Performing Central African Spirituality:
Curatorial Notes on New Media
Curatorial Notes on New Media
Cultural artefacts materialise histories and memories through tangible traces of embodied practice. From metal-studded power figures to sculptures, ceremonial masks, and forged weapons, each object accrues meaning specific to its community through dynamic negotiations between bodily gestures, social structures, and spiritual frameworks. With this notion, this exhibition bridges scholarship with new media channels to reanimate exhibited artefacts within their living memory. Through immersive, performative, and participatory narrative design—realised via 3D reconstruction, 3D animations, kinaesthetic interfaces, and ultra-high-resolution rendering—visitors are invited into a participatory theatre of spirituality embodied in Central African arts.
Five purpose-built installations anchor the narrative alongside stunning exhibits, enriched by curated multimedia experiences such as wall projections, fixed and mobile displays, and a sensorial soundscape that weaves through various locations. What emerges transcends passive viewing; it becomes an act of encountering—an invitation to spark memory and dialogue, constructing new narratives where tradition and technology converge through personal experience.
Five purpose-built installations anchor the narrative alongside stunning exhibits, enriched by curated multimedia experiences such as wall projections, fixed and mobile displays, and a sensorial soundscape that weaves through various locations. What emerges transcends passive viewing; it becomes an act of encountering—an invitation to spark memory and dialogue, constructing new narratives where tradition and technology converge through personal experience.
I) Power Figure
3-channel 3D video installation with sound and floor projection
Power Figure invites an immersive journey into the embodiment of the nkisi nkondi—a sacred Kongo sculpture that harbours medicines, its surface adorned with blades, nails, pegs, and other sharp objects. Each insertion, performed by the nganga (ritual specialist) represents ritual pathways through which seekers invoke ancestral power to save, heal, and rejuvenate life, as illuminated by the prayers projected on the floor. In this theatrical liminal space, spectators transform into diminutive beings, landing in this refracted realm to embark on a sacred journey through the remnants of past ritual memories.
II) Dancing Masks
Full-body interactive installation with sound
Masks are considered vessels that embody ancestral spirits in Central African traditions. The masquerade, accompanied by rhythmic drumming and music, serves beyond a performance but as a form of social communication with the spiritual realm that the masks represent.
Dancing Masks reenacts these transformative experiences through virtual donning. Visitors are invited to engage with digitally reconstructed masks and musical instruments from different tribes. As they dance in harmony with the mask’s guidance, it responds with tribal music and animated divine lights. Once they cease to move, the mask and its spirits will diminish into dust.
Dancing Masks reenacts these transformative experiences through virtual donning. Visitors are invited to engage with digitally reconstructed masks and musical instruments from different tribes. As they dance in harmony with the mask’s guidance, it responds with tribal music and animated divine lights. Once they cease to move, the mask and its spirits will diminish into dust.
III) Weapons in Motion
Interactive 3D animation system with RFID-triggered objects
Every artefact carries a tapestry of memories tied to the people who once wielded it; weapons are no exception. Weapons in Motion unfolds the stories behind four iconic Central African weapons, bringing their shapes, specifications, and contexts to life.
Interaction is fostered through 3D-printed replicas that mirror the actual designs of the weapons, arranged in a chess-like formation to create a tangible yet intimate connection with the artefacts. When a replica is placed in the detection zone, animations spring to life, reenacting the weapon’s use as performed by the 3D-reconstructed King Gbudwe, the legendary ruler of the Azande.
The reconstruction of the king's image and martial arts movements was based on contemporary accounts and field photographs, with animations produced through motion capture at the Centre for Applied Computing and Interactive Media (ACIM), CityUHK.
Interaction is fostered through 3D-printed replicas that mirror the actual designs of the weapons, arranged in a chess-like formation to create a tangible yet intimate connection with the artefacts. When a replica is placed in the detection zone, animations spring to life, reenacting the weapon’s use as performed by the 3D-reconstructed King Gbudwe, the legendary ruler of the Azande.
The reconstruction of the king's image and martial arts movements was based on contemporary accounts and field photographs, with animations produced through motion capture at the Centre for Applied Computing and Interactive Media (ACIM), CityUHK.
Education Corner
The Education Corner features two dedicated installations, along with selected weapons, offering an immersive experience in Zande cultural mythology and warrior traditions.
IV) Zande E-Book
Interactive Touchscreen and Display System
“A Zande is born into a culture with ready-made patterns of belief, carrying the weight of tradition” (E. E. Evans-Pritchard, Witchcraft, Oracles and Magic Among the Azande).
Zande E-Book unveils the cultural landscape of the Azande through a narrative structured around four key themes, grounded in anthropological records. Through a touchable interface, stories are illustrated and memories are explored.
Zande E-Book unveils the cultural landscape of the Azande through a narrative structured around four key themes, grounded in anthropological records. Through a touchable interface, stories are illustrated and memories are explored.
V) A Warrior Play
Full-body interactive installation with 8K immersive environment
“The Azande were renowned warriors, and their skill and courage in fighting were much admired” (E. E. Evans-Pritchard, Zande Warfare).
A Warrior Play invites visitors to embark on an epic journey into Zande warriorhood through an immersive experience of play—a dual act of gaming and performance. Upon entering the interactive zone, participants are transported to the exquisite scenography of Zandeland, where the legendary King Gbudwe guides them in mastering Zande martial moves. The challenge is straightforward: replicate the king’s movements to progress. Success in these tasks earns rewards from the king, unlocking pathways for warrior initiation.
A Warrior Play invites visitors to embark on an epic journey into Zande warriorhood through an immersive experience of play—a dual act of gaming and performance. Upon entering the interactive zone, participants are transported to the exquisite scenography of Zandeland, where the legendary King Gbudwe guides them in mastering Zande martial moves. The challenge is straightforward: replicate the king’s movements to progress. Success in these tasks earns rewards from the king, unlocking pathways for warrior initiation.