Abstract
Script systems such as Nüshu—a unique writing system created and used exclusively by women— function as composite cultural carriers, integrating linguistic utility, visual configuration, and ritual practice. They embody identity and emotional bonds within specific communities. As digital culture dissemination accelerates, interactive video has emerged as a promising pathway for the regeneration of such cultural resources. However, existing digitalization approaches often suffer from limited sensory engagement, inadequate contextual restoration, and superficial participatory frameworks, which fail to convey the complex cultural structures and socio cultural significance of these systems. This study centres on the immersive interactive video installation Zuo Ge Tang (lit. “Sitting Dove Hall”), exploring Nüshu as its primary case, and conducts comparative analyses with projects involving dynamic oracle bone script generation and AI-driven Nüshu evolution. Through this, the research proposes a participatory framework for the interactive video representation of script-based cultural heritage. The framework integrates embodied perception, affective symbolism, and multimodal feedback, positioning audience behaviour as the core driver of meaning-making. By aligning semantic translation of cultural symbols with narrative strategies embedded in situational contexts, the mechanism facilitates a progressive cognitive process—from visual decoding to emotional resonance— through embodied participation. Ultimately, the study aims to enable both the persistence and reconstruction of script-based cultural memory within contemporary media expressions.
Keywords
Nüshu; Interactive Script-Based video; Participatory Design; Embodied Cultural Field
DOI
https://doi.org/10.21606/iasdr.2025.722
Citation
Peng, J.,and Xiao, Y.(2025) Embodied Interaction and Video Re-narration: A Participatory Framework for Script-Based Cultural Heritage -– The Case of Nüshu, in Chang, C.-Y., and Hsu, Y. (eds.), IASDR 2025: Design Next, 02-05 December, Taiwan. https://doi.org/10.21606/iasdr.2025.722
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
Conference Track
Track 3 - Design, Art & Technology
Embodied Interaction and Video Re-narration: A Participatory Framework for Script-Based Cultural Heritage -– The Case of Nüshu
Script systems such as Nüshu—a unique writing system created and used exclusively by women— function as composite cultural carriers, integrating linguistic utility, visual configuration, and ritual practice. They embody identity and emotional bonds within specific communities. As digital culture dissemination accelerates, interactive video has emerged as a promising pathway for the regeneration of such cultural resources. However, existing digitalization approaches often suffer from limited sensory engagement, inadequate contextual restoration, and superficial participatory frameworks, which fail to convey the complex cultural structures and socio cultural significance of these systems. This study centres on the immersive interactive video installation Zuo Ge Tang (lit. “Sitting Dove Hall”), exploring Nüshu as its primary case, and conducts comparative analyses with projects involving dynamic oracle bone script generation and AI-driven Nüshu evolution. Through this, the research proposes a participatory framework for the interactive video representation of script-based cultural heritage. The framework integrates embodied perception, affective symbolism, and multimodal feedback, positioning audience behaviour as the core driver of meaning-making. By aligning semantic translation of cultural symbols with narrative strategies embedded in situational contexts, the mechanism facilitates a progressive cognitive process—from visual decoding to emotional resonance— through embodied participation. Ultimately, the study aims to enable both the persistence and reconstruction of script-based cultural memory within contemporary media expressions.