Digital Visualization: Ming and Qing Buddha Statues in the Hunan Region

Xia Yuyin (Sarah) is a digital artist from China who is visiting the Digital Humanities Research Group for a year in 2015-16. During her period as a visiting scholar she will be focusing on the theory and practice of virtual exhibitions.

She is also currently leading a joint research project entitled 'Digital Visualization: Ming and Qing Buddha Statues in the Hunan Region'. This is a pilot study seeking to propose a systematic scheme for visual documentation of Buddha statues. The goal is to construct a functional system for virtual exhibitions of visualized documents relating to the Ming and Qing Buddha statues in Hunan Province, China. This is a three-year research project funded by the Education Department of Hunan Province, 2015-2017. The fieldwork is in-progress and in the early stages. As a first step, data has been collected from museums, private collectors, and antique markets. At the next stage, qualitative interviews and surveys will be conducted in China. By identifying the main artistic features, which include shape, composition, color, and technique, and subject categories, these features can act as the basis for accessing and utilising the visualised documents for research purposes. Various approaches are being applied in this study drawn from iconology, information science, and museum studies.

Investigators

• Xia Yuyin (Sarah) (Team leader), Western Sydney University
• Chen Pengli, Changsha University of Science and Technology
• Huang Zefeng, Changsha University of Science and Technology