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(Jiawei Gong's speech at the 2021 BNU Interdisciplinary Frontier Forum)

In the 21st century, the terms "media" and "design" have become core concepts. Media encompasses a broad range of storage and communication technologies, along with their associated cultures and systems. Design is no longer simply about surface aesthetics or decoration; it has expanded to encompass the interaction between humans, technological devices, environments, and the communities shaping our daily lives. The digitization of design and the networked nature of media have transformed contemporary cultural fields, evoking both a sense of attachment and, at times, frustration. Media art and design are profoundly influencing how we learn, work, entertain ourselves, think, act, and communicate.

When discussing the use of media in technological art creation, we encounter many terms such as mixed media, electronic media, multimedia, digital media, new media, and transmedia. These concepts have evolved over the past half-century, reflecting the interaction between art and technology. So, what is transmedia? Do we need to redefine our creative approaches? "Transmedia" is composed of "Trans-" and "Media." "Trans-" originates from Latin and means "across," "beyond," "penetrate," or "completely transform." When combined with "Media," transmedia generally refers to a creative model that generates content across different platforms. It not only includes traditional artistic practices but also integrates emerging technologies, forming a cross-media artistic expression.

Looking at the combination of different media and technologies, some artists' works provide clear examples. Italian artist Alessandro Bavari's works, such as *Corvus Corax* (1995) and *Primum Mobile* (1996), appear to be paintings but clearly exhibit photographic features, showcasing the fusion of photography and painting. Similarly, digital scene painting is widely used in film and television production. U.S. artist Tim Matney, as a digital matte artist, takes photographs and uses perspective techniques to stitch and adjust the images, achieving visual harmony in color and proportion. For example, to film a movie set in the mid-20th century, enormous costs might be required to build sets that recreate the period's natural and cultural landscapes. However, digital matte painting allows these scenes to be efficiently created on a computer, offering greater creative freedom for filmmakers.

Released in 1995, *Toy Story* was Pixar Animation Studios' first fully 3D modeled animated film. Compared to today's standards, the animation design from 25 years ago seems rigid, with a clear plastic texture. Today, 3D technology has made significant advances. From a hardware perspective, 20 years ago, computers had limited performance, and rendering took a long time, while modern high-performance CPUs and GPUs enable real-time rendering and complex simulations. On the software side, earlier tools were basic, whereas today's 3D modeling, texture handling, physics simulations, and AI-assisted animation are highly integrated. Animation technology has also undergone a revolution, from handcrafted keyframes to motion capture and intelligent algorithms, making animations smoother and more realistic. However, despite technological progress, creative artistic vision remains the key to breaking boundaries.

Traditional 3D modeling and animation production involve 11 basic steps: concept and storyboarding, 3D modeling, texture mapping, rigging, animation production, lighting setup, camera adjustment, rendering, special effects compositing, sound design and music processing, and final editing and output. Today, some innovative modeling methods, such as ZBrush’s sculpting mode, break away from traditional hard-coded modeling, making the creative process more intuitive. Tools like Shapr3D take this even further, allowing for intuitive 3D modeling on an iPad using the Apple Pencil. For instance, in jewelry design, where the cost of precious metals and gemstones traditionally made design verification difficult, 3D modeling software now enables designers to test and adjust designs accurately in a virtual environment, reducing errors and waste.

Another important application of 3D technology is digital scanning and motion capture. Digital scanning is widely used for archiving and preserving historical artifacts. In the future, using high-precision digital scan data and new printing materials, we may be able to replicate Michelangelo's *David* statue with complete accuracy. Meanwhile, the film industry’s use of motion capture technology continues to evolve. Future films may no longer require actors to appear in person but could instead capture facial expressions and body movements and apply them to virtual characters, eliminating the time-consuming and costly process of filming.

The third key application of 3D technology is virtual reality (VR). Computer-aided virtual environments (CAVE) are immersive VR systems widely used in urban planning, civil engineering, industrial design, flight simulation, and driver training. The most accessible VR application to the public is video games, which provide an immersive experience through head-mounted displays (HMDs). VR technology is also gradually entering the realm of artistic creation. VR animation tools like Quill, Unreal Engine VR Editor, and AnimVR allow artists to draw animation scenes directly in virtual space. Additionally, VR painting tools such as Tilt Brush and Gravity Sketch revolutionize traditional 2D painting methods by allowing each stroke to be made in 3D space, creating a sculptural sense, which brings revolutionary changes to the art of painting.

Virtual reality technology has not only changed animation production but also enhanced creators' understanding of space. Animators can now create in immersive environments, adjusting proportions, lighting, and stage layout to make animations feel more realistic. The VR interface improves production efficiency, making tasks like character rigging, keyframe adjustments, and 360-degree video integration easier, while also facilitating team collaboration and streamlining animation production. VR also alters the viewer's experience, allowing them to immerse themselves in the story and interact with characters, shifting from linear to more dynamic forms of storytelling. As VR and extended reality (XR) technologies advance, animation tools will become more intuitive and significantly enhance quality. In the coming years, VR animation will achieve significant breakthroughs. For example, the Emmy Award-winning *Dear Angelica*, created entirely in VR by Oculus Story Studio, broke traditional animation boundaries and created an immersive storytelling experience.

In recent years, the film industry has seen the emergence of "virtual production" technology, which combines live-action filming with computer graphics. This allows directors and production teams to film in real-time within digital environments, significantly reducing costs, improving creative efficiency, and enabling faster scene transitions and global remote collaboration. Augmented reality (AR) is also an important extension of VR. By overlaying digital visual elements and sound onto the real world, AR blends the virtual and real worlds, having a broad impact in fields such as education, healthcare, social research, and the arts. For instance, at the Noorderzon Performing Arts Festival in the Netherlands, AR and mixed reality technologies were used to enhance the audience's real-world experience, exploring new possibilities across various fields.

At the same time, transmedia practices are increasingly being applied in design education. For example, at the Art Center College of Design in Los Angeles, the transmedia design program explores the relationship between material and digital media and examines how creative expression can be realized across different platforms. Students learn how to use transmedia design in future communication environments by storytelling through books, apps, films, and other media, cultivating comprehensive design skills.

Transmedia practices make the openness, multilayered nature, and interactivity of creative media possible. The fusion of science, technology, and philosophy has broken traditional boundaries in visual arts, offering diverse options for interdisciplinary art and design practices. From graphic design, architecture, photography, film, and installation art, to new media, music composition, dance, and industrial design, creators from various backgrounds and experiences are jointly driving the development of this field. Transmedia art emphasizes experimentation, critical thinking, and reflective creative approaches, becoming the core direction of art and design innovation in the 21st century. It must be emphasized that technology itself is not the final answer—what truly drives creation is thought, not tools.