Pilgrimage to Pureland
Art, Perception and the Wutai Mural VR Reconstruction
Art, Perception and the Wutai Mural VR Reconstruction
Our project, 'Pilgrimage To Pureland,' involved creating a virtual reality (VR) reconstruction
of the Dunhuang murals, focusing on the Mt. Wutai pilgrimage mural in Mogao Grottoes' Cave 61.
This VR experience is designed to make cultural heritage more accessible and engaging. Our approach
converts complex 2D murals into immersive 3D VR content, retaining the original art's essence. This
interactive VR environment provides a narrative-driven experience, allowing users to appreciate the
murals' religious, historical, and artistic value deeply.
A user study with 30 participants was conducted to assess the effectiveness of our VR reconstruction method. This study compared the VR experience with other virtual access forms, focusing on immersion and knowledge acquisition. The findings indicated that the VR group reported a significantly higher level of immersion and a better understanding of the content. In summary, our 2D-to-VR methods offer an innovative way to experience cultural heritage, enhancing user understanding of cultural and historical concepts while preserving the originality of the artworks.
Our design and research objectives in creating the 'Pilgrimage To Pureland' VR experience are
twofold: (1) to offer an engaging VR experience enhancing understanding of the Dunhuang mural
artworks, and (2) to facilitate awareness of the mural's complexity through interactive VR narratives.
We adhered to user-centered design principles, focusing on:
● Reconstructing VR environments that preserve the original Mt. Wutai murals in Dunhuang's Cave No. 61, helping users comprehend the iconography.
● Crafting interactive narratives mirroring the mural's content.
The Mt. Wutai mural, rich in historical and cultural significance, served as our narrative foundation. We integrated
knowledge exposition into interactive tasks, guiding users through conversations and VR interactions. This method layers
knowledge delivery, deepening user understanding. Additionally, we implemented a navigation system allowing free exploration
while tracking task completion, ensuring knowledge retention.
Our VR experience design remarkably enhances cultural heritage awareness and understanding. Narrative design in VR, tailored to non-specialist audiences, improves the acceptability of intricate artworks like the Dunhuang murals. This approach involves adapting plots and incorporating gamified experiences, enabling users to engage with complex historical, religious, and artistic themes. The transition from 2D to VR involves a mixed-methods approach, reconstructing environmental elements into accurate 3D models and creating interactive 2D character animations, faithful to the original artworks. This method ensures authenticity without unnecessary alteration of traditional art forms.
Mu, R., Nie, Y., Cao, K., You, R., Wei, Y., & Tong, X. (2024).
