Case sorting and classification
This study formulates three selection criteria for cases worthy of analysis, that is, open projects within 5 years from 2020; open cultural heritage sites, including historical or cultural buildings and parks; and the PJM contents must be related to the history, events, status, and building functions of the cultural heritage site.
The example cases that meet criteria 1 and 2 were selected first. The purpose of this step was to gather as many research subjects related to the topic as possible. The case study produced a preliminary idea of which types of PJM were often used in cultural heritage sites and their characteristics. After the case collection, we used criterion 3 to determine the relationship between the PJM content and the cultural heritage site, and also determine whether the case exhibits information related to the site’s cultural heritage, including history, patterns, clothing, characters, and other information (Table 4 in Appendix 1). A case being marked as “unrelated” means that the content exhibited in the projection was not related to the heritage site’s history and culture. A case being marked as “Less related” means that no more than 30% of content in the event was related to cultural heritage. For instance, among the four exhibition projects in the Kawa and Mori Light Art Festival held in Tokushima Central Park in 2018, only the indoor holographic projection was related to the local culture (25% related). The time and activity names of the example cases are shown in Table 4 in Appendix 1[1].
As complete images or video materials could not be obtained for some individual events at cultural heritage sites, this study used the heritage site as the unit and prioritized 45 heritage sites in the analysis.
[1] Playlist named “PJM” in YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtlOwB037KZpxkVstj0FFUQ/playlists.
Table 1 Representative cases around the world
TIME
|
CASE
|
Percentage of PJM content related to the heritage
|
Interaction probability
|
Information conveyed in the target property
|
Technology Type
|
2014-2015
|
Osaka Castle
3D Mapping Super Illuminations
|
About 17%
(Among the six projects, only the building surface PJM is relevant.)
About 69% of building surface PJM)
|
Impossible
|
In the project of building surface projection, about half of the lens represents the history of Osaka Castle, especially the exhibit of war, revival, or traditional patterns and totems.
|
Indoor exhibit PJM;
Building surface PJM;
|
2015.5.3-5.5/
2016.12.2-12.11
|
Himeji Castle
1.HAKUA
2. KIRAMEKI
|
1.About 54%
(More than half of the content of the 9-minute video is related to historical stories.)
2.100%
|
Impossible
|
The designer explained the history of the heritage from four parts: “The Origin of Himeji Castle History,” “War,” “Decline” and “Modern Reconstruction and Re-prosperity.” When mentioning the construction of Himeji Castle, simple animations are used to show the modeling characteristics of heritage buildings.
|
Building surface PJM
|
2016
|
TERRA SANCTA MUSEUM
THE HISTORY OF JERUSALEM
|
100%
|
Impossible
|
The designer shown three thousand years of history to visitors through projections on the rocks. Including the structural information and war history of the heritage building.
|
Indoor exhibit PJM
|
2016
|
Karlsruhe Palace BADISCHES LANDESMUSEUM KARLSRUHE
|
100%
|
Impossible
|
The designer introduced the historical background of palaces and gardens from the perspective of the kings and city founders of the Baroque era.
|
Immersive PJM
|
2018.2.19-2.18
|
Tokushima Central Park
Kawa and Mori Light Art Festival
|
About 25%
(Among the four exhibition projects, only the indoor holographic projection is related to loco culture.)
|
Possible (25%)
Holographic projection: Approach
|
The designer made countless holograms combined with interactive digital installations to show visitors the traditional dance form of “Abo Dance.”
|
Indoor exhibit PJM;
Holographic projection
|
2018.5.01-06
|
Aachen Cathedral 40th anniversary of being UNESCO World Heritage Site
|
About 75%
(The 15-minute scene in the 20-minute video is related to the heritage itself.)
|
Impossible
|
The designer exhibited the structural information of the building and the related history of each period on the building surface.
|
Building surface PJM
|
2018.9.1-10.31
|
Hirado Castle
Fantasy Festival of Light and Sound
|
About 67% of building surface PJM
|
Possible (10%)
Holographic projection: Approach, Touch
|
The designer used the combination of music and video to describe the influence of the sea on the development of Hirado Castle. The projection on the surface of the building expresses the structure and previous shape of the heritage building.
|
Indoor exhibit PJM;
Building surface PJM;
Holographic projection
|
2018.12
|
Nagoya Castle NIGHT CASTLE
OWARI EDO
FANTASIA
|
About 67% of building surface PJM
(About 3 minutes and 10 seconds related to the heritage of 4 minutes and 45 second video.)
|
Impossible
|
The content of the projection shows people’s daily life in the history of Nagoya Castle. The historical and cultural patterns of the Tokugawa Soharu period are beautifully represented.
|
Building surface PJM
|
2019
|
Atturaif Living Museum
|
About 59%
(About 148 seconds of scenes in the 4-minute movie are related to the history of the Saudi Arabian dynasty.)
|
Impossible
|
The designer made a 4-minute movie and onto the exterior wall of the museum. Its content includes the history of the Saudi Arabia’s dynasties and the war from the 15th century.
|
Building surface PJM
|
2019.8.2-8.3
|
Okayama Castle Tenshukaku projection mapping
|
About 86%
(In 6 minutes of animation, about 5 minutes mainly shown about modern development and the myth of Momotaro.)
|
Impossible
|
The designer used the alias of Okayama Castle, “Golden Bird Castle” as the concept, and combined the historical background related to the heritage and the fairy tale “Momotaro” and performed it.
|
Building surface PJM
|
2019
|
Festung Xperience
Dresden fortress
|
100%
|
Possible(50%)
Interactive screen:
Approach, touch
Indoor wall and floor: close
|
The designer used sound interactive projection to express the history of the fortress, including the reasons for the construction of that era, and the functions of the fortress itself.
|
Immersive PJM; Interactive screen
|
2019
|
Lantern Festival light show
Beijing Desheng gate
|
About 60%
(In the 5-minute movie, the first 3 minutes are related to the introduction of traditional Chinese opera and lantern.)
|
Impossible
|
The building surface projection includes the exhibit of traditional Chinese Peking opera and traditional lighting fixtures, especially introductory to the Chinese traditional lanterns.
|
Building surface PJM
|
2020.2.12-15
|
Kashima Shrine
Japan Culture EXPO in Kashima
|
About 80%
(About 4 minutes of the 10-minute animation is related to architectural modeling and development.)
|
Impossible
|
The designer used the combination of music and video to well show the shape and structure of the shrine, and showed many myths and stories related to it.
|
Building surface PJM
|
According to the results of our analysis, the PJM contents for 25 cultural heritage sites were related to the heritage history and cultural elements at the target sites, accounting for 55.6% of the total. However, among 25 sites, some cases have very little relevance to the target cultural heritage and should be marked as “less related.” For instance, just a few traditional Japanese paintings were exhibited in the example of Nijo Castle in Kyoto and the overall content borrows from cultural elements for exhibition as beautiful projections. When these examples were excluded, only 16 cases met the above three conditions, accounting for 35.6% of the total.
Example cases around the world were then analyzed to enumerate their PJM contents and interactive possibilities at the cultural heritage site (Table 1). The contents of PJM cases were more related to the heritage (about 60% of the content is related to the heritage) or showed culture in a special way (e.g., Tokushima Central Park used a holographic projection to show its “Abo Dance” exhibition). These examples provide a reference for the analysis of information characteristics.
The representative cases in Japan were mostly concentrated in various shrines, ancient castles, and traditional gardens. Judging from the names of the example cases, they are more like “festivals” than events. In general, the Japanese examples are more like “light festivals” to commemorate the local history, culture, and customs. The projections in these light festivals were not limited to building surface PJM; many projections were used over the entire landscape. Moreover, the Japanese examples emphasize more the interactive experience between visitors and the environment than flashy projection exhibitions. These events in Japan are usually held every year at a fixed time, such as the historical events and folk festivals related to cultural heritage sites. The event contents are basically the same as in the previous years, but with frequent thematic innovations and content revisions. In addition, there are cases where both permanent and festival-only programs are set up to allow the visitors to appreciate the PJM exhibition at the cultural heritage site at any time.
Accordingly, many similarities can be observed between the relevant example cases in China and Japan. Most Chinese examples focus on large historic buildings, bridges, and walls, among other structures with cultural heritage. Judging from the names of the events, these Chinese events are often described as a “festival light show,” such as the light shows at the Lantern Festival and Dragon Boat Festival. The purpose of these festivals is to celebrate the local traditional culture and history. Although the duration of the projections at these events is short, the projection content is concise and traditional opera and artificial creations are often showcased. For instance, the stage, costumes, lanterns, and other elements of traditional Chinese Peking opera were exhibited in the light show during the Lantern Festival at Beijing’s Desheng Gate in 2019.
The relevant European and American examples were mostly large-scale projection events onto church buildings and cultural walls. In terms of their projection content, these cases show more information about “war and historical development” and “architecture and urban structures.” Taking as an example the “Festung Xperience” of Dresden fortress in Germany, the PJM designers projected a manuscript onto the architectural structure of Dresden Fortress to show visitors its structural features and functions in different periods. In particular, the projection in the main area shows the history of the Second World War and the crucial role played by Dresden Fortress in the war.
In addition, this study analyzed and identified the vehicles often used for PJM technologies at cultural heritage sites, including building surfaces, landscapes, and interiors. The building surfaces include castles, city walls, shrines, gates, museums, and churches, while landscapes include national parks, small city parks, and traditional courtyards. In addition, the interior spaces of underground fortresses, castles and museums were also often used as vehicles for PJM technologies.
In addition to the above categories, PJM technologies are also used during some special occasions, such as on theaters and bridges for local history celebrations. Based on the above categories and the case names and times recorded in the timeline chart, it can be seen that PJM events at cultural heritage sites were more inclined to be light festivals and shows, where ornamental experiences prevail. These events are often accompanied by some commemorative festival or historical event, most of which have an open cycle. Thus, PJM events at cultural heritage sightseeing spots can also be classified into “short-term special events” and “daily programs” according to the visitors’ needs. Among these events, daily programs are often combined with medium-scale PJM technology because the equipment placement is easier with more interactive functions.
Information characteristics of building surface PJM
Based on the summarized cases, this study analyzes seven related examples of building surface PJM (see Table 1): 3D Mapping Super Illuminations at Osaka Castle in 2015; Hakua at Himeji Castle in 2015; Night Castle Owari Edo Fantasia at Nagoya Castle in 2018; Atturaif Living Museum in Saudi Arabia in 2019; Fantasy Festival of Light and Sound at Hirado Castle in 2018; Tenshukaku projection mapping at Okayama Castle in 2019; and the 40th anniversary of being created an UNESCO World Heritage Site at Aachen Cathedral in 2018.
To distinguish the information characteristics of PJM on architectural surfaces, this study divided the above seven examples into two groups with reference to the PJM content and the length of projection: “historical introduction” and “thematic” cases. The average length of projection media in the “historical introduction” group was 10 minutes (10-min type), including the three cases at Osaka and Himeji castles and Aachen Cathedral. The average projection length in the “thematic” group was 5 minutes (5-min type), including the four examples at Atturaif Living Museum and the Hirado, Nagoya, and Okayama castles. Both groups used building surface PJM, but the exhibition logic for their projected contents differed.
This study classified the PJM information exhibited at heritage sites into four major categories and 12 corresponding subcategories (Fig. 3)[2], including history-related (war history, historical daily life scenes, historical backgrounds and origins, historical figures), architecture-related (structure and construction processes, historical appearances), folklore-related (mythical stories, folklore operas), and artifact-related (cultural relics, paintings and patterns, traditional costumes) subcategories, in addition to a subcategory for special effects animations without specific cultural heritage-related information. Moreover, the basis of these classifications emerged from the analysis of the video and picture data from all the events described in Table 2. Each type of information has a representative color and reference lens. This study used the original timeline chart to analyze the contents of the PJM videos. Fig. 2 explains the styles used in the timeline chart.
[2] Playlist named “PJM” in YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtlOwB037KZpxkVstj0FFUQ/playlists.
As a large number of timeline charts were used in the analyses in this study, only the charts for the four most representative cases are shown (the other data are presented in Appendix 2).
The first category was the most common, that is, history introductions (Fig. 4). This type of projection typically takes a long time, about 10 minutes on average, with specific cases that last up to 20 minutes. This type of projection is very rigorous in its presentation of the related historical story, with strict control over the chronological order of historical occurrences. For instance, in the 3D Mapping Super Illuminations at Osaka Castle in 2015,[3] the PJM designer showed the historical origin and development process of Osaka Castle through a 10-min video, especially the process of destruction and reconstruction. Similarly, in Hakua at Himeji Castle in 2015[4] , the PJM designer expounded the history of the building’s cultural heritage in four parts exploring the origin of Himeji Castle, the war experience, short-term decline, and the building’s modern reconstruction and return to prosperity. In addition, this type of projection tends to present a richer amount of information with a narrative explanation.
[3] YouTube channel of Night Movie Channel of Osaka Japan. Osaka Castle 3D Mapping Super Illumination Japan 2014~2015. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5HebN8OFhak&list=PLcKMIXRGS8yQiGOU4Wn5JoqIu-F23xs4B&index=43.
[4] YouTube channel of Takashi Matsuo. Himeji Castle 3D projection mapping 2015. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xO3b6m6ib6c&list=PLcKMIXRGS8yQiGOU4Wn5JoqIu-F23xs4B&index=43 .
The second type of PJM is thematic cases (Fig. 5). For instance, in the Night Castle Owari Edo Fantasia at Nagoya Castle in 2018 [5] , the projection shows people’s daily life in historical scenes of Nagoya and cultural patterns from the Tokugawa–Soharu era. Similarly, in an exhibition at the Atturaif Living Museum in Saudi Arabia in 2019[6] , the design conception of the projection was to let the heritage building tell its own historical story. The PJM design team made a 4-min movie to show the history of the development of the Saudi Arabian dynasty. Compared with the 10-min example cases, this type of PJM is preferred to show the cultural characteristics of heritage sites using a specific theme.
[5] YouTube channel of FIREWORKSVIEWERS. NAKED NIGHT CASTLE OWARI EDO FANTASIA 2018.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pRcZaQ4F2zw&list=PLcKMIXRGS8yQiGOU4Wn5JoqIu-F23xs4B&index=59.
[6] TAMSCHICK MEDIA+SPACE. Atturaif Living Museum 2019. https://www.tamschick.com/projekte/atturaif-the-living-museum/.
This study classifies building surface PJM into two types based on the length of time: around 5 minutes (5-min type) and 10 minutes or more (³10-min type). The 5-min type PJM is very thematic, with contents mostly focused on one or two types of information. They have an obvious “topicality.” Conversely, the ³10-min type PJM is richer in information. This type of PJM strictly adheres to the timeline of historical stories, and many traditional Japanese decorative art motifs and totems are also shown. Therefore, it can be considered that the ³10-min type PJM has “comprehensive” and “narrative”.
In addition, this study referred to the number of scene units recorded at the end of the explanatory text and produced a histogram (Fig. 6) to show the information characteristics of the building surface PJM. The comprehensive data includes all scene units for the seven cases. The data were used to categorize 11 types of information into three groups, that is, independent stories and scenes (marked as triangles), causal logic (marked as circles), and decorative patterns (marked as squares). Based on the distribution of the graphs, we can determine which types of data were exhibited more frequently and the information tendency of building surface PJM. According to the data, building surface PJM often exhibits cause-and-effect rational information and continuous story information. In other words, the building surface PJM exhibits continuous information, such as stories of historical development and war histories, which is the major use pattern for building surface PJM.
Information characteristics of medium-scale PJM
The medium-scale PJM applied at cultural heritage sites mainly focuses on exhibit PJM, immersive PJM, and holographic projections. Each type of PJM technology can combine the interactive devices for the visitors’ interactive experience. This study analyzes nine related examples of medium-scale PJM (see Table 1): Kirameki at Himeji Castle in 2016; the Lantern Festival light show at Beijing’s Desheng Gate in 2019; Night Castle Owari Edo Fantasia at Nagoya Castle in 2018; the Fantasy Festival of Light and Sound at Hirado Castle in 2018; the Japan Culture Expo in Kashima at the Kashima Shrine Gate in 2020; the History of Jerusalem exhibition at Terra Sancta Museum in Jerusalem in 2016; the Festung Xperience at the Dresden Fortress in 2019; Badisches Landesmusium Karlsruhe at the Karlsruhe Palace in 2016; and the Kawa and Mori Light Art Festival held in Tokushima Central Park in 2018.
Because of the short exhibition time for most of these medium-scale PJM projects, this section only analyzes the contents of individual scenes and counted the number of scene units for each projection. The color classifications for this information are the same as that used for the building surface PJM project (see Appendix 3 for the other data).
The first representative case is Kirameki at Himeji Castle in 2016 (Table 2 and Fig. 7).[7] This case study includes not only five short exhibition projections, but also a long PJM of almost 8 min projected onto the castle wall surface. This is a representative example of outdoor medium-scale PJM, where the event is comprised of six small projections. The PJM designers tell the history of Himeji Castle by presenting six different independent historical stories. Each projection presents a short historical story and guides the visitors to the next projection in sequence.
[7] YouTube channel of SYMUNITY GROUP. KIRAMEKI 2017. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g-mHrANjMwA&list=PLcKMIXRGS8yQiGOU4Wn5JoqIu-F23xs4B&index=36.
Table 2 Information analysis for five short projects of Kirameki PJM
Information types/
Cases or projects
|
War history
|
Historical daily life scene
|
Historical background and origin
|
Historical
figures
|
Structure and
construction
process
|
BUILDING
Historical
appearance
|
Mythical
stories
|
Folklore,
operas
|
Cultural
relics
|
Paintings
and patterns
|
Traditional
costumes
|
West Bain,
South Wall
|
|
|
Historical
development. (1)
|
Stories of historical
figures. (2)
|
|
|
|
|
|
Ink painting
style dragon
image. (1)
|
The style of the group walker costumes. (1)
|
West Bain
Kawaya
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Image of
soldier in
armor. (1)
|
West Bain
Keshoyagura
|
|
The princess prays for the prosperity for country. (1)
|
|
The story of the princess getting married. (3)
|
|
Historical appearance of the building. (1)
|
|
|
|
Ukiyo-e
style picture.
(4)
|
|
Ninomaru
castle wall
|
War history.
(3)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The style of
the general
katana. (1)
|
Warrior
costume. (2)
|
Okiku Well
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The style of
Okiku. (3)
|
|
|
|
Clothing style
of Okiku. (2)
|
The next representative case is the Festung Xperience at Dresden Fortress in 2019 (Table 3).[8] This case is completely representative of a medium-scale interior PJM. The PJM designer created a series of small separate scenes to show the history of the Second World War and the shape of the structure associated with the fortress. Similarly to Kirameki, the presentation of the building’s history was done through independent scenes and short stories. Moreover, the designer shows the function, spatial layout, and role of the fortress to the visitors using an interactive PJM that uses sound to interact with the visitors. In addition, the information about the cultural heritage site was divided into many independent scenes, such as scenes of people farming collectively, being prepared for war, or daily life in peacetime. In particular, the theater in the main arena shows the form and function of each area of the fort and their specific roles during the war years.
[8] TAMSCHICK MEDIA+SPACE. Festung Xperience 2019. https://www.tamschick.com/projekte/festung-xperience/.
Table 3 Information analysis for the Festung Xperience PJM
Information types/
Cases or projects
|
War history
|
Historical daily life scene
|
Historical background and origin
|
Historical
figures
|
Structure and
construction
process
|
BUILDING
Historical
appearance
|
Mythical
stories
|
Folklore,
operas
|
Cultural
relics
|
Paintings
and patterns
|
Traditional
costumes
|
Permanent
projection
on the wall
|
War preparation scene. (1)
|
Daily work
and life scenes. (2)
Party scene.
(1)
|
|
Many important historical
figures. (1)
|
|
|
|
|
|
Scene representation of oil paintings, murals and sketches. (3)
|
|
Interactive
projection
|
|
Singing at night. (1)
Singing around the
campfire. (1)
Scene of dinner. (1)
Scene of the prison. (1)
Businessmen
discussion. (1)
|
|
Appearance of the king. (1)
|
|
|
|
|
|
Oil painting expression (1)
|
King wears armor. (1)
|
Theater at
the main
venue
|
|
War preparation scene. (1)
History of war. (3)
|
|
|
Castle structure and regional functions (3)
|
|
|
|
|
Sketch expression (1)
|
|
Next, we discuss the information tendency data as presented using a histogram (Fig.8).
According to the data, medium-scale PJM has a high degree of generality and a relatively even variety of information. Similar to building surface PJM, medium-scale PJM also has excellent expressive capabilities for the exhibition of decorative elements such as totems and patterns. However, medium-scale PJM present less information about historical origins and development than the building surface PJM. That is, the quieter content of building service PJM does not show the complete historical timeline and process for the cultural heritage site, but rather the personal stories associated with important related historical figures.