Interacting Walls was a three years’ journey exploring my artistic ideas and my nascent creativity to transform the interior of a college building into an exciting and motivating artistic experience for the students walking through the front foyer, corridors, staircase, and cafeteria. I created the project and also raised the necessary funds while working full-time as a social media/creative assistant. I developed the overall concept, the preliminary sketches and assisted a more accomplished artist friend to translate my ideas into reality throughout the main academic building from the ground floor all the way to the rooftop cafeteria. Next to the basketball court, we painted huge wings so that students could strap these wings and soar into the skies to achieve their dreams. This 3-year journey, working on “Interacting Walls” was a very important learning experience for me. I learned a lot about the technicalities and practicalities of painting in different mediums.
Tranquility Personified came alive when I researched various corporate murals in combination with the experience of a visit to Gokarna Resort. In the early morning when all the guests were sleeping, the deers would come out from the woods and graze in the hotel lawns. I concluded that a deer mural, which symbolizes nature and divine creation, would be appropriate for the college foyer.
Coming from an internationally influenced background and exposed to various religions at an early age, I began to plan the various components of the deer. The vegetal patterns were influenced by artworks found inside the mosques, while the dots reflected aboriginal influence. The importance given to nature by both Islam and aboriginal culture was the main factor in choosing the primary color for this theme - Green. As the brand color of the college is maroon, I decided to make the maroon the secondary color.
Influenced by Charles Darwin's theory of evolution and the book called "The Significance of Darwin" by Peter C. Kjærgaard, the Interacting Walls Project moved forward. I decided that acrylic paints were going to dance in the corridors of Xavier Academy. "Evolution is a fact. Just like gravity, earthquakes, magnetism, electricity, DNA, and taxes. We have different scientific theories, which describe different phenomena. Life evolves, Language evolves. Culture evolves. We evolve," stated Peter C. Kjærgaard in "The Significance of Darwin". The evolution of humanity is an important theory in the field of biology. We, the big-brained, two-legged mammals, are the most complex creatures on this planet. We have risen from the raw materials of this Earth to dominate and shape it.
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DEGA YA DEY
Dega Ya Dey (2020) is the historical and artistic city of Lalitpur, formerly known as Yala, which is located in Kathmandu Valley. The name Lalitpur is derived from Lalit, the farmer, who carried the God Rato Machhindranath to Kathmandu Valley from Assam, India, and Pur, which stands for the town.
In the center of Lalitpur is one of the marvels of Newari architecture, Patan Durbar Square. The hustling and bustling of the city came to a complete halt due to the Covid-19 global pandemic. The brick kilns, which belched black smoke, ground to a halt. The roads once filled with cars, spewing out noxious fumes, were eerily empty.
HERITAGE OF KATHMANDU
The mural on the right includes UNESCO World Heritage sites inside Kathmandu Valley. I have chosen a few important landmarks from the three cities inside the valley, Bhaktapur, Kathmandu, and Patan. The mural is painted in shades of saffron, a significant color in both Hinduism and Buddism. The color symbolizes Agni (fire), which burns away darkness and brings light. Knowledge burning away ignorance. A color of purity by purging away abstinence. In Buddhism, saffron represents illumination, the highest state of perfection. Living in Nepal and Cambodia, saffron was an important part of the culture I was brought up in. The robes worn by monks in both Nepal and Cambodia are both imitating the color saffron.
On the very left is 55 Window Palace located in the center of Bhaktapur Durbar Square. It was built by King Bhupatindra Malla and competed in 1754 A.D, by Jaya Ranjit Malla, the last Malla king of Bhaktapur. The Golden Gate of this palace is considered a national treasure. The interior of the palace was closed due to the damage during both the 1934 and 2015 earthquakes, which cause extensive damage. Next to the 55 window palace is 5 storied Nyatapola, built by King Bhupatindra Malla during 1702 A.D. This is one of the tallest temples in Nepal dedicated to SiddhiLakshmi. Siddhi means perfection in any endeavor while Lakshmi means wealth.
Adjacent to Nyatapola is Kathmandu Durbar Square, a spectacular architecture showcasing the skills of Newar artists and craftsmen. Early scriptures imply that the construction of the palace dates back to 400 A.D during the Licchavi period reigned by King Gunakamadev, During the Malla Dynasty, Kathmandu Durbar Square became the Royal Palace for the Malla Kings as well as the Shah Dynasty until 1896. A combination of traditional Newari architecture with colonial influence from Europe makes this Durbar Square different from the one in Bhaktapur and Patan.