With the physical exhibitions closing due to the situation of Covid-19, online exhibitions come into vogue. This brings a transfer of art viewing experience from physical to digital.  

Ave! Melbourne! collects Melbourne street performance to create a digital exhibition. In doing so, it explores how the digital space of the exhibition evokes embodied experiences of physical sites, times, and characters that make the performances. This research focuses on two faces, Spatio-temporal and participants of the exhibition.  

Through the design of video for montaging the history of the city, time is suggested to be remembered. It encourages the viewers especially for the local Melbourne audience to associate their own memories. Thus, the video-formed exhibition is a guide to realize embodiment through evoking imaginations and memories of the actual space when the body is still sitting in front of the screen. This is a challenge to the theory of the White Cube, which is using the enclosed space to achieve embodiment. As the theory emphasizes the isolation from the real life of the world. It pursues the decontextualization and sacralization of the exhibition space. While in this project, the purpose is to bring the intangible elements from actual space such as imagination or memories to rethink the city.

Individuals are encouraged to upload their own films into the exhibition, thus becoming a co-producer of the exhibition. The uploaders can put the same work in real-time so that viewers can see the same work from different angles and times. “Angle” is defined as not only the physical locations but also the time or situation.  

Ave! Melbourne! is interested in the design of the online exhibitions and ways of displaying works in and outside of a gallery context. The digital art viewing experience produces a dynamic relation between viewers and their experience. It also influences their actual experience of re-thinking the city (living environment) and people.