is “In Kepler’s Gardens”. Huang’s team is among the 120 taking part.
If you’d like to check out the works of art, Huang says you can download the festival’s app and maybe even compare Dadaocheng in its heyday to the way it looks today.