15 Dec 2023
On the evening of December 13, Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University hosted the “Fourth Digital Media Arts Exhibition Opening and New Year Event” at the School of Film and TV Arts building. The event saw the participation of distinguished guests including Yaoliang Qi, Director of Suzhou Industrial Park Public Cultural Centre; Yuyang Zhen, Director of the Party and Government Office of Suzhou Industrial Park Public Cultural Centre; Jie Tan, Executive Director of the Jinji Lake Art Museum; Ming Yin, Chairman of Mingcheng Group’s Ancient City Investment Company; Fuquan Zhu, CEO of Dongshengli Group; Wenle Li, CEO of Jingtianc Cultural Tourism Development Company (Suzhou); and Di Chen, General Manager of Huaniu Cultural and Creative Group. Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University’s Academic Vice President Professor Zhoulin Ruan, Assistant Vice President (Research and Impact) Professor Fei Ma, and Dean of the School of Film and TV Arts Professor Li-Chuan Evelyn Mai also attended the event.
The Digital Media Arts Exhibition, hosted by the Digital Media Art programme, is one of the School of Film and TV Arts' most important annual events. Continuing the success of the previous three editions, this year's exhibition, themed “Diversity,” integrates five different professional courses to present a more intuitive and comprehensive view of digital media art. The exhibition includes IP character design, installation and interactive design, post-production, portfolio design, and graduation projects, creating a comprehensive digital media feast and offering an immersive audiovisual experience for the audience.
Prior to the opening ceremony, guests from both inside and outside the university visited the exhibition and engaged in in-depth discussions with students and mentors. At the ceremony, Professor Zhoulin Ruan, Academic Vice President of Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, delivered the opening speech. He praised the students' outstanding achievements, emphasised the exhibition’s theme of “Diversity,” and noted that the artistic variety includes both traditional techniques and multiple perspectives of modern media. Professor Ruan specifically highlighted the creativity, innovation, and imagination demonstrated by the students and called for broader dissemination of this diversity to society. He expressed hope that the event would facilitate collaboration between industry and government, allowing the students' excellent works to reach a wider audience. Finally, he expressed his gratitude to everyone who worked hard on the exhibition and wished the students a bright future.
Professor Li-Chuan Evelyn Mai, Dean of the School of Film and TV Arts, then spoke. She reviewed the development of the Digital Media Art programme and emphasised that the exhibition was created to showcase the programme's diverse content. She pointed out that the programme has achieved remarkable results in the creative field and has frequently won awards in various competitions. This year's exhibition is even more diversified, including aspects such as dynamic graphics, animation, and cultural product design, highlighting the richness and variety of digital art and the school's outstanding contribution to exhibition culture. Professor Mai concluded by thanking the students and teachers of the Digital Media programme for their efforts and congratulated and honoured the programme’s flourishing development.
During the opening ceremony, Professor Li-Chuan Evelyn Mai and Yuyang Zhen, Director of the Party and Government Office of Suzhou Industrial Park Public Cultural Centre, signed a cooperation framework agreement between Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University and Suzhou Industrial Park Public Cultural Centre. The agreement will promote deep collaboration in various areas including practical teaching, internships, project research, training, and event organisation, aiming to advance talent development and cross-disciplinary innovation. The agreement includes the establishment of teaching practice bases and training cooperation bases, as well as joint research projects and practical teaching activities. This important agreement marks the beginning of a commitment to creating more diverse collaborative projects.
The event also saw the presentation of the Academic Excellence Awards for the 2022-2023 academic year to three teachers from the School of Film and TV Arts. These awards recognise and reward faculty dedicated to excellence. Professor Zhoulin Ruan presented the All-Round Academic Excellence Award to Fang Liu and the Teaching Excellence Award to Bing Li. Meanwhile, Professor Fei Ma awarded the Research Excellence Award to Stephen-Adriano Moore.
Finally, teachers from the Digital Media Arts programme and guests awarded certificates to the winning teams of the exhibition and took a group photo to mark the successful conclusion of the Digital Media Arts Exhibition.
By Wenzhen Li
15 Dec 2023