A piece of panoramic digital artwork that depicts raindrops made of fine optical fibers falling into calm waters Photo: TUCHONG

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Advances in digital technology have brought new opportunities for the protection and inheritance of fine traditional Chinese artwork, which raises an important question: how can digital technology be leveraged to empower the development of the physical dimension of culture and art industries?

Concept and value

The digitization of artwork consists of two aspects. The first involves the use of digital technology in artistic creation. The second involves the collection of information from physical artwork (ceramics, paintings, handiwork, sculptures, etc.) and digitizing it to create virtual artwork. Digital artwork can acquire unique digital credentials through secure storage methods based on blockchain technology and other techniques before being displayed and distributed on digital platforms.

Traditional Chinese culture has produced countless artistic treasures. Today, digital technology is gradually integrated with the development of traditional Chinese artwork, providing audiences with diversified content, personalized recommendations, interactive participation, flexible payment methods, and cross-platform experiences.

Digital technology has transcended the limitations of time and space, enabling the captivating allure of artwork to be showcased from various perspectives and at all levels. Viewers’ aesthetic perception and deep experience are enabled via digital platforms, ultimately leading to the consumption of artwork and its derivatives. Digital artwork platforms also allow for the disclosure of prices and greater market transparency, which can increase the liquidity of artwork to facilitate trading and exportation.

As digital technology offers more ways to participate and interact, viewers can take a more active part in artistic creation and appreciation, thus increasing their engagement with and understanding of artwork. For instance, they can enjoy immersive art exhibitions with the help of virtual reality technology, receive tailored artwork recommendations powered by intelligent algorithms, and communicate with artists through online platforms.

Digital technology has expanded the range of creative tools and mediums available for artists, which is conducive to the creation of new forms of art and cultural expression through the integration of elements from different areas.

Challenges

At present, the coordinated development of digital technology and artwork is in its early stages, encountering numerous obstacles in the process of digitizing artistic creations.

First, as the construction of digital art museums and databases is still in its preliminary stages, issues concerning copyright protection and data security are likely to arise. The fact that digital artwork can be easily replicated and circulated may give rise to copyright infringement and the loss of fair compensation for artists. Digital artwork is also vulnerable to cyberattacks, theft, tampering and falsification.

Second, digitization can potentially compromise the integrity of the original artwork, such as loss of detail and color distortion, which tends to spoil the viewing experience.

Third, regulatory mechanisms for the art industry and market lag behind digital transformation, which could result in problems regarding platform compliance and risk management.

Fourth, a scientific and normative value assessment system has yet to be established due to the lack of societal consensus on the core values of digital artwork.

Sustainable digitization

There are five key approaches to the sustainable digitization of artwork.

The first approach involves promoting the consumption of digital artwork. Exhibitions, art forums, and training programs help increase public awareness and understanding of digital artwork. The promotion and popularization of digital artwork on social media and other online platforms can boost user engagement and consumption. Convenient, secure, and reliable trading platforms for digital artwork will serve as the space for exhibition, consumption, and user communication.

The second approach focuses on advancing the development of critical digital technologies. By utilizing high-definition display devices, blockchain, and artificial intelligence, artists, designers, and content creators can create high-quality artistic presentation and immersive user experiences. It is also important to prioritize the development of authentication technology and improve big data security to ensure the integrity and security of digital artwork data.

The third approach is to build integrated services platforms for digital artwork. These platforms are aimed at offering convenient, precise, intelligence, instant, and diversified services by integrating various functions such as authentication, valuation, trading, and financial services. Platform capabilities and credibility need to be enhanced so as to boost purchase intention.

The fourth approach is to establish a comprehensive digital artwork industrial chain by reinforcing the effective connections between infrastructure, artistic creation, distribution and trading, and derivative applications. Digital archives should be created to document the history and authentication information of artwork for future verification and tracing. Local art museums are encouraged to classify and organize their collections to facilitate the integration of digital art resources. Financial institutions can contribute to the development of the digital artwork industrial chain by providing funding for artwork trading through loans, finance leases, and other financial instruments.

The fifth approach involves building digital artwork governance mechanisms. Unified standards, methods and rules should be formulated to ensure cloud services and information sharing for digital content and scenes. It is essential to enhance copyright protection for digital artwork. To achieve this, several measures should be taken.

Firstly, policies and regulations should be standardized to settle copyright disputes that arise during the process of artwork digitization. Secondly, the development of technological means such as digital watermarking, encryption, and blockchain is encouraged to strengthen copyright protection. Thirdly, it is necessary to set up authoritative institutions for artwork authentication, certification, and valuation, while building and improving market regulatory mechanisms. Fair and scientific pricing mechanisms for digital artwork should be established without delay.

Li Junli and Xu Guoli (professor) are from Fuzhou University of International Studies and Trade.

Edited by WANG YOURAN