The Garden of Voyages was developed during the Digital Heritage: Global Innovator Contest, an international design residency bringing together a museum, UNESCO, and academic institutions to explore new approaches to cultural heritage through interactive technology and storytelling. Our team was selected as one of 30 finalists and invited to a fully funded 10-day residency at the Nanjing Great Bao’en Temple Ruins Museum, where we iterated our concept, developed working prototypes, and presented our final proposal. The project was awarded the Best Cross-Cultural Design Prize.
Our proposal reimagined the temple grounds as an interactive garden celebrating cultural exchange. Four illuminated flowers, each representing a different region connected through Zheng He’s maritime voyages, transform visitors’ heartbeats into light. Throughout the evening, these individual contributions bloom into a collective experience, celebrating unity through diversity and synchronising with the Bao’en Temple lighting ceremony.
My Role
I was responsible for the project’s 3D design and prototyping, creating both the initial concept models and the final fabrication-ready assets using Blender and Unity. The designs balanced sculptural expression with practical considerations for large-scale public installation, including lightweight construction, structural robustness, and 3D-printable geometry.
Working within the museum provided the opportunity to study traditional Chinese interlocking construction techniques firsthand. I incorporated these principles into the design process to develop structures that were lightweight, flexible, and suitable for public interaction.
Reflection
This project marked my first experience designing for a large-scale public installation. Beyond developing technical skills in digital fabrication and prototyping, it deepened my understanding of spatial experience, embodied interaction, materiality, collaborative design, and designing within real-world production and budget constraints. It also reinforced my interest in creating interactive experiences that connect physical making, technology, and cultural storytelling.