Critical evaluation
My final work is about the Chinese traditional culture of the zodiac, which is very representative of Chinese traditional culture because the constellation contains not only Chinese conventional stories, but also, Zodiac is also the embodiment and essence of China’s outstanding morality.
Including the user test, I think there are many things about the success of this work. First of all, I tried to restore and express the meaning of the Zodiac, the Zodiac appears to be twelve animals, but each animal represents a good virtue, for example, kindness and intelligence. I used AE to make animation, Flash to make code and interactive buttons. Users can not only learn the keywords of Zodiac through button interaction but also clearly understand the story of each zodiac through sound. Moreover, this work incorporates Chinese paper-cut and shadow play culture in the way of expression, which is one of China’s outstanding traditional cultures, rich in content at the same time, very convenient to operate, accompanied by Chinese conventional musical instruments, and has a healthy Chinese style. Very different. It is suitable for people of all ages and occupations, and the content of the work is positive, spreading positive energy. This work sets English as the primary language, which can also be easily used and viewed by foreign users. My device was inspired by a Tokyo digital art museum video on Youtube. One part is that the viewer steps on the ground, the ground will bloom with the footprints, very creative, and it is direct interaction. This is also why I want to add an interactive part to my work
As a deficiency, first of all, I did not show a good animal running posture. Because each animal has a different way of running, there are some unusual animals, and I don’t have an excellent idea to capture their movements, so some of the animals’ running animations seem to have a little bit of a scratch. As for the technical part, the compatibility conditions between AE and Flash are harsh, and I have to split the video into thousands of images. At the same time, making the code is a challenging part, and I spent a lot of time modifying the wrong part of the system that I wrote, which went beyond the scope of my plan and made my time very tight. It caused me to cut down some props and shadows when I arranged the installation, and I felt very sorry that I did not show the best effect of the work. But it was still my most satisfying work in college, and I realized that I should give more time to some problematic parts of time management.
I very thank Dr Ian Willcock、Dionysia Mylonaki、Michael Davidson. Thank you for their advice and help. I wouldn’t have been so satisfied with my work if they hadn’t given me such good advice.
Reference:
A digital exhibit opens at a new interactive museum in Tokyo, created by Japanese collective teamLab, known internationally for their innovative “digital art” that combines projections, sound and carefully designed spaces to create other-worldly and immersive experiences. [ AFP news agency]
AFP news agency (2018). Tokyo digital art museum looks to ‘expand the beautiful’.
Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zb06QTUTnq8
[Accessed 6 Nov. 2018].

















