“Landscape-Drama”: Innovative Applications of Digital Projection Art in the Renewal of Chinese Old City Communities

Amidst the backdrop of China's urban renewal entering a new phase, digital projection art has garnered significant attention as an effective, communicative, interactive, and experiential art form with the potential to inject innovation and sustainability into the renovation of old urban communities. However, current research on domestic digital projection predominantly revolves around technical aspects, resulting in relatively uniformity in content and visual representation. Therefore, against this backdrop, this study innovatively introduces theatrical arts into the projection mapping of old urban community building facades to achieve deep interaction between dramatic content and community environments. Using the example of the digital projection artwork “The Magic Flute” at the Chongqing International Light and Shadow Art Festival in the Huangjueping community, the study primarily analyzes spatial forms, visual characteristics, digital interactions, and related interviews. This research contends that “The Magic Flute” transcends the realm of digital technology by establishing a unique binary structure of “landscape-drama” that deeply integrates landscape forms with dramatic content in the community, enriching the cultural content and narrative structure of digital projection works in old urban areas. Additionally, it proposes experimental methods led by theatrical arts, creates more delicate immersive experiences in community theaters, and uncovers the media art creation process closely aligned with the reality of old urban areas, thereby offering valuable insights to support the sustainable revitalization of old urban communities in China.