Heart of the matter

An installation by US artist Sean Raspet. [Photo provided to China Daily]

As curtains open, the screens show vistas from Kobe to Alaska. It reminded people at once of the world's vastness and connectivity through different ways.

"In places where technology is fairly underdeveloped, for instance, Africa, we get the most fabulous views," Huang says.

"The exhibition is focusing on the two sides of technology, encouraging people to quit technology for a while and to feel the world with their original senses."

Another co-founder of the museum, Lei Wanying, better known as Wanwan, says the metaphor of the "tin man" comes from The Wizard of Oz, in which the character is looking for a real heart.

"With the increasing forms of art and the integration with technology, the essence of art is never changed by its medium or shape, because it has heart," says Lei.

Lei's favorite part of the exhibition is a replica of a room, where artist Yang Zi works and lives when she visits the Labrang Monastery in the Gannan Tibet autonomous prefecture in Gansu province. In the 4-square-meter room stands a table on top of which are placed several smartphones with drawings created by the artist.

Yang used to live in a big city before she moved to the lesser developed region. Now, the focus of her daily life is observation and meditation.

"My mind is very clear, I don't even dream at night, and I get up very early every morning," Yang says. "I know exactly what to do, one thing that does not change is that I crank the prayer wheel every day."