Digital veteran offers high def ideas to Palace Museum(2)

A bowl is displayed through an interactive transparent screen, which will replace the glass of some museum display cabinets eventually, Fei says. Photos Provided To China Daily

Nevertheless, Fei says that it's hard for today's domestic museums to catch up with their premier overseas counterparts within a short time in terms of traditional exhibition display design. "But the new trend of world museums using hi-tech approaches still lacks the perfect example. China's chances to lead have come."

A confident Fei expects an ideal model to combine online and offline channels.

Their newest software design, which is planned for market release later this year, uses interactive transparent screens to replace the glass of museum display cabinets. Though similar technology has been shown on some IT expositions, Fei says has yet to come across any museum using it.

"Traditional displays only offer cultural relics, and a virtual exhibition or an app will merely provide digital images of the relics," he says.

"If visitors view the original pieces from different angles, and get the information they want on the screen like operating a smartphone at the same time, how interesting will that be?"

His team has also developed a screen wall for museums that can contain massive data on their collections, using multiple search engines. If a visitor likes a certain collection, all that's needed is touching the wall and its image and relevant information will be immediately downloaded to the user's connected smartphone.

The 2-D system, which had become common at major Chinese museums in the past few years, looks set to lose its utility.

"Many souvenirs and cultural products will thus be developed on new technical platforms," Fei jokes to use Disney's methodology in developing products for traditional Chinese culture. "We want a mature business chain beyond nice single products."

Fie expects that future Chinese artists will also have more of a say in exhibitions once hi-tech gadgets become popular.

"Today's exhibitions are mainly designed by construction or indoor decoration companies. They will leave certain space for us to set the instruments," the designer says.

"However, when more domestic museum operators have realized visitors' experience has to come first, they will consider the space as a whole, and we'll have chances to fully present original ideas emphasizing the interaction between visitors and the space."

Still, Fei confesses their ideas are often considered to be a bit unconventional by museum authorities.

"Things have to move forward step by step," he says. "I have a folder in my computer called 'too good to be realized'. We'll keep these blueprints and wait for their days to come."