In March 2020, the UCI Libraries were just a few short weeks from launching the newest exhibit, From I-Ching to Manga: UCI’s East Asian Collection Celebrating 30 Years. With the onset of the pandemic, the UCI community took shelter and quickly pivoted to working remotely. The Libraries proceeded with the launch of the exhibit by transforming the physical exhibit into a virtual one. We caught up with exhibit curators, Dr. Ying Zhang, Research Librarian for Asian Studies, and John Sisson, Research Librarian for Biological Sciences, and Design Services team members, Allan Helmick and Luisa Lee, to learn more about the challenges and triumphs that came with launching the Libraries’ first online-only exhibit not based on a previously existing physical exhibit.
Q: What was the most exciting aspect of converting a physical exhibit to a virtual exhibit?
Zhang: One of the more exciting aspects was that unlike traditional physical exhibits, the online exhibit did not have any space limits, which meant that we were able to display more items. For example, Item 14, Shi Ji Chao (The Records of the Grand Historian of China), has six images displayed on the virtual exhibit, showing different parts of the artifact, including the external look of the decorative case, the ancient book inside resting inside the case, the painting on the book’s edge, the donor’s handwritten notes inside the book, and sample pages with red-ink annotations. In the physical exhibit, we were only able to showcase the object in one way for viewers.
Another exciting aspect was that there were no geographical and temporal limits. The virtual exhibit is open to local as well as global visitors around the clock. About 20% of virtual exhibit visitors are outside of California and another 20% are outside of the U.S. so we are engaging more people with a virtual exhibit than we would with a location-based exhibit.
Q: What was the most challenging aspect of converting a physical exhibit to a virtual exhibit?
Zhang: One challenge was gaining access to physical items from the East Asian Collection, stored in Langson Library, for review while we were working in a remote environment. Another challenging aspect for me and any other visitor of the online exhibit, is that it is difficult to do cherry-picking browsing, jumping from one item in a section to another item in different section. Instead, one has to start from the first item in a section and click through one by one to get to the later part of the section, which was time-consuming.
Helmick: This was our first online exhibit, and with limited time to put it together, it was a challenge to find an online format, design and theme that best displayed the items and told a compelling story. Displaying the unique and beautiful physical items in an online and 2-dimensional format was also a challenge. We scanned most items and photographed others so that we could preserve the details and beauty in a way that could be seen online.
Lee: I am new to the team and this was my first time working on an exhibit! I haven’t yet worked on a physical exhibit, but I can see how some things inherently had to change to accommodate the conversion. The most challenging aspect was working within the limits of Drupal, our online virtual website platform, to find a functional, yet aesthetically pleasing, format for viewers.
Q: How were you able to complete this project during a pandemic?
Zhang: Much of the exhibition was already completed when COVID-19 hit. The exhibition items and accompanying descriptions were already selected and written. With special approval from Libraries Administration, I was able to return to Langson Library. During my visits, I reviewed and identified several exhibit items that required multiple images to show their significance to the collection. The Libraries Design Services team then came in to take additional photos and design the virtual exhibit content.
Helmick: Fortunately, I had the software and tools I needed to work on the exhibit from home. If I needed to photograph an item, I returned to campus with special approval from UCI Libraries Administration.
Q: How has your role changed, or remained the same?
Zhang: In addition to serving as the curator for the exhibit, I spent a significant amount of time reviewing content and evaluating its function in the online exhibit. Because most of the digitization work was done remotely by my colleagues who do not read East Asian languages, it was critical that I make sure digital image facsimiles match the right sections and dimension of physical items that I had selected for display, to ensure digital images are paired with right descriptions. It was also important to ensure that the online exhibit was easy to follow and navigate through.
Q: Was there a particular object that was difficult to capture in a virtual medium?
Zhang: Yes, Item 36b -- the 60-foot-long silk brocade decorated hand scroll with wooden rod on the two ends. It was impossible to capture the length, the silk brocade decoration and the supporting wooden rods in the virtual environment. Additionally, it was difficult to capture the texture of some artifacts, such as the special rice and straw paper used for ancient books from East Asia.
Helmick: The most challenging object to photograph was by far the scrolls. We photographed large sections of ancient scrolls that were up to 60 feet in length in small 3 feet sections, and later, carefully stitched those images together in photoshop to make them available as a PDF download in the exhibit.
Q: What part of this project surprised you?
Zhang: I was surprised at how quickly my colleagues from Libraries’ Design Services and Web Services were able to develop and launch this online exhibit within such a short period of time. I am so thankful for their work on this project!
Helmick: I have been working on the exhibits program for many years now, at this point nothing surprises me!
Lee: The segment on Astro Boy was a nice surprise, I’m a fan of graphic novels so seeing something similar in an academic exhibit was refreshing.
Q: What’s the coolest thing about your job?
Zhang: Learning that some of our items in our I-Ching Collection have been used in popular writings (as seen in Item 32 a & b) and the 1993 calligraphy piece given from local Chinese community groups to Chancellor Laurel L. Wilkening.
Helmick: Working on the exhibits. We get to work on two different topics each year and each come with its own set of rare, unique and priceless items that the pubic often never gets to see!
Lee: I get to work with like-minded academics on campus and work on projects that reach a large audience.
Q: What makes you proud to work on the exhibits program?
Zhang: As the curator of this exhibit, being able to work with talented colleagues from across the Libraries including those on the Exhibits team, Special Collections and Archives, Communication and Events, and Design Services. In addition, I had the opportunity to work with constituents outside the Libraries to highlight and showcase UCI Libraries’ history and achievement in developing its East Asian Collection for the East Asian studies program on campus and local community.
Sisson: The chance to highlight the wide range of research interests found at UCI. I also love the chance to bring “gems” out of Special Collections and the General Collection which widens the perception of what the Library owns that is not online.
Helmick: Having the opportunity to craft an entire installation that is meant to educate, inspire and entertain our community makes me proud to serve on the exhibits program.
Lee: It makes me proud to see a completed, tangible project for our audience to enjoy. I feel honored to work with the exhibit items and help the curators bring their exhibit to life.
Q: What is the biggest misconception about putting together an exhibit?
Zhang: One of the misconceptions about this exhibit and the special event series is that it would only attract local people on campus or from Orange County. However, the exhibit has attracted viewers from all over the world, from Irvine to Canada, Singapore and India.
Sisson: That it is easy to put together an exhibit in a short time. Planning and assembling an exhibit spans 6-12 months. It is hard to “edit” down to the best items telling a story of what you are highlighting.
Helmick: One of the biggest misconceptions is that we just make the exhibit “pretty.” Our visual themes are thoughtfully inspired by the subject matter to reflect and enhance the subject matter. In a sense we have been charged with the task of being the last line of defense in crafting a coherent and compelling story for our community.
Q: Any additional thoughts on the exhibit?
Sisson: Having online events around the exhibit has increased visibility of our exhibits program. People are able with a digital exhibit to spend more time appreciating each item. I hope we can continue this promotion of the wonderful work the Exhibits Committee does.
For more information about the exhibit and upcoming programming please contact Dr. Ying Zhang, Research Librarian for Asian Studies, at yingz@uci.edu.