magic lantern neemrana by SahilSarthak from india

The Magic Lantern
This 6 meter tall and 4 meter wide Magic Lantern is installed within the Hawa Mahal (Palace of Winds) of the 17th century Tijara fortress situated in Rajasthan, now converted into a heritage hotel by the Neemrana Group of Hotels. The Hawa Mahal was the King's music room where the men would be seated below and the women folk would observe the performances from the gallery above. Therefore the dimensions of the open space spans out vertically almost like a tower. The core concept was to draw inspiration from the exaggerated scale of the palace interior and design a giant size "Magic lantern" seemingly surreal to its observer, almost like Alice in Wonderland. The graceful form of this lamp hangs like a fashioned stalactite mimicking the arches and domes of the fortress architecture and the entire structure is handwoven like a giant basket, casting a beautiful light and shadow effect when lit. The lamp was assembled and woven at the site and the entire process took 5 days to be completed.