An Overview of the Pixel Ware Project at the Oriental Museum, Durham

Pixel Ware is an interactive table artwork inspired by the world-renowned collection of Chinese ceramics at the Oriental Museum, Durham. Traditional decorative Chinese pattern and symbol from the Oriental Museum's collection are reworked to create digitally generated surface designs projected on to blank ceramic objects on the table. Visitors are able to interact with each of the digitally projected surface patterns as they add, move, or rotate objects on the table. This paper will present an outline the Pixel Ware project; its conceptual background and technical process, and finishing with a brief evaluation of the project as an interactive artwork in the context of the museum. The use of contemporary digital technology within the context of traditional Chinese ceramic design highlights common concerns and intersections between both ancient and modern processes. By interacting with the digital pattern from the collection via tactile manipulation of physical objects, visitors are encouraged to reassess the role of digital technology in the context of traditional craft, to see links between digital and traditionally created pattern design and to consider the role that technology plays in relation to the crafted object. In discussing the project, the presentation will highlight the significance of the relationship between the artwork and the museum collection, present the role of digital interactive art as a means of enhancing museum visitor experience, and explore the application of digital technology in the context of traditional design collections. By examining the relationship between digital and traditional material, the presentation will highlight the idea of 'making' using programming as a means of creating a type of 'digital decorative' design.