SENIMAN BERNYALA: DIGITIZING AND EXPERIMENTING THE MOTIF OF ARTWORKS FOR IMMERSIVE EXPERIENCE: SYED AHMAD JAMAL

Abstract

As the world adjusted to the new normal following the pandemic, the art and culture industry, particularly museums and galleries, transformed its approaches to preserving and showcasing artworks. This study focuses on methods for digitizing the works of renowned local artist Syed Ahmad Jamal, with the goal of creating an immersive exhibition to ensure the long-term preservation and sustainability of his art. The study aims to preserve the artworks of local artists by digitizing them in a way that faithfully reflects their intended meanings and philosophies. These digital adaptations were then incorporated into an immersive art exhibition. To achieve this, data was collected through an analysis of selected case studies from both local and international immersive exhibitions and galleries. Additionally, a semistructured interview was conducted with a senior member of the Galeri PETRONAS Art Collection Management Team, who brought over 30 years of experience in curating exhibitions. The collected data was analysed to inform the development of the final output: an immersive exhibition titled Seniman Bernyala. This exhibition featured a mini-immersive theater and a video presentation, showcasing animated, digitized versions of Syed Ahmad Jamal’s artworks.