PAST: Exhibit: See the 3-D Digital Cave at the Sackler - Part of the "Echoes of the Past" exhibit - On view through SUN, July 31st, Free

On view at the Sackler Gallery

"Echoes of the Past: The Buddhist Cave Temples of Xiangtangshan" featuring a 3-D Digital Cave, reconstructing the ancient cave temple using modern technology

February 26th – Sunday, July 31st

Free

High-tech meets ancient-relics exhibit "Echoes of the Past: The Buddhist Cave Temples of Xiangtangshan" now on view at the Sackler. This unique exhibit combines modern technology - including a video on a 3 panel screen that uses 3-D imaging technology to recreate a Buddhist devotional cave - to explore majestic sixth-century Chinese Buddhist sculpture from the Northern Qi dynasty (550-77 CE).

I was at the media preview for this exhibit and was really quite impressed. Be sure that you sit through the full 8 minute video loop to see the cool yellow screen with the imaging lines (which reminded me of an Alex Grey painting, really neat). They have great relics on view along with the digital cave and there are touch screen computers throughout the exhibit so you can learn more about the works on view. Truly a unique exhibit merging old and new, definitely recommend checking it out.

Read more about the exhibit here

Pictured at the top: Detail, still of screen from Digital Cave. Close-up view of 3-D reconstruction of missing Buddha head in yellow against colored (texture-mapped) cave temple wall, east altar, South Cave, northern Xiangtangshan. Image by Jason Salavon and Travis Saul.

Above left: Still of a screen from Digital Cave (South Cave, northern Xiangtangshan) with missing fragments in yellow. Image by Jason Salavon and Travis Saul. Above right: A view of southern Xiangtangshan.

Arthur M. Sackler Gallery
1050 Independence Ave SW

Metro: Smithsonian