Lin Pey-chwen, professor of multimedia and animation arts at the National Taiwan University of Arts, created an underwater fantasy world on a wall-sized screen in front of visitors to the University. Seaweed swayed with the water's currents and bubbles made their way to the surface of the sea. The room's remaining five walls were painted dark to simulate the feeling of diving in deep water. But there is a twist...

On a platform in the center of the room, like a rock protruding from the seabed, was a control panel for visitors to color butterfly wings. Once they had achieved a result with which they were satisfied, their butterflies they colored could then fly onto the "underwater" screen.

Visitors' participation and comments reconfirmed Lin's belief in human beings' innate desire for artistic creativity. "Most people buried themselves in the coloring process and ignored the abnormal existence of butterflies in the ocean," Lin noted. Her multimedia installation titled "Virtual Creation" used computer software to produce special effects and offer audiences the chance to experience the power of images and become involved in creatively altering the images.

A fellow Taiwanese artist Chen Chu-yin, created a similar though more abstract underwater work. Her creation projected jellyfish-like animals onto big mirrors placed around the art gallery. Their gelatinous bodies moved and stretched as changes were made to the color of the water.

Chen said her work, titled "Gray," represented the transformation of energy in the cycles of life, "Enlightenment, Wilderness and Rebirth." Chen utilized computer programs to transform the cycle of life into an illusive animation.

Pey-chwen's exhibition grew out of collaboration between NTUA and the Centre for New Media Arts at the Australian National University.

In another creative exhibit related to the underwater world, "Walking with Water," Australian artist Sarah Jane Pell combined her interest in scuba diving with her artistic sense to explore the physical and mental strengths of the human body in the ocean, Lin said. Using breathing apparatus, Pell performed in her own work, undergoing a spiritual journey as she adapted to challenging extreme environments.