While the rest of the world was struggling through the Dark Ages, China was experiencing a period of cultural and economic flourishing that gave rise to many of their crowning achievements in art and literature – and one of the most powerful civilisations in the Medieval world.
Tang: Treasures from the Silk Road Capital presents 135 objects from the dynastic capital of Chang-an (present day Xi-an), including paintings, tapestries, sculptures and objects in ceramics, glass and precious metals – some of them never before exhibited outside China.
Together, these objects paint a picture of life in Tang China, from the expanded role of women to the fashion life of the capital, the rise of tea culture, and the role of Buddhism in everyday life.
In addition, this exhibition will feature an augmented reality installation that allows you to defy time and space to explore a grotto within the UNESCO World Heritage listed ‘Caves of the Thousand Buddhas’.
Pure Land: inside the Mogao Grottoes at Dunhuang combines iPads, 3d modelling software and a life-size recreation of the cave to allow visitors to experience this important (and now inaccessible) heritage site on the Silk Road.