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Pure Land: The Mogao Grottoes at Dunhuang

World Economic Forum, Dalian (China), 2015
Services: sound concept, onsite mixing, interactive
Categories: exhibition, event

The World Economic Forum „Annual Meeting of the New Champions 2015“ took place in Dalian, China. Three geodesic domes – the Cave Dome, the Virtual Reality Dome and the Health Dome were installed in the main lobby of the congress building and hosted a range of activities and discussions during the accompanying congress program. The program tracks were devoted to such socially relevant themes as the present refugee crisis and the destruction of World Heritage sites in war-struck regions. The project „Pure Land: The Mogao Grottoes at Dunhuang“ by the Australian artists Sarah Kenderdine and Jeffrey Shaw was presented in the new ZENDOME.COCOON.

Visitors could virtually step inside one of the famous Mogao Grottoes, a UNESCO World Heritage site. The grottoes are an ensemble of almost 500 caves in the Dunhuang region that have been constructed inside cliffs by Buddhist monks nearly 1.500 years ago. The walls and ceilings of the caves are painted with elaborate religious imagery and decorated with sculptures.

Unfortunately, the constant flow of visitors flocking to the beautiful Mogao Grottoes have left their trace: a part of the caves had to be closed to the public to prevent further deterioration of the artworks. The sensual experience of setting foot inside the „Cave 220“ was once again possible with the help of this digital replica. Standing beneath the Cave Dome’s sloping ceiling, visitors were transported to the desert caves and invited to browse through the collection of ancient objects, all represented in larger-than-life 3D imaging.

TAUCHER made the audience feel like being in the cave with our real-time multi-channel room simulation.







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