(Reported by Lv Xiaoyan; Photo by Peng Peiwen) At the invitation of China University of Geosciences Press and the School of Arts and Communication, on November 29, 2023, Mr. Zhao Chuang, a scientific artist, gave a lecture on “How to ‘Resurrect’ a Dinosaur: Scientific and Artistic Reconstruction of the Lost Species on Earth” at the Lecture Hall 1104 of the School of Arts and Communication. Jin Xi, secretary of the Party Committee of the School of Arts and Communication, Yang Zhe, deputy dean of the School, Yu Jiangtao, Vice President of the China University of Geosciences Press, and Zhang Yan, deputy general manager of the Press, attended the event. Teachers and students from both units, as well as many social figures who love Mr. Zhao Chuang’s works, were present at the event. The “School Forum” was presided over by Yang Zhe.
Mr. Zhao Chuang started his lecture
With his own created dinosaur restoration images in different periods, Zhao Chuang elaborated on the evolution history of dinosaurs, the size and appearance characteristics of different kinds of dinosaurs in the same period, and the entire process of reconstructing lifelike dinosaur images through “fossil reconstruction of bone structure, covering of muscle tissue, and speculative simulation of skin and texture”, using his own created dinosaur restoration images from different periods, which was an eye-opening experience for the teachers and students.
Mr. Zhao Chuang explained the restoration image
Using “dinosaur sandwich”, “old pterosaurs walking with crutches” and other modern life scenes as metaphors, Mr. Zhao Chuang introduced the restoration images such as “three dinosaurs entering the mud together” and “pterosaurs walking with crutches”, which were vivid and imaginative, not only narrowing the “psychological distance” between these ancient creatures and the audience, but also outlining the morphological characteristics and living scenes of dinosaurs, a distant and diverse ancient creature, for teachers and students. He mentioned that due to its mysterious and spectacular characteristics, along with the deepening of the research on dinosaur fossils, the “resurrection” of dinosaurs has been widely concerned. In addition to restoration images, the figure of “resurrected” dinosaurs can also be seen in museum exhibitions and film and television works.
After that, Mr. Zhao Chuang explained the process of dinosaur “resurrection” with his own long-term exploration experience: “Firstly, it is necessary to reconstruct the skeletal structure by reading a large amount of literature and the latest research results, and referring to relevant fossils. Then, comprehensively apply the knowledge from disciplines such as motion mechanics and biological anatomy to simulate the coverage effect of dinosaur muscle tissue on the basis of skeletal structure. Finally, based on the research conclusions such as pigment cells, infer skin color and simulate skin texture, so as to achieve the “resurrection” of dinosaur”. He mentioned that if one wants to reproduce the feathers of a certain dinosaur without corresponding objective clues, it is necessary to speculate on the growth and arrangement of its feathers based on its close relatives, while also considering the differences in juvenile and adult morphology. “With the discovery of new evidence or technological advances, the restoration is also constantly changing and updating, and some are even subversive. It can be said that the creation of restoration images of paleontology is a process of fighting wits and ‘dancing’ with art on the ‘shackles’ of science.” He summarized his path of scientific and artistic creation with these words.
Finally, Mr. Zhao Chuang encouraged the students to do what they are most interested in with the fullest enthusiasm in this still ongoing “dinosaur era”, so as to live up to the good times and youth and make greater contributions to the society.
