Artistic twist to science goods expo

AN immersive theater at the city’s annual exhibition of science products will stage traditional Chinese romance “Butterfly Lovers,” where science and technology will combine with arts.

The 6th Shanghai International Popular Science Products Expo, organized by the Shanghai Association for Science and Technology, is to be held between August 23 and 26 at the Shanghai Exhibition Center. It will feature the city’s current hot topics, such as 5G and garbage sorting, as well as showcasing technologies such as artificial intelligence, virtual reality, big data and smart cities.

This year is the 60th anniversary of the “Butterfly Lovers” concerto, first performed by violinist Yu Lina at Shanghai’s Lyceum Theater.

At the show, there will be neither fixed seats nor fixed angles and audience members are free to enjoy the performance as they like with “zero distance” from the performers. Technologies such as VR, augmented reality, 3D reality, multimedia, multichannel interaction and mechanical numerical control devices will feature.

Visitors can sign up for the show via the exhibition’s WeChat from August 18 or on-site when the event opens.

In the other art-related section, “Sound Object” designed by Tongji University’s DADAWA Sound Lab, its “Phonograph” exhibit transforms voices into data and uses algorithms to make 3D patterns and geometric objects with a robot arm.

Shanghai Foremost Group, an interactive exhibition service provider, will present garbage-sorting games through multimedia to promote environmental protection.

Teenager Art Children Creativity, an AI science education institution for children, will have an area for the kids to enjoy games where VR and AR are introduced into garbage sorting.

Hongkou District will display its progress and achievements in building itself into a “5G global innovation port” as well as a “5G integrated application pilot demonstration zone.”