Matsumoto-jo: A 16th Century Japanese Castle
Jonathan Amakawa, Studio Amakawa, USA
http://ajapanesecastle.com
Interactive 3D artist and programmer Jon Amakawa proposes to demonstrate a project that he is currently developing titled Matsumoto-jo: A 16th Century Japanese Castle. The project is his latest example of utilizing the cutting-edge medium of virtual reality for museum informatics – one that harnesses the immersion and interactivity of video game media and takes 3D models and visualization beyond the confines of rendered animation.
Matsumoto-jo is an interactive virtual exploration of feudal Japan via a reconstruction of a 16th Century Japanese Castle. The interactive exhibit is viewable both online and as a screen-based museum installation. Viewers can navigate around the castle to explore the exterior architecture, roll-over walls to peer inside, and fly into rooms inhabited by animated interactive historical figures. At its essence Matsumoto-jo is a new media work of art that utilizes interactive 3D and video game media to present a convergence of art, architecture, artifacts, history and culture. This medium represents an important development for museums and cultural institutions in presenting complex and multidisciplinary content.
While the project is a work in progress it has thus far been selected for a number of international juried electronic arts shows and conferences including: the Web3dart show 2007 and conference in Perugia, Italy, the Takeaway festivals at the Science Museum/ Dana Centre in London, the Online Gallery for the iV 11th International Conference Information Visualization in Zurich, Switzerland, and the CGIV 4th International Conference on Computer Graphics, Imaging and Visualization in Bangkok, Thailand.
Demonstration: Demonstrations - 2 [Demonstrations]
Keywords: interactive, museum exhibit, virtual reality, video game, 3D, Japanese history
