Sustainable Development Goals
Abstract/Objectives
Contemporary Art, Underwater Archaeology, and Archaeoacoustics Integrated Interdisciplinary Virtual This project aims to transform the professional investigation process of underwater archaeology through interdisciplinary artistic adaptation into an immersive musical performance that combines technology and humanities. The practical implementation involves integrating underwater archaeology with archaeoacoustics, while incorporating musical historical elements related to underwater archaeological sites into the creative process. The underwater archaeological site is transformed into a VR (Virtual Reality) environment, where audiences can choose different avatar roles to participate in and interact with the scene. This experimental interdisciplinary collaboration seeks to achieve cultural sustainability through artistic means.
Results/Contributions
  • Contemporary Art, Underwater Archaeology, and Archaeoacoustics Integrated Interdisciplinary Virtual Reality Exhibition-Performance:

Our center collaborates with artist Hsu Chia-Wei on the National Culture and Arts Foundation project “An Interdisciplinary Virtual Reality Showcase Combining Contemporary Art, Underwater Archaeology, and Archaeological Acoustics” to promote underwater archaeology through contemporary art. This exhibition, integrating underwater archaeology, archaeological acoustics, and contemporary art, will be presented as a virtual reality (VR) experience at the Taipei Fine Arts Museum from July 26 to September 21, 2025.  

Our center contributes by providing research results from the underwater archaeology team, linking them to the geopolitical and trade history of early 20th-century Asian waters, offering artistic and research direction for the project. Additionally, we assist the artist's team in filming materials for the art production, including scenes of the Yamafuji Maru shipwreck and underwater archaeologists at work. Beyond these elements, the project also involves underwater soundscape collection and underwater music performance recordings, which will be part of the VR world, enhancing the immersive experience of the exhibition.  

In the VR environment, visitors will wear VR headsets and choose different virtual roles to participate, creating a co-performance experience with other audience members. Throughout the curatorial process, our center provides professional advice on exhibition design, aiming to introduce the rarely seen work processes of underwater archaeology. This highlights the unique challenges of underwater archaeology compared to traditional archaeology and underscores the importance of in situ preservation of underwater archaeological sites in relation to the exhibition.  

During the exhibition, our center will collect audience feedback on this innovative approach and participate in interdisciplinary lecture activities. The research findings on public archaeology from this project will be presented at the 8th International Congress on Underwater Archaeology (IKUWA 8) in 2025.



Keywords
Public Archaeology, Community Archaeology, Cultural Heritage, Contemporary Art
References
1.

Contact Information
陳思璇
sixuan.chen@gapp.nthu.edu.tw