The Media Fusion and Digital Communication of Traditional Murals—Taking the Exhibition of the Series of Tomb Murals in Shanxi During the Northern Dynasty as an Example

WANG Zhi-jun,MI Xue

Traditional murals and their image remains are an important art category and visual language， as well as a special architectural type. Traditional murals are roughly divided into temples， grottoes， tombs and other types according to space， function and function. No matter what type of traditional mural， its basic function is to convey information through visual images. With the development and application of information technology and digital technology， traditional mural paintings have undergone changes in space， material， and form in the exhibition-gradually transitioning from ancient rock murals to multi-sensory participation under digital screen display. Because of the intervention of digital media， in many digital mural exhibitions in recent years， not only the spatial presentation and viewing of murals have formed a multi-dimensional visual correspondence but also the exhibition language of murals is enriched or supplemented.

Keyword： digital media， mural frescoes， dimensionality

During the Northern Dynasties， Shanxi was the center of northern politics and culture， where Buddhist art and local art exchanges and merged. The tomb murals that have been unearthed are not only diverse in variety and large in scale， but also have extremely high artistic value. The murals of these tombs mainly include the Tomb of the King of Danyang in Huairen， the Tomb of Shuiquanliang in Shuozhou， the Tomb of Jiuyuangang in Xinzhou， the Fangxing Sarcophagus in Yusheheyu Township， the Tomb of Jiajiazhuang in Shouyang， the Tomb of Shaling No.7， the Tomb of Lourui in Wangguo， Southern Suburb No. 1 Thermal Power Plant Tomb， Xu Xianxiu’s Tomb in Wangjiafeng Village， etc. Among them， the murals of the Jiuyuangang tomb that discovered in the north of lan Village， Lancun， Xinfu District， Xinzhou City in June 2013 . It is the tomb of the posthumous ministers of the Northern Wei Dynasty and their successors. “The murals are concentrated on the east， west， and north sides of the tomb. The east and west walls have four floors” （Shanxi Museum， 2019， p. 61）. The current research on tomb murals is mostly technical or dissemination protection research， but there are few analyses from the perspective of art and heritage protection. It is known that the main exhibits of digital achievements are the murals of the tombs of Jiuyuangang， Xinzhou， the murals of the tombs of Shuiquanliang， and the murals of the tombs of Lou Rui. As a means of media communication， due to the effective intervention of digital technology， whether it is the expression of spatial information or the editing and integration of murals， images and texts， has been a superposition of communication dimensions and new modes of reading experience and the construction of meaning.

Form： Transformation from Traditional Sample to Multi-dimensional Image

There are many types of ancient murals， most of which use wall surfaces and brushes as media. These static visual expressions based on traditional material materials need to have the grasp and treatment of the overall structure of the mural. In recent mural exhibitions on related themes， after the tomb murals have undergone digital character code conversion， the cultural imprints contained in traditional image symbols are presented by using digital visual elements as a medium. The visual symbols， content and form in these mural images have specific formal meanings. Through its spiritual meaning， the content of the mural can be connected with the historical context and memory， and is internalized in the visual symbols. In the same conditions， the dimensional transformation of tomb murals is not only reflected in the image， but also in the subtle infiltration of mural creation， narrative language and function.

Changes in the Composition of the Picture and the Spatial Relationship

The traditional mural image contains the ancient painter’s thinking on the picture. The ancients paid great attention to the placement of souls. The pictures of early frescos seem to have no rules， but by the time of the Northern Dynasties， the sense of form and the law of expression content of the frescoes have been proven： the strict rules and regulations， the elegant layout， the specifications of the tomb， the form and structure， the way of entering and exiting， and the placement of objects， and in the content of the wall， the appearance of the utensils is gathered or separated. The composition of the tomb murals of this period mostly took the image of the tomb owner as the center of the picture， and the rest of the images were spread around and scaled down， which can be seen from the tomb murals of the Northern Dynasties. There is a set of strict rules and trajectories in visual elements.

Traditional murals have fixed locations and limited expressions. The composition of the static images in the murals can be understood as the result of the thinking of traditional craftsmen and the influence of social culture. When these underground images use different exhibition composition， visual effect atmosphere， picture scene， picture trajectory and spatial rhythm， etc.， they convey image information and give the murals new dialogue methods and language characteristics， which makes our reading and research of traditional murals more diverse and convenient. The overall structural style of the mural has also undergone a change： On the one hand， the foreseeable image filling makes the wall overflowing to show a complete image of the mural. Utilizing the advantages of digital technology that is to fully restore the color of the mural， grasp the overall style， and describe the detailed language in the composition of the picture can make up for the vacant part that cannot be viewed after the mural is destroyed， and meet the viewer’s psychological expectation for the empty image of the mural.—“The power of this kind of image comes from assisting his works to achieve the completeness of composition” （Wu， 2009， p. 42）. On the other hand， “no contradiction， there is no structure” （Zhang， 2003， p. 198）. In the comparison between traditional images and digital images， the main image of the mural is displayed on the digital screen or through the immersive experience of the mobile terminal for enhanced expression， which enlarges the difference between primary and secondary， highlights the visual subject to infect the audience’s psychology， which restores the northern dynasty to the greatest extent and makes up for the shortcomings of the original mural. After adding the self-esthetic experience to the content of the murals， the composition of the picture is changed to strengthen the impact of visual expression and conform to the aesthetic expectations of the viewers. In addition， through the passage of space and time， the image elements of traditional tombs are reproduced. There is an essential difference between movement and stillness in time and space. Dynamic graphics emphasize the state of objects in the “time flow”， just like the VR display in the exhibition of Shuiquanliang’s tomb murals， where instantaneous space is separated and the underground splendor at that time breaks the constraints of time and reappears in the world. The audience can switch between visual images. The mural scene breaks the constraints of space and region， and the repeated appearance of pattern elements repositions artifacts and characters. The Digital Exhibition of Northern Dynasties tomb murals exhibited at Shanxi Museum not only reconstructed the picture， but also added touch-screen interactive text with more regional characteristics， which can express the narration and appreciation of the entire digital mural.

The Digital Exhibition of Northern Dynasties tomb murals exhibited at Shanxi Museum not only reconstructed the picture， but also added touch-screen interactive text with more regional characteristics， which can express the narration and appreciation of the entire digital mural. In the technical conditions with static art as the main artistic style， images and texts express various human experiences in symbolic forms and spread information by face-to-face. Digital information is removable， storable， and reusable. Tomb murals are disseminated through digital technologies and networks that have expanded audiences， fast dissemination， large platform options， and accurate and reliable data analysis， which can make the special research， art education， and cultural dissemination of tomb murals more convenient. Generally speaking， in the digital exhibition， the viewer is the subject of the moving perspective whose aesthetic process forms a line along with the movement of points to form the first dimension， the movement trajectory of the line forms a surface to form the second dimension， the surface forms a virtual or physical space to form the third dimension， the intervention of the sound dimension constitutes the fourth dimension， and the intervention of the tactile dimension constitutes the fifth dimension. The exhibitions used in the tomb murals of the Northern Dynasties extended the communication dimension to the fifth dimension and enriched the original aesthetic experience.In the original tomb murals， most of the murals can only be imagined and restored at the time through the gradually dimming walls. However， with the intervention of digital media， the exhibition and dissemination of the ancient murals can not only give a glimpse of the grand occasion at the time， but also The current state can be preserved as well as possible to provide a good basic protection for future research work.

Differences in the Appearance of Mural Works Caused by Dimensions

In the technical conditions with static art as the main artistic style， images and texts express various human experiences in symbolic forms and spread information by face-to-face. Digital information is removable， storable， and reusable. Tomb murals are disseminated through digital technologies and networks that have expanded audiences， fast dissemination， large platform options， and accurate and reliable data analysis， which can make the special research， art education， and cultural dissemination of tomb murals more convenient. Generally speaking， in the digital exhibition， the viewer is the subject of the moving perspective whose aesthetic process forms a line along with the movement of points to form the first dimension， the movement trajectory of the line forms a surface to form the second dimension， the surface forms a virtual or physical space to form the third dimension， the intervention of the sound dimension constitutes the fourth dimension， and the intervention of the tactile dimension constitutes the fifth dimension. The exhibitions used in the tomb murals of the Northern Dynasties extended the communication dimension to the fifth dimension and enriched the original aesthetic experience. In the original tomb murals， most of the murals can only be imagined and restored at the time through the gradually dimming walls. However， with the intervention of digital media， the exhibition and dissemination of the ancient murals can not only give a glimpse of the grand occasion at the time， but also The current state can be preserved as well as possible to provide a good basic protection for future research work.

Content： Inheriting the Traditional Pattern to the Living Transition

The Language Paradigm of Traditional Image Symbols

“To some extent， traditional murals are more accurate and richer than literature. It is a logical story projected by a certain subject matter that forms an image through the intermediary of ‘brain’， and then uses narrative language to express a symbolic cognitive activity through pictures， so as to deeply understand the relationship between thought and image in traditional epistemology， which is similarity” （Mitchell， 2020， p. xxi）. Digital images do not seem to be simply repeated or manufactured visual images. Its signifier and signified， that is， the image of digital graphics and image symbol objects， have a high degree of coincidence. It is “acting as a symbol with the help of some features similar to itself and the object” （Hawkes， 1988， pp. 131-133）. No matter what kind of visual image is intuitively expressed and presented， it is to return to the traditional inheritance and historical protection， so the inheritance of wall pattern elements has become the primary creative source of digital mural symbols. Only on the basis of recognizing classics and inheriting culture， traditional and static tomb murals will produce different digital visual expressions of tomb murals. The traditional reproduction of digital mural images pursues the consistency of matching in such elements as gaps， mottling， lines， shadows， colors， proportions， business locations， composition and patterns. The digital mural of Jiuyuangang tomb exhibited in Shanxi Museum reflects the extraction and inheritance of traditional elements. In the map of Ascending to Heaven， we can see the related contents of Shanhaijing， Songs of Chu and Lun Heng， such as the two animals in the left and right corners of the gatehouse map， Lei Gong， Yan Shi， Yu Shi， etc. in the map of Ascending to Heaven on the wall， and even many creations on digital murals seen by Zhan Chen are based on tradition. In addition， the wooden arch， the roof of the temple， the forehead curtain and other architectural structures in the gatehouse drawing are also the best image examples for later generations to inherit the traditional elements， which further shows that the inheritance of patterns is a tribute to the classics and an admiration for the mountain， sea and beast-fearing culture. In essence， they complement each other and promote each other. The visual breakthrough of digital communication has brought more possibilities to traditional murals. At the same time， traditional murals have produced more interactive experience and better value research in new digital technology.

Image Symbol Elements and Image Narrative Language

Images and words are a kind of language. Image symbol is an image symbol， and it is also a visual language close to the described object. It carries the linguistic symbols of the story behind the image. The mural theme carries history. The subject matter is the story. The story is told through murals， and the audience can imagine and trace back to history by watching murals. Because the lost images can’t continue to produce stories， that is to say， there is no continuous education function. But through digital media， murals can be narrated through images for a long time. In addition， there are performances after processing. For example， the well-known “Lu Wang Ben Sheng Tu” in Dunhuang murals reproduces the artistic charm of Dunhuang murals by extracting image elements and reconstructing themes. The image language used in the tomb murals of the Northern Dynasty is different from those of other times and other regions， and the expression of this regional feature contains the aesthetic experience of the creators at that time. Nowadays， with the integration of folk customs with different regional styles and digital technologies， a new expression that meets the aesthetic expectations of the current audience has been established， and the aesthetic set of this new expression has been involved in restoring the tomb mural art.

The expression of traditional visual art relies on the color of solid materials and minerals to convey information. Whether it’s a tomb. Mural painting or other traditional painting methods， the space it creates is solidified. It can only reflect the state or appearance of a certain moment， and cannot change with time， because it is composed of static image symbols. This kind of visual art can also be said to be untenable without vision. Digital media rely on virtual digital， optical and electronic media to transmit information. Murals of tombs in the Northern Dynasties are narrated and expressed by means of sound， light and electricity in digital technology. Different from the traditional image narrative expression， what the media transmits is not the mural entity itself， but the response of the viewer’s senses to the digital media. The separation of realistic reproduction can not be attributed unilaterally to the expressive force of the media， but also to the feelings of the creator about the media itself， both of which are indispensable. In the digital mural exhibition of tombs of the Northern Dynasties in Shanxi Museum， infrared rays were fully used to accurately obtain audience positions. When the programmed instruction is given， the image feedback is immediately completed， which is beyond the reach of traditional murals. In this mode that traditional murals convey information to the audience through digital media， the narrative media has developed from the wall to the electronic facade. The change of narrative mode has brought about the change of narrative mode and language. Under the digital and non-emotional performance， the processing of image numbers in details and resolution has surpassed the expressive force of traditional tomb murals， and completed a change of narrative mode that is more expected by aesthetics.

Audience： Acceptance of the Meaning of Digital Media and Echo of Perspectives

When using visual images to spread cultural information， the audience’s psychological acceptance of information should be considered first. Traditional murals and digital murals are viewed from the audience’s perspective： first， visual stimuli are generated by the eyes’ perception of visible light waves， and visual errors are generated by the transmission of habitual visual information， which is the difference between traditional 2D murals and digital 3D murals； Second， the designer’s consideration of the audience position， the traditional tomb murals do not fully consider the viewer’s viewing position， and more images are dedicated to “another world” as sacrifices. Watching， this is because the ancient people decided according to the principle of “the dead are the greatest” when offering sacrifices. Therefore， ancient painters’ paintings are more for the service of burial ceremonies， but digital murals regard the viewer as the first audience. In the design， the viewer’s position and viewing order must be simulated， and elements such as visual origin， vanishing point， light source and viewer projection are added.

Image Reading and Mental Schema

Our psychology has accumulated various experiences since birth， and then it has been processed and refined into the stimulus premise of receiving external information. This internalized schema experience structure plays a very important role in visual culture. Watching precedes language， “the watching process depends on the comprehensive evaluation of the education， knowledge， social customs and aesthetic judgment of the audience itself” （Berger， 2015， p. 4）. Watching is also a choice behavior. The viewer takes the initiative to put himself in. In the relationship with things， at the same time， the expression of subjective experience by images is given a form， emphasizing that the communication function of images as visual arts is not reproduction， but expression. This visual language is the main function of visual art in narrative expression， which is different from other yardsticks. Ancient murals are composed of noumenon and audience， and their life depends on the resonance that viewers can generate. While studying the characteristics of ontology， we pay more attention to the change of the audience’s aesthetic experience， which involves aesthetic psychology and aesthetic perception. It’s true that ancient murals don’t stand from the viewer’s point of view when they are created. Don’t show the same sense of space. The picture management follows the space and function of the tomb， and serves to pay homage to the dead. The picture arrangement pays attention to ritualization and program integrity. Different from this， the digital mural takes the viewer’s position into account at the beginning of construction. The viewer is also one of the mural design parts， which will enhance the audience’s experience of the mural paintings， make the audience reflect on the visual space， and naturally transfer to the real tomb murals to achieve empathy. “Vision takes precedence over hearing， and the influence of language and communication reshapes the social concept of space”（Liang， 2002， p. 58）. What follows is the form， way， speed， scale， intensity， the creative environment of the viewer or creator， and watching. A series of changes in the environment. Creators no longer go to the tomb to ink the wall， but create with digital tools such as portable computers. The viewer’s environment is not limited to watching inside the tomb-there are more ways to choose from， which can break the limitation of space and time dimension. In addition， the change of aesthetic style is embodied in that the contact with the wall is transformed into the contact with the electronic screen. In the digital mural exhibition of Shanxi Museum， the costumes， headdresses， weapons and boots of the figures in the murals are extracted and made into interactive small programs. In this way， the viewer’s action viewing is changed into sliding viewing with fingers， the eyes are changed from focusing to overview， and the brain receives more specific information and transmits it to the brain with more scattered information， that is， more initiative， more thinking， more mobilization of the viewer’s five senses and higher sense of participation.

Different viewing angles of audiences in exhibition space will also produce different aesthetic experiences. The viewing angle of the picture will be related to the viewer’s psychology. Murals with different faces and angles have different linguistic characteristics， and the degree of angle of looking down is different. Different pictures have different expectations， so the aesthetic experience is naturally different. Compared with still pictures， motion compensation can attract strong attention from eyes. Traditional mural images are still. Eye movement drives thinking activity. “The inclination of the image creates a visual illusion， which is a kind of perceptual movement” （Ling， 1991， p. 12）. Dynamic digital mural images create a visual impact， which is physical movement. Image movement drives eye movement. The former is psychological force， that is， appeal. It is the influence of visual factors in the field of perception to determine how visual perception handles the above-mentioned movement phenomenon， which is a reaction in the brain. For example， in the digital exhibition of tomb murals of the Northern Dynasties in Shanxi Museum， the designer added touchable design on the digital wall， and the viewer walked through touchable design. In order to expand the image information， that is， to use eye movements and dynamic pictures， to increase rich visual effects infection and drive the audience’s whole aesthetic experience. Human vision can only recognize a tomb mural through shape， material， picture composition and color. There are differences in the intensity of perception driven by human vision， hearing and touch， and different parts will have different influence activities， just as the monochrome world and colorful world bring different psychological feelings to viewers.

Experience Reflection and Aesthetic Experience

Langer’s symbolic theory emphasizes “abstract emotional concept， which is the abstract spirit extracted by artists from a large number of concrete emotional examples” （Zhang， 2003， p. 144）. And through the senses of creators and appreciators and the corresponding media， will create aesthetic object and aesthetic pleasure. Because there is no quasi-form confined to the object， different social backgrounds endow tomb mural images with different social functions. “The essence of images will have more social meanings than have a deep aesthetic experience directly without preconditions” （Arnheim， 2019， p. 163）. Mural images under digital media show obvious emotional value tendency. Works with the creator’s subjective will have a wide audience and more functions of publicity and enlightenment. Through digital morphological language， actively cultivate and guide the public to establish a good moral situation. This is the embodiment of the emotional concept education of digital murals. Audience’s aesthetic appreciation follows the tomb murals from deep underground. The original site was transferred to the ground. Once the creators served the tomb owner’s identity， while digital murals served the walls， spaces and viewers. Its evaluation subject is not only influenced by the audience’s aesthetic expectations and habits， but also limited by the creator’s subjective will and social openness. Therefore， functionally， it has more functions of publicity and communication. The mural exhibition of the Northern Dynasty in Shanxi Museum broke through the limitation of geographical location and internal space of tombs， which made the audience shorten the viewing distance， reduced the difficulty of understanding the history and culture of tomb murals， and deepened the perceptual influence driven by multiple feelings， all of which brought viewers a relatively complete aesthetic experience and artistic edification. The viewer’s priority perception of digital expression depends on the digital media carrier. The combination of modern language art and traditional mural forms shows the educational and publicity function of mural painting， which enables the audience to get aesthetic education while getting historical and cultural education， thus guiding the public to reasonably recognize the traditional mural painting. Art originates from life and is higher than life. Because its core is the pursuit of truth， goodness and beauty. The various social functions embodied in tomb murals are also the projection of the essential functions of art. The artistic style may progress with the times， but the spiritual height of art will not decline with the passage of time.

Value： National Integration of Visual Culture and Language Culture

The cultural element “signifier” in the digital images of tomb murals demarcates the specific spiritual and cultural content and spiritual essence， and it is also a realistic concern suitable for the current social value orientation factors， bringing new ways of dialogue to social culture， injecting new cultural vitality and changing new technical applications. From the perspective of protection， the destruction of tomb murals is irreversible. The protection of digital media not only does not destroy its noumenon， but also helps to monitor mural diseases in real time during in-depth wall image scanning， and plays a positive role in gradually establishing a complete protection mechanism. The influence brought by this intervention in other aspects is also enormous. Digital media has changed not only the mural style， digital scale， communication mode， and the relationship between people and murals， but also the relationship between people. The artistic value of tomb murals is amplified by digital media. In the image communication， the audience’s aesthetic expectation is realized， and the tomb murals are invisibly protected in situ， which plays a breakthrough role in mural art research and even has a positive influence on the inheritance and promotion of excellent traditional culture. From the audience’s point of view， the reading content has expanded； The reading method is convenient； Nonlinear expansion of reading space； Reading field of vision is larger than the screen； Logic and aesthetic ideas are developed. From the perspective of tomb murals in the Northern Dynasties， the change of paradigm has deepened the audience’s cognition of the art of tomb murals. Understanding the cultural history of the Northern Dynasties is helpful to the overall construction of the mental world， which provides a new angle of understanding for Chinese traditional mural morphology language and enhances the audience’s perception of traditional culture. The establishment of the image data database of tomb murals and the supplement of the image data of painting art are helpful to further explore the art of the Northern Dynasties. From the perspective of experience， the gradual construction of the sense of experience of tomb murals makes the expression of historical and cultural externalization expand the tomb murals in the only knowledge system to multiple levels， and its own artistic value is brought into play. The formation of digital paradigm of tomb murals will be more conducive to the work of cultural preservation in many fields such as tomb murals.

The present situation of traditional tomb murals will still encounter many thorns and challenges in the development process. An urgent question to be solved. There are still many problems， the technology needs further improvement. In the virtual age， more experiences and habits are placed in bit numbers； The interdisciplinary nature of tomb murals becomes more and more important. In the torrent of studying the ancient heritage， we still can’t lose control of the authenticity of art. The study of any special form of tomb murals will not be the highest point of art research， and it can reach further places. Every traditional form of language is an effective narrative way through watching history， and any artistic form can’t be easily ignored and jumped.Different times， different angles and different ways produce different feelings.

Conclusion

As a medium of bearing， recording and preserving material and cultural heritage， ancient murals witnessed the development of human history. As works of art， the ancient murals with artistic space with dialogue and open structure increase the experience perception of artistic value. From the digital perspective， the transformation of tomb murals from the original site to a new space for dialogue and from one-dimensional space to multi-dimensional space is both the need of art exhibition and the result of social and technological development. This diversified form has built a brand-new aesthetic system for the audience. The mural image under digital media changed its uniqueness. The use of new media is effective for the protection of murals. Tomb murals are infinitely enlarged from the limited space to the digital space， and the change of their forms adds more possibilities to the expression of their artistic language. The aesthetic experience produced under the new media conditions is more in line with the aesthetic expectations of the public and researchers. This diversified transformation is not only tied to the living inheritance of ancient tomb murals， but also explores more feasible ways for the cross-border cooperation between digital technology and exhibition art.

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