On December 12, the Hanyang University Research Institute of Art and Technology held a commemorative exhibition and academic symposium titled ‘20 Years of Korean Dance Embracing Technology – The Convergence Creators’ to celebrate its 20th anniversary. The event was designed to reflect on the institute's achievements for the last two decades and to explore future directions for research into the convergence of art and science.

Since its establishment in 2005 as the ‘Research Institute of Korean Traditional Dance’ by Emeritus Professor Kim Un-mi(Department of Dance), the Institute has moved beyond treating traditional dance as a mere object of preservation. Instead, it has focused on analyzing, recording, and transmitting it using contemporary languages. While the systematic study and academic positioning of Korean dance were the primary goals at its inception, 20 years later, its identity has expanded into a research center that explores the potential of integration between art and science across the entire artistic spectrum.

This event commemorating its 20th year anniversary served as a platform to redefine the relationship between technology and art. Professor Kwon Tae-soo(School of Computer Science), the Director of the Research Institute of Art and Technology, emphasized, “Technology is a tool that expands art. I wanted to convey that our achievements over the past 20 years are a history of collaboration accumulated by artists and engineers working together.”

Director Kwon recalled, “It was impressive to see early researchers and those who joined recently sharing different interpretations while looking at the same materials in one space.” He added, “It was also a novel experience to have researchers from diverse fields gather in the same venue for both an artistic showcase and a technology-centered academic event.”

Director Kwon identified the early attempts to record and analyze the movements and performances of Korean dance as digital data as the turning point for the institute. This went beyond simple technological application; it became a catalyst for expanding the methodology of studying traditional arts, forming the foundation for subsequent research in XR(Extended Reality), interactive performances, and digital archiving. “Through this, we presented the possibility of joint research to the academic world and practical examples to the performing arts community on how technology can be used as a partner in creation,” he said.

Regarding research that combines art and science, Director Kwon explained, “It differs from single-discipline research in that the ways of interpreting and recording movement, the structure in which the audience meets the work on stage, and the collaboration process itself between artists and technicians become the subjects of study.”

 The reason the Research Institute of Art and Technology became the ‘first’ among university-affiliated research institutes in Korea lies in Hanyang University’s research culture. He noted, “The biggest driving force was Hanyang’s practical research culture, which does not dichotomize tradition and technology and is not afraid to cross the boundaries between genres and disciplines. The experimental nature of the university and its interdisciplinary, collaborative environment also played crucial roles.”

For the next 20 years, Director Kwon proposed key themes such as intelligent art systems, extended embodiment, and digital traditional archives. He emphasized, “A critical research task will be how to make the essence of traditional art sustainable amidst rapid technological changes.”

He also mentioned the potential for reinterpreting traditional arts in new technological environments like AI, XR, and the Metaverse. “AI and XR environments allow traditional arts to be reinterpreted as evolving living systems rather than fixed ones,” he explained. “This is not about damaging the original form, but about expanding the points of contact where new senses and generations meet tradition.”

Director Kwon concluded, “I hope the Research Institute of Art and Technology is remembered as a center that questions tradition through the language of the present and future, and as an institute that proved art and technology can meet to experiment with new possibilities.” His final message to Hanyangians was his hope that the institute remains "a space for thinking beyond boundaries for students, and a public research platform for society that bridges tradition and the future."