GANGNEUNG, Gangwon Province -- An immersive exhibition highlighting Korean cultural heritage including intangible cultural properties has opened in Gangneung, Gangwon Province.

The eight-minute multimedia show entitled “Heritage Garden: Threads of Connection” showcases 146 items, from Goryeo celadon and Joseon moon jars to the Jinkwansa Bronze Bell and the Seokguram Grotto on the walls of Arte Museum, a private museum operated by d’strict design company. Eight such museums operate worldwide, including the one in Las Vegas, where the same exhibition is also running.

Also featured in the show are Joseon-era (1392-1910) royal court music and dances.

The immersive experience makes relating to heritage easier, said Kim Soon-ho, an official at the Korea Heritage Agency, a government body that jointly organized the show with d’strict.

“We have focused on compiling and categorizing heritage,” Kim said. “We now want to see how those items come together in delivering a story that people can identify with.”

Kim Ji-hoon, the digital experience division head at d’strict, said the five months of preparation included multiple checks to ensure each digital rendition of the 146 cultural artifacts reflected the correct historical context in the eight-minute show.

The presentation is made ever more realistic with “3D Asset,” a system that not only creates digital scans based on actual images but also makes the three-dimensional surfaces on which those images are projected, Kim explained.

The otherwise dull museum routine has been made lively, visitors say.

“Taking my children to museums is always challenging given how they can’t stay focused for too long and sometimes are a nuisance to those nearby because they get antsy to leave,” said Kim Hyo-jung, a mother of two preschool kids in her 40s who traveled from Seoul to see the exhibition.

“I don’t have to worry about any of that here since the show drowns out conversational noise. Plus, my kids seem quite focused on digital screens that change every second,” Kim added.

Last year, d’strict digitally reproduced paintings from the Joseon era for the National Museum of Korea. In 2022, it helped the state-run institution redesign its facade using a digital signboard featuring collections held at the country’s largest museum.

The first Arte Museum opened on Jeju Island in 2020, followed by three more -- Yeosu in South Jeolla Province, Gangneung in Gangwon Province and Busan.

In 2022, d’strict opened its first overseas Arte Museum in Hong Kong. Today, it operates Arte Museum in Chengdu, China; Las Vegas; and Dubai, United Arab Emirates. New York and Los Angeles are being discussed as future locations.

“Heritage Garden: Threads of Connection” runs through Dec. 20 at Arte Museum in Gangneung and Las Vegas.