Life of Buddha Exhibition

Since its establishment in 1967, the Fo Guang Shan Buddhist order has grown from a modest monastery set within a bamboo-covered mountainside into the largest Buddhist monastery in Taiwan. Under the guidance of Venerable Master Hsing Yun, it has become a globally recognised site of pilgrimage, welcoming millions of visitors each year seeking spiritual connection and understanding.

At the heart of this offering is the Life of Buddha exhibition, which attracts over 10 million visitors annually. AIM was commissioned to create a new 15-minute film depicting the life of the Buddha, alongside a complete redesign of the exhibition environment surrounding the theatre.

I was engaged to lead the exhibition design, working to ensure that the spatial experience extends and enriches the narrative established within the film. While the film tells the story of the Buddha’s life, the exhibition creates the conditions for visitors to step into that story, to move beyond observation and into experience. The intention is to humanise the Buddha, allowing visitors to connect with his journey not as an abstract figure, but as a person whose life unfolded through moments of challenge, discovery and transformation.

The design approach is grounded in an understanding of how memory is formed. Meaningful and lasting impressions are not created passively, but through experience — particularly those that are new, sensory and emotionally resonant. With this in mind, the exhibition is conceived as a multi-sensory journey, engaging not only sight, but also sound, scent and tactility.

By carefully choreographing these layers, the exhibition invites visitors to walk in the Buddha’s footsteps, creating a deeply immersive environment that fosters reflection, connection and lasting memory.