TRIC participated in the exhibition direction and production of <RE:BORN, Conservation Science Inheriting Time>, a special exhibition commemorating the 20th anniversary of the National Palace Museum of Korea. Bringing together two decades of achievements in conservation science, the exhibition reinterprets the entire process of artifact restoration through a contemporary exhibition language.
Moving beyond exhibition production, TRIC approached the project as a “designer of time,” transforming the process by which conservation science revives the breath of heritage and carries its temporal continuity into the future into a visual narrative.
A highlight of the exhibition was the first public presentation of TRIC’s Digital Restoration Project of the Portrait of King Taejo(2015) in the form of an installation work, offering visitors an immersive understanding of the logic behind conservation science. Drawing upon fragmented sources—including the Gyeongbokgung Palace version damaged during the Korean War, historical glass plate negatives, and archival materials from the Junwonjeon and Gyeonggijeon versions—TRIC conducted detailed analysis and integrated them through digital imaging technologies to reconstruct the portrait’s original form.
The layered media installation gradually revealed the evidence behind each stage of restoration, allowing visitors to intuitively trace the rebirth (RE:BORN) of heritage through the eyes of conservation scientists.
In addition, TRIC contributed to visualizing interdisciplinary achievements that merge traditional craftsmanship with contemporary science, including the reconstruction of thirteen ceremonial garments from the king’s official attire and restoration research on the imperial state carriage of the Korean Empire.
TRIC’s journey continues—reinterpreting the value of national heritage through the language of today and creating new exhibition experiences that connect the past with the future.
