Immersive Artistic Interpretation of Suzhou Silk Pattern: Dialectics of Loss and Regeneration of “Aura”

The aim of the study is to identify the dialectic of the loss and regeneration of the "aura" of traditional art in the context of its digital immersive representation, using traditional silk patterns from the city of Suzhou as an example. The empirical basis of the study is formed by materials from the "Suzhou Digital Silk Pattern Museum," in particular, the interactive exhibitions "A Thousand Autumns in Silk Patterns," "Ornamental Technique," and "The Art of Ornament," which are representative examples of the digital interpretation of cultural heritage. The virtual exhibitions were created based on the digitization of the Suzhou Silk Museum's collection. The work is based on an interdisciplinary approach integrating methods of visual analysis, the semiotics of cultural codes, and intermediality theory. The main methodological tool is a comparative analysis of the tactile and semantic properties of the authentic artifact and its digital counterpart. A semiotic analysis of the traditional pattern is conducted, revealing its sacred and powerful connotations in the original cultural and ritual context. The process of digitally integrating a pattern into an immersive museum space is analyzed, focusing on the technological operations of high-precision scanning and projection, which lead to the dematerialization of the object. Interactive scenarios of viewer interaction with the digital pattern (tactile control via touch interfaces, pattern generation using artificial intelligence algorithms) are explored, creating new conditions for perception and giving rise to the phenomenon of a "digital aura." It is established that the digital reproduction of patterns through scanning and projection provides a hyperrealistic visualization. At the same time, it leads to the loss of their material authenticity and tactile value, corresponding to the process of "disappearance of the aura" according to Walter Benjamin. Furthermore, it is proven that the immersive environment not only destructively impacts traditional parameters of perception but also acts as a means of symbolic regeneration. Through interactive interaction with the audience, viewer involvement in the process of pattern creation, and the use of artificial intelligence algorithms, a new "digital aura" is formed, based on processuality and collective experience. Thus, immersive digital art simultaneously weakens the materiality of tradition and actualizes its meanings, awakening cultural memory and opening up new ways of heritage existence.