Project Name: Technology and Empathy Aesthetics Cross-Disciplinary Course Group Plan
Execution Period: February 1, 2019 to August 31, 2019
Project Director: Professor Lin Hong-Zhang / Professor and Dean of the College of Fine Arts
Co-Directors: Professor Wang Jun-Jie / Professor and Chair of the Department of New Media Art
Core Team Member: Assistant Professor Wei Xin-Yi / Department of Traditional Music and Director of the Center for Teaching and Learning
Team Members:
[On-Campus]:

• Lu Wen-Ya, Department of Music
• Lin Zi-Ying, IMPACT
• Wu Si-Shan, Department of Music
• Wang Lian-Cheng, Department of New Media Art
• Huang Yu-Xiong, Department of New Media Art
• Guo Zhao-Lan, Department of Fine Arts

[Off-Campus]:

• International Sound Artist Yang Jia-Hui
• Su Li, Institute of Information Science, Academia Sinica
• Huang Yu-Fen, Music and Cultural Technology Laboratory
• Creative Group 㗊 Machine Body / Gong Bao-Rui
• Far-Relatives Laboratory / Cao Cun-Hui
• 㗊 Machine Body/TW BioArt / Gu Guang-Yi

◆ Project Goals:

The history of technological development is closely tied to how art shapes human sensibilities. In the 19th century, technologies like photography and film transformed modern society by "mediatizing" it. Charles Baudelaire’s concept of synesthesia captures the essence of modern life, blending human senses—sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch—into an interconnected artistic perception, revealing how art evokes collective perceptions between memory and forgetting.

In the 21st century, with the advent of digital technologies and biocybernetics, media continues to reshape human sensory experiences and aesthetics. Art today transcends traditional boundaries, drawing on social, cultural, and political themes, and creating intertextual connections across disciplines. This interdisciplinary approach sparks empathy in contemporary life and culture.

The project, "Technology and Empathy Aesthetics: Cross-Disciplinary Course Group Plan", explores experiments that integrate emerging technologies, digital media, and life sciences. Through teaching modules, it transforms artistic works and reflects on human-technology interaction, societal communication shifts, and new psychological and linguistic patterns. It reinterprets human-object dialogues, exploring information exchange and control in the digital age while addressing cultural and social issues.

◆ Project Promotion Strategies and Approaches:

1. Art Teaching Resource Network Assembly:

(1) Developing Comprehensive Cross-Disciplinary Courses and Teaching Enhancements
(2) Promoting Diversity and Revitalization in Art Education Curricula and Teaching
(3) Connecting Forward-Looking Issues and Integrating Course Module Applications

2. Art Research: Developing Exemplary Models for Linking Art and Technology in Course Teaching

(1) Expert Knowledge in AI, VR, AR, Human-Machine Interaction, and Artistic Research
(2) Co-creation in Performance Practices
(3) Promoting International Exchange and Industry-Academia Collaborative Course Expansion

3. Integration of Technology and Art

(1) Developing Co-learning Teacher Communities
(2) Cultivating Forward-Looking Talent
(3) Establishing Art and Technology Labs, Innovating Course Development, and Creating Teaching Materials

4. Forward-Looking Sustainability

(1) Integrating Cross-Disciplinary Learning Environments and Course Development
(2) Continuing the Development of Higher Education Deepening Plans
(3) Promoting Student-Driven Learning, Transforming Teaching Contexts, and Ensuring Sustainable Professional Learning

◆ Technology and Empathy Aesthetics Workshop Series​​​​​​​:​​​​​​​

International Sound Art Symposium

• Date: May 5, 2019 (Sunday) 9:20 AM – 5:00 PM
• Description: This symposium analyzes the current status, case studies, and future development of sound art. It explores the development and research of sound art in Taiwan, drawing insights from Hong Kong’s development model in exhibition, education, and more. The aim is to examine the future pathways for sound art education in Taiwan.
• Speakers: Su Li / Assistant Researcher, Institute of Information Science, Academia Sinica, Member of Music and Culture Technology Lab, Huang Yu-Fen / PhD, Reid School of Music, University of Edinburgh, Member of Music and Culture Technology Lab, Samson Young / Artist, Composer, PhD in Music Composition, Princeton University, Hong Kong

BioArt Workshop

• Date: May 18, 2019 (Saturday) 12:00 PM – 5:30 PM
• Description: This workshop introduces well-known domestic bioartists and explores the development of bioart both locally and internationally, along with global case studies. The workshop will collectively examine the contemporary and future developments of bioart, followed by a discussion.
• Speakers: Gong Bao-Rui / Independent Designer at 㗊 Machine Body, Part-time Lecturer at the Department of New Media Art, Cao Cun-Hui / Sci-Fi Leader at Far-Relatives Laboratory, Gu Guang-Yi / Co-Founder of 㗊 Machine Body and TW BioArt

◆ Technology and Empathy Aesthetics Expert Forum

Future of Cross-Disciplinary and Art Higher Education

• Date: July 2, 2019 (Tuesday) 10:30 AM – 6:30 PM
• Description: This forum will offer diverse perspectives to analyze the market demand for talent in the art industry. Through case studies of art higher education mechanisms, it will explore the future development of innovative teaching in art and technology integration. The forum will investigate the diversity in art education and talent cultivation, aiming to incorporate innovative and diverse lesson plans and teaching methods into the curriculum. The focus will be on the course groups of "Sound Art" and "BioArt," fostering interdisciplinary art talent with creative, critical thinking, and practical skills.
• Speakers: Wei Ying / Researcher in the Technology and Art Direction at the Central Academy of Fine Arts Visual Arts Innovation Center, Founder of Pan-BioArt Studio (PBS), 2019 EU STARTS International Advisor, You Wei / Director of the Taiwan Contemporary Culture Experiment, Wang Bo-Wei / Assistant Researcher at the Taipei Fine Arts Museum, Wang Jun-Jie / Professor and Chair of the Department of New Media Art, Wang Lian-Cheng / Full-time Lecturer at the Department of New Media Art

◆ Industry-Academia Exchange and Visit

• Visit Itinerary: National Space Organization, Industrial Technology Research Institute
• Visit Dates: April 29, 2019, May 20, 2019
• Exchange Focus:

1. Tour the National Space Organization’s satellite detection facility, Space Center Museum, and Satellite Control Center.
2. Discuss potential collaboration on projects and the use of technical resources.
3. Learn about the Ministry of Culture’s initiatives, including the "Artist and Research Institution Collaboration for Science and Technology Innovation Project" and the "Arts@ITRI Artist Residency Program", as well as their execution details and overview.
4. Engage in discussions with resident artists to understand their motivations for participating in the program, as well as the current collaboration between artists and scientists (involving AI recognition labs, body perception creative labs, automation and new media labs), including challenges and solutions.
5. Attend the "Arts@ITRI Artist Residency Program" first-quarter成果分享會 (results-sharing session), and visit the 3D printing lab at the Optoelectronics Research Center.