This book is published as a part of the documentation process for my diploma project, “Kalpaneya Yatre 2010” for Srishti School of Art, Design and Technology, and Jawaharlal Nehru Planetarium in October 2010. Set in Diavlo and Frutiger, the official fonts of Kalpaneya Yatre 2010. Printed at Print-O, Bangalore. Copyright © Mahima Pushkarna Mahima Pushkarna has asserted her right to be identified as the author of this work in accordance to the Copyright, Designs and Patent Act 1988. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, with the prior written permission of the copyright owner.
Index 1. About KY 2. The Diploma Proposal 3. Content Management i. Sun & the solar system ii. History of Indian Astronomy, Cosmology and Astrophysics. 4. Indian History Section i. Designing the panels ii. Flat Earth Model iii. Brahmanda and the Cyclical Universe Theory iv. Aryabhatta and the Nakshatras v. Jantar Mantar vi. The Madras Observatory vii. Naming Days 5. Puranic Timelines i. 3-d Simulation ii. Visualized Units 6. Branding and Identity i. The brief ii. Brand Options iii. Final Presentation 7. Front Facade
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About KY
During the December of 2009, we were introduced to what was then known as AstroFest- a collaborative exhibition, to be first of it’s kind, that celebrated the International Year of Astronomy (IYA) that was 2009. After a month of research and pitching ideas, the exhibition was confirmed to happen in Novemeber 2010, and thus came into being Kalpaneya Yatre, 2010 or KY2010. This multi-media exhibition is going to be held November 25th onwards, at the Jawaharlal Nehru Planetarium. With a team comprising of designers, curators, astronomers and subject experts, the exhibition is a result of the collaboration of the following agencies, aimed at delivering creative ways of communicating otherwise somewhat mundane and complex scientific concepts to the masses; • Jawaharlal Nehru Planetarium, Bangalore • Srishti School of Art, Design and Technology • Bangalore Association for Scientific Education (BASE) • Indian Institute of Astrophysics • Raman Research Institute • Indian Space and Research Organization • Visvesvaraya Industrial and Technological Museum Working in a large team, my role in the project started out with being developing graphics for spaces, evolved into developing a branding and identity system, working on the Indian aspects of the history section, designing the front facade and a sound score to go with it, as well as a take away kit. The project is fully realized on the launch, that is the 25th of November. Till then, it remains a process oriented work in progress. So far, approval has been given for certain sections, while we continue to pitch for more concepts.
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The Diploma Proposal
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Opening Statement To design the exhibition structures and system of Kalpane Yatra 2010, an exhibition on astronomy and other related sciences at the Nehru Planetarium, Bangalore.
Core need To create a state of the art exhibition infrastructure for popular science education, that compliments and enhances the content, and at the same time is designed for re-use and mobility.
Context of Art, Design and Technological Developments The process of creatively communicating information about astronomy and the universe in the form of an exhibition that can reach out to people from all strata of society in a way that is intriguing and interesting rather than bookish and boring. The process will employ tools of art and design that we have learned over the past 4 years, and will explore different forms of technology as media to effectively communicate the content, thereby making the output a result of a strong design process.
My own position in this project My design education has been highly multidisciplinary and driven by an interest in different forms of communication- 2d, 3d, sensorial, conceptual, traditional and experimental. My role in this project will carry forward these inter-disciplinary values and will push me into spaces that may challenge and consequently lead to the growth of my present conceptual and hands-on skill set, contributing to a more holistic design education as I graduate from Srishti.
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Research Questions Based on Content, sample questions: How is the present content accessed and perceived; is it limited to the zodiac column in the newspaper, what other sources of information are available to them? How do Indians see astronomy, astrology and cosmology? What role does astronomy play in an 11 year old’s life on a daily basis, and in a housewife’s life on a daily basis? Based on Production, sample questions: Materials- What all materials can be used that fit within the budget that are reusable, stable and load-bearing? Looking at various qualities such as flexibility, weather resistant, etc. How do they enhance the content, without directing attention onto the structure?
Approach/Process This is a team-oriented project, where I shall be working together with other professionals, students, designers and experts from different specializations an subjects. My primary role will be in to integrate the visual communication aspect of the exhibition with the 3 dimensional space structures and systems. The project follows a strict timeline, and will involve testing prototypes with users and conducting walk-throughs. This project is heavily dependent on production design for it’s final execution, and materials will have to be worked with closely, making it selectively trial-and-error based in nature.
Materials/Resources KY2010, partner institutions such as the Indian Space Research Organisation, Bangalore Association for Science Education, Indian Institute of Astrophysics, Visvesvaraya Industrial and Technological Museum, Raman Research Institute. Rustam Vania, Sabina Von Kessel- project mentors. Content, Funding for Production: KY2010 Diploma Proposal | 9
Learning Outcomes Personal Learning: Based on my pre-diploma evaluation and transcripts, I see this project as the perfect opportunity to work on my shortcomings before I graduate from Srishti. This project will help me to enhance my skils as a team player, and working specifically as a part of the exhibition structure and systems team will make me constantly look at the bigger picture as well as the smaller details. Conceptual Learning: Astronomy and cosmology is a vast topic that can be animistic and magical on one hand, and highly scientific and precise on the other. Working with such content, to make it accessible and impact-creating on our audience in the form of an exhibition will push my conceptualization and ideation abilities in a direction that is challenging, and will require me to look at it from a fresh perspective of graphics and sensorial communication within a space. Skill-based learning: A greater understanding and exploration of Space, Exhibition and Production Design, Graphics in Space, Lighting, Experience Design. The application of new media and experimental design within experiential spaces; Designing with materials under a specific budget and looking at sustainable and reusable exhibition designn
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Image Courtesy: NASA/ ESA, Martin Kornmesser
Content Management
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i. The Sun and Solar System Resource List: At the start of the project, a resource list was provided to every one, which acted as starting points for our research, apart from giving us an idea of multi-media resources, models, demos and sources of information that were available to us under each topic. Since my research was specifically about the planets, the following list was provided to me: SOL 1: Sun-Earth Connection (seasons) Medium: Images + Artifacts Sources: http://sunearth.gsfc.nasa.gov/portfolio/pro_ao.php http://sunearth.gsfc.nasa.gov/sunearthday/media_viewer/flash.html http://sunearthday.nasa.gov/2007/multimedia/video.php Exhibits: Earth Sun rotation/revolution model, JNP SOL 2: Moon-earth rotation SOL 3: Retrograde motion of Mars Exhibits: Mechanical Model at JNP SOL 4: Equtorial Bulge of planets due to rotation Exhibits: Mechanical Model at JNP SOL 5: How many years in a day Exhibits: Mechanical Model at JNP SOL 6: Rotation of Venus Exhibits: Mechanical Model at JNP SOL 7: Planetary Motion (Celestial equator and elliptic) Exhibits: Planetarium Demo at JNP SOL 8: Lagnrainian Points (“Trojan Asteroids�) Exhibits: Planetarium Demo at JNP
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SOL 9: Simple Day Time Experiments Exhibits: Sun-Earth Daytime Astronomy Experiment Activity Cards SOL 10a: Eclipse Exhibit: Short clip of eclipse, without sound SOL 10b: Moon and Sun both 110x disance as their dia. – why total eclipse can happen Medium: A/V Source: http://www.iiap.res.in/iya09/fest/Movies/ Solar Eclipse from Stereo Comments: Any spheres that whose dia = x and distance is 110x
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used to be much closer to earth, moving away 1 cm/year, used to cause more dramatic tides that shortened length of day to 6 hrs. SOL 11a: Conservation of energy Exhibit: Planetarium Demo- “Conservation of Energy”and Vacuum chamber dropping unequal masses; Keppler’s laws. SOL 11b: Solar System as a “system” Comments: Analogies to other “systems” where whole is greater than sum of parts Galileo’s equivalence principle, Einstein’s General Relativity for Gravity; Digestive system and Ecosystems. SOL 12: Tour of the solar system Medium: Exhibition Script- “KY: A Walk Through the Solar System” Exhibits: Models with animations and infographics SOL 13: Narrative Tour of the Solar System Medium: Celestia Program Tour SOL 14: Scale Model Solar System Walk Source: PPT “If the Sun is a Football” by Shylaja; http://www.exploratorium.edu/ronh/solar_system/ Exhibit: With distances of planets if scaled in Bangalore; Photos of “mini Astrofest” from Srishti Interim, of scale model “Build a Solar System” automatic distance/scale calculator
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SOL 15: Scale model Source: http://www.exploratorium.edu/ronh/solar_system/ Exhibit: To-scale models of the planets of our Solar System and explore the wonders of each planet at its interactive digital panel.
Note from B.S. Shylaja, Subject Expert and Client from JNP: As soon as you walk in, the huge display of the solar system reminds you of our home in the universe. The huge sun at the center beckons you to walk into it. Walking through, you see the inner “furnace” producing energy, which is spreading out in a radial format. There seems to be a hole in there somehow. What is that? About 2 meters diameter model of the sun depicting the interiors- a person can peep through and see the internal structure. Let us come out and see what it is. Yes, that is a sunspot. The energy from inside did not reach it, rendering it darker than the rest of the bright regions. The formation of a sunspot. The outer surface shows granulations, prominences, and also, flares; animation. Turn to the left to see the tiny Mercury devoid of any atmosphere and full of potholes on it’s surface. Mercury photographs (video clippings from space crafts.) Another step away is Venus, the “gassy” planet, with all the yellow gas circling round and round though very slowly. Venus views posters (video showing the landing of Viking on it’s surface, with an active volcano in the background). Our earth is a very pleasing blue planet, decorated with white clouds. The tiny moon goes around causing tides and pleasing full moon nights on the earth. If we could zoom through the clouds, your location is barely recognizable. How small we are on this huge earth!(Satellite views of the earth. Model showing the moon going round the earth. Google view zooming onto the planetarium building.) Mars is our neighbour, occasionally coming close to greet. Ships zoon to the planet and dig out the soil in search of clues of life. There is air, but is there Content Management | 16
water? Should you open your drinking water bottle… see the effect?[Landscape view of mars, Animation of spirit and opportunity rolling in the surface. An experiment demo (animation showing water on Mars.)] Next is a tiny model of the solar system, Jupiter with it’s four Galilean moons. It appears to be irate with volcanoes , while Europa is cool with water sprinkled on it, Callisto and Ganymede are poked with craters.(Galileo orbiting Jupiter animations with close up views of the satellites. Animations.) The most beautiful planet is Saturn with it’s majestic rings. Did you notice that the rings also rotate? (Video of rotating Saturn; model showing the view of Saturn once in 15 years.) Uranus is a cool planet. Would you ever imagine the sun in the sky for half a year continuously? (Model showing rotation and revolution of Uranus with a satellite in a highly eccentric orbit.) Neptune, another cool planet has a moon getting ready to crash on it, maybe after a million years. (Neptune with broken rings- video.) Small members are equally important. Asteroids, Dwarf planets and comets… (Video showing the asteroid belt poster depicting the definition of a planet.) The sight of a comet ignites imagination- to the artists too! (Cartoons and paintings on comets) How was the solar system formed?(Poster and video showing the formation of our solar system.)
After reffering to Shylaja’s note, as well as the provided list of content and my own research, the content sheet on the following page was mailed in to Alison as a suggestion for panel topics and text. This information was visualized into dummy panels and used in the 3-D rendering of the Planets Sections to show the client possible exhibits and topics.
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Exhibit Medium 1. Text and Image panel 1i. Text and Image (Translite) 2. Monitors + panel (size of monitors can vary) 3. Projection (big screen) 4. Viewing interface (binoc/telescope/3D glasses viewing) 5. Audio and/or video kiosk (Ask an Astronomer) 6. Artifact/object display (meteor fragment, antique telescope etc) 7. Models (retrograde motion of mars, eclipse, scale model of solar system etc)
Exhibit Possibilities 1. Planets: Scale Model Sun-max size possible for planets or earth moon system room, floor/ ceiling to calculate the size of other planet models. 2. Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars -mercury year and days/ calendar • retrograde motion of sun with respect to Mercury • rotation/revolution of mercury -venus transit of venus • transit of venus, occurrence • transit of venus in history -earth - video for now -mars • retrograde motion of mars- explanation • 3D panorama view (curio shop)- information
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3. Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Pluto -jupiter (pics + 64 moons + galilieo uses to figure out rotation action *video*) • basic description • collisions • Galileo Video • Galilean Moons -saturn (pics)- angle view of rings • Saturn’s rings • Opposition • Moon Phoebe -uranus •axial tilt -neptune •broken rings • Planet Description - completing it’s first known orbit around the sun as known to Earth next year. • Triton Disintegration -pluto • dwarf planet- debate -asteroid belt • fragment as artifact exhibit
Content 1. Mercury • Retrograde motion of the sun from Mercury At certain points on Mercury’s surface, an observer would be able to see the Sun rise about halfway, then reverse and set, then rise again, all within the same Mercurian day. This is because approximately four days prior to perihelion (the point in Mercury’s orbit that is closest to the sun), Mercury’s orbital velocity exactly equals its rotational velocity, so that the Sun’s apparent motion ceases; at perihelion, Mercury’s orbital velocity then exceeds the rotational velocity; thus, the Sun appears to be retrograde. Four days after perihelion, the Sun’s normal apparent motion resumes. Content Management | 19
• http://www.spacestationinfo.com/images/mercury-rotation1.gif • https://www.e-education.psu.edu/files/geog482/image/mars.jpg • http://www.spacestationinfo.com/mercury-rotation.htm
• Mercury’s Rotation and Revolution No. of earth days it takes mercury to revolve around the sun: 87.97 earth days. Mercury has a rotation period of 58.66 days. In one complete orbit, Mercury completes one and a half rotations due to it’s highly elliptical orbit, and proximity to the sun’s gravitational field. “Mercury’s orbital-rotational resonance ratio is 3:2. All other planets in our solar system have a ratio of 1:1.” 2. Venus •Transit Of Venus Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transit_of_Venus
A transit of Venus across the Sun takes place when the planet Venus passes directly between the Sun and Earth, and Venus can be seen from Earth as a small black disk moving across the face of the Sun. The duration of such transits is usually measured in hours. While a Venusian transit is similar to a solar eclipse by the Moon, and even though the diameter of Venus is almost 4 times that of the Moon, Venus appears smaller because it is much farther away from Earth. Transits of Venus are among the rarest of predictable astronomical phenomena and currently occur in a pattern that repeats every 243 years, with pairs of transits eight years apart separated by long gaps of 121.5 years and 105.5 years. In history: • The transit of Venus helped scientist calculate the distance between the earth and the sun using the principle of parallax. • The transit pair of 1761 and 1769 were used to try to determine the precise value of the astronomical unit (AU) using parallax. • Johannes Kepler, constructed his three laws in 1609 and 1619, based on a heliocentric view where the planets move in elliptical paths. Using these laws, he was the first astronomer to successfully predict a transit of Venus (for the year 1631).
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3.Mars •Retrograde motion of mars Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Retrograde_motion
-Model Possible Explanation Image Source: http://www.lasalle.edu/~smithsc/Astronomy/retrograd.html
Copernican explanation of retrograde motion of mars, animation The explanation for retrograde motion in this system arises from the fact that the planets further from the sun are moving more slowly in their orbits than those closer to the sun. The retrograde motion of Mars occurs when the Earth passes by the slower moving Mars. The retrograde motion of Mars arises because Earth is closer to the Sun than Mars, because of which the Earth’s orbit around the Sun is lesser than that of Mars’s. This, in turn, causes Earth to move faster than Mars, and when Earth overtakes Mars in it’s orbit, Mars appears to move backwards till the Earth has overtaken Mars completely. This is similar to how you would see a car moving backwards if you were moving in a car that is moving faster. • Surface of Mars (text to go with panorama landscape of mars) Source: http://www.universetoday.com/guide-to-space/mars/mars-landscape/
The Mars landscape is a dry, rocky surface coated with fine red dust, that is actually iron oxide. Everything, from the ground to the little stones, to the rocks, are covered with this iron oxide dust. Since Mars has neither water nor any confirmed tectonic activity, its geological features have remained practically unaltered for many years. The Mars landscape has its own share of imposing geological structures. It is home to the highest known mountain in the entire Solar System, Olympus Mons, and to the largest known canyon in the Solar System, Valles Marineris. 4. Jupiter Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jupiter#Moons It is a gas giant with a mass slightly less than one-thousandth of the Sun but is two and a half times the mass of all the other planets in our Solar System Content Management | 21
combined. Because of its immense gravity well and location near the inner Solar System, it receives the most frequent comet impacts of the Solar System’s planets. • Galilean Moons Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galilean_moons
Jupiter has 63 named natural satellites. Of these, 47 are less than 10 kilometers in diameter and have only been discovered since 1975. The four largest moons, known as the “Galilean moons”, are Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto. • Video • Imagery, compositions: Io Image Source: http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA01129
Europa Image Source: http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA01130
Ganymede Image Source: http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA00519
Callisto Image Source: http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA01478
5. Saturn •Saturn’s Rings Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saturn#Planetary_rings
Saturn is probably best known for its system of planetary rings, which makes it the most visually remarkable object in the solar system. The rings extend from 6,630 km to 120,700 km above Saturn’s equator, average approximately 20 meters in thickness, and are composed of 93 percent water ice and 7 percent carbon. Some ice in the central rings comes from the moon Enceladus’ ice volcanoes. There are two main theories regarding the origin of the rings. One theory is that the rings are remnants of a destroyed moon of Saturn. The second theory is that the rings are left over from the original nebular material from which Saturn formed. Beyond the main rings at a distance of 12 million km from the planet is the sparse Phoebe ring, which is tilted at an angle of 27° to the other rings and Content Management | 22
rbits in retrograde fashion. Phoebe is also one of Saturn’s rings that moves in retrograde motion. • Opposition of Saturn’s Rings Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opposition_(astronomy) Saturn and its rings are best seen when the planet is at or near opposition (the configuration of a planet when it is at an elongation of 180° and thus appears opposite the Sun in the sky). During the opposition of December 17, 2002, Saturn appeared at its brightest due to a favorable orientation of its rings relative to the Earth. 6. Uranus Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uranus
• Axial Tilt Uranus has an axial tilt of 97.77 degrees, so its axis of rotation is approximately parallel with the plane of the Solar System. This gives it seasonal changes completely unlike those of the other major planets. Other planets can be visualized to rotate like tilted spinning tops on the plane of the Solar System, while Uranus rotates more like a tilted rolling ball. Near the time of Uranian solstices, one pole faces the Sun continuously while the other pole faces away. Each pole gets around 42 years of continuous sunlight, followed by 42 years of darkness. 7. Neptune Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neptune
•About Neptune Neptune is the eighth and farthest planet from the Sun in our Solar System. It is the fourth-largest planet by diameter and is 17 times the mass of Earth. Neptune completes an orbit every 164.79 years. On July 12, 2011, Neptune will have completed the first full orbit since its discovery in 1846! • Neptune’s Moons Neptune has 13 known moons. The largest by far and the only one massive enough to be spheroidal, is Triton. Unlike all other large planetary moons in the Content Management | 23
Solar System, Triton has a retrograde orbit, indicating that it was captured rather than forming in place; it probably was once a dwarf planet in the Kuiper belt. It is close enough to Neptune to be locked into a synchronous rotation, and it is slowly spiraling inward because of tidal acceleration and eventually will be torn apart, in about 3.6 billion years, when it reaches the Roche limit. In 1989, Triton was the coldest object that had yet been measured in the solar system, with estimated temperatures of −235 °C
A 3-d simulation of a potential exhibit, the Saturn Space Wall; showing the opposition of Saturn’s Rings.
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I. Indian Aspects of the History of Astronomy, Astrophysics and Cosmology Before I started my research about the history of Astronomy, Astrophysics and Cosmology in India, Shylaja, the head of the curatorial committee of the exhibition, provided us with a note in general about the history section. I extracted as much as I could from this note, using it as a starting point for my research, which evolved organically. BS Shylaja’s Note: Historical aspects From flat to earth to spherical shape; the points discussed here is in the attached ppt. The very first model can be the concept of Universe by Pushpamala (sculpture displayed in our lounge) showing the tortoise, elephants supporting the universe as described in our Puranas. There is scope for putting 3D models for explaining the principle of Stonehenge, the working of Jantar Mantar (only one instrument should suffice). The panoramic view of Stonehenge like structure in Gulbarga can be displayed as poster. Or that itself can be made into the 3D model. The models should have light beams corresponding to the directions of equinoxes and solstices; the lights go on and off sequentially indicating the periodicity of 365 days. I can explain these ideas to the person who will work on the models using a cardboard construction. I have put the painting I referred to (Angels rotating the entire Universe) in the ppt; a corresponding Indian version even the citation of the verse by Aryabhata with perhaps a bouquet of Kadamba flowers will be good. I can’t remember the flowering season of these flowers. The meaning of analemma, change in the view of the night sky from different latitudes can be out door open air exhibits.
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Animations that can be created and placed at relevant locations : 1. What if the earth was flat? The lunar eclipse sequence to be created for both flat earth and spherical earth. 2. How do we know that earth is spherical? leave out the text book material of approaching ships and use the night sky concept. 3. The principle of a Foucoult pendulum; a real one is not perhaps practical 4. The heliocentric and geocentric models (the description is in the Solar system section) 5. The astronomical idea incorporated in pyramids 6.Estimation of longitude by the observation of eclipses of satellites of Jupiter Ten minute movie is available on Transit of Venus with both English and Kannada versions Activity : simulate the scene of eclipse of Io, satellite of Jupiter at two extremes and estimate the speed of light. However, I noticed that it takes too long to prepare the ppt. The other points discussed are below: • Transition from history to modern versions can be through the introduction of telescope or at the introduction of heliocentric system. In fact it can branch off to physics part to Keplers laws etc here. • The transition can be on the present entrance steps with a person enacting the role of Galileo pleading everyone to take a look through his small telescope. Audience can peep through to see a view of the region of Orion. Galileo’s sketch of the same region will need be recalled in the stars and galaxies section. HRM’s idea of masks should be incorporated just after the Copernicus models. A model proposed by Neelakantha Somayaji also may be prepared (Its can be static; dynamic may not be practical). •The time line from prehistoric times can be displayed as posters all along the exhibition area. Whether this can be extended right up to the modern day or even 1900s is doubtful. What will be the mode? Posters or ppt? This will be decided by the structure ; if it si goinf to create a dark background ppt / animation projected from LCD is OK; Otherwise natural daylight would suffice Content Management | 29
to illuminate the large posters. Srishti should decide on these aspects. • A poster on calendars is a must; here we need to put a model showing the third motion of the earth responsible for the mismatch of calculated events like solstices. The table top model we have (Alison and Rustam saw this) needs to be redesigned so that the concept is made much more clear. • Impact on culture – very interesting traditions can be compiled as a collage. The Indian component of festivities can be part of drama. • The two small dark cubicles (currently coffee room and kiosk) can be used for displaying model of Milky Way. We had placed a model explaining the phenomenon of eclipses. • The historical aspects concerning spectroscopy can go to the stars section, about the Galaxy to the galaxies section. The history of telescopes can be included in the optics section. • At the transition point after Galileo, the sculpture showing how man is scaling the universe can be displayed.
From her PPT, the following topics relevant to Indian History were mentioned: • World Tutle theory, found across several Eastern as well as European cultures; “Mythological models range from a heaven-earth two tier arrangement to a tortoise supporting eight elephants, which in turn carried the flat earth.” • The Supreme Universe; creation of the universe. “The curious phenomenon in the sky and on earth triggered the creative minds with theories on the creation of universe. While one theory sought a spontaneous creation of the world other held the notion of a cosmic egg – the Brahmanda.“ • Nakshatras “In India 27 star system for identifying the location of the sun, moon and Content Management | 30
planets, was prevalent prior to the introduction of the zodiacal constellations from the west. The names of the months indicated the seasons and the position of the full moon in the corresponding month.” • Gulbarga, Hamam Sagar vs. Stonehenge; Rig Vedic Calendars • Aryabhatta - “In the 5th century AD Aryabhata (476–550 CE) successfully explained the rotation by comparing the earth to a Kadamba flower and the rotation as a consequence of earth’s rotation with a very appropriate analogy - “Just as a person sailing in a boat sees the other objects to be moving in the opposite direction.....” We find extensive discussion of the concept of pole of the axis of rotation as “Meru”. “ - By the 5th century AD a clear picture of the heavens had emerged in India. Aryabhatta states “The globe of earth stands support-less at the centre of the circular frame of asterisms surrounded by orbits of planets. Halves of the globes of earth and planets are dark; the other halves facing the sun are bright... • Luni-solar calendars, Adhika Maas • Jantar Mantar, increasing accuracy in astronomical calculations “One of the attempts made to improve the accuracy was by increasing the size of the measuring instruments. Examples of this we find in Ulug Beig’s (c. 1393-1449) Observatory, Beijing Observatory in China. Raja Sawai Jaisingh (1688 – 1743 AD) continued this tradition with huge Masonic structures at five locations in India, at Varanasi, Jaipur, Delhi, Ujjain and Mathura. Samrat Yantra was exclusively for time keeping by measuring the daily and annual motion of the sun. Rama yantra, Jai Prakash yantra and others were for measuring the positions of planets, moon and stars.“ • Rotation and Revolution Nilakantha Somayaji (1444 CE – 1544 CE), a contemporary Indian astronomer had offered a similar model putting all the planets except earth around the sun and the sun with this huge family was going round the earth. This appears like a precursor to the model of Copernicus. Content Management | 31
Using these notes, I was able to derive many key terms such as “Brahmanda“, “Cosmic Egg“, “Vedic Timeline“, “Nakshatra“, “Adhik Maasa“, etc. as starting points for my research. At the same time, I used certain books and movies to help me contextualize my research, which was heavily mythological in nature. • The Vedic Experience By Prof. Raimon Panikkar A translation and interpretation of the Vedas by Prof. Raimon Panikkar, who specializes in comparative religion, theology and philosophy. “In the beginning, to be sure, nothing existed, neither the heaven nor the earth nor space in between. So Nonbeing, having decided to be, became spirit and said: “Let me be!’’1 He warmed himself further and from this heating was born fire. He warmed himself still further and from this heating was born light.“ - Rig Veda • A History of Indian Philosophy By Surendranath Dasgupta “Whatever has a name, that is name; and that again which has no name and which one knows by its form, ‘this is (of a certain) form,’ that is form: as far as there are Form and Name so far, indeed, extends this (universe). These indeed are the two great forces of Brahman; and, verily, he who knows these two great forces of Brahman becomes himself a great force. In another place Brahman is said to be the ultimate thing in the Universe and is identified with Prajâpati, Puru@sa and Prâ@na “
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• Madras and Kodaikanal Observatories: A Brief History By Prof. Rajesh Kocchar “Truly speaking, modern astronomy could take root in India only in the latter half of the 18th century, when it was pressed into service as a geographic aid. As the British East India Company’s non-trading activities increased and it came to control more and more territory, many of its officers started making astronomical observations for the determination of latitudes and longitudes. Surveying instruments were thus in great demand. “ • Early Astronomy and Cosmology By C.P.S. Menon “From what we can gather of the stray descriptions of the several parts of the world in the Rig-Veda and other Vedic texts, the universe seems to have been regarded in the Vedic Age, as consisting of two halves: Heaven and Earth. These are described in one place as ,’the two great bowls facing one another.’“ • Cosmos: A Personal Voyage by Carl Sagan, Ep 10, part 3- Cosmic Dance - “The most sophisticated cosmological ideas came from asia, and in particular, India.” -“Men may not be the dreams of the gods, but gods are the dreams of men.” -“It (Hinduism) is the only religion in which the time scales correspond, no doubt by accident, to those of modern scientific cosmology. It’s cycles run from our ordinary day and night, to a day and night of Brahma- 8.64 Billion years long- longer than the age of the earth,or the sun, and about half the time since the big bang. And, there are much longer time scales still.” -“The most elegant and sublime of these bronzes is a representation of the creation of the universe at the beginning of each cosmic cycle- A motif known as the cosmic dance of Shiva.” -“If we live in such an oscillating universe, then the big bang is not the creation of the cosmos, but merely the end of previous cycle. The destruction of the last incarnation of the cosmos.”
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• The Power of Myth: The Message of the Myth -Joseph Campbell - “ ...so he (Indra) decided to go to Brahma, known as the creator and complained. Brahma sits on a lotus; this is the symbol of divine energy and divine grace, the lotus grows from the navel of Vishnu, who is the sleeping god, whose dream is the universe...” - “... The lotus of the universe grows from his navel. On there sits Brahma, the creator. Brahma opens his eyes, a world comes into being- governed by an Indra. Brahma closes his eyes, the world goes out of being. Opens his eyes, the world comes into being. Closes his eyes, out of being. And the life of a Brahma, is four hundred and thirty two thousand years, and he dies... the lotus goes back, and emerges another lotus, another Brahma... and then think of the galaxies and galaxies beyond infinite space, each a lotus, with the Brahma sitting on it, opening and closing his eyes...” After all my research, keeping in mind the suggestions from the clients, I determined the following topics to be covered in my first cut; 1. The creation and life cycle of the universe according to the Puranas: (not more than 2-3 lines each) - The cyclical nature of the universe - The birth of Bhramha - The sound “Om” - The Bhramha-Vishnu-Shiva cycle of the universe - Comparision with the Cyclical Universe Theory - Metaphorical acceptance in other cultures 2. Bhramha- Calendar of the Devas (more infographic in nature) - A unit table of calendar of the gods - Current date and time in the calendar of the devas 2a. Vedic Calendar - starting with the vernal equinoxes - days starting with local calendars, 12 months, nakshatras Content Management | 34
- the emergence of the Lunisolar calendar - Regionalization of the vedic calendar in today’s date 2b. Festivals - various festivals based on the calendars, and movement of celestial bodies - imagery and collage, mythological references 3. Lunar Calendar - a unit table of the lunar calendar - description of seasons, number of seasons a year, waxing and waning of the moon. 4. Lunar Eclipses in ancient India - Emergence of the heliocentric theory of gravitation, put in place by Aryabhatta 1500 years before Copernicus - The earth is spherical and not flat 5. Circumference of the Earth - calculation by Bhramhagupta (after Aryabhatta) (closest to present day accurate calculations) 6. Observatories in the Mughal Period - jantar mantar - various instruments, usage - confluence with astronomers from different cultures (greek, persian), merging of concepts in the Rule of Jai Singh II of Amber.
Content 1. Puranic Perception of the Universe Source: http://www.mythencyclopedia.com/images/mlw_0001_0002_0_img0101.jpg http://bhagavadgitaasitis.com/8/17/en1 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hindu_cycle_of_the_universe
The universe (or multiverse) never came to be at some particular point, but always has been, always will be, but is perpetually in flux. Space and time are Content Management | 35
of cyclical nature. This universe is simply the current one, which is in flux and constantly changing, when it finally ceases to manifest, a new one will arise. The Big Bang is described as the birth of the universe (Brahma), the life of the universe then follows (Vishnu), and the Big Crunch would be described as the destruction of the universe (Shiva). This ancient concept was found to be closest to the present date theory of the universe in physical cosmology, The cyclical universe theory, which has proven to be most apt. When the universe was created, Bhramha was born out of the Golden Egg, metaphorically the hypothetical energy point from the Big Bang emerged; his first sound was Om, a long and drawn out sound, parallel to cosmic radiation that pervades the universe. According to the Bhagwad Gita, not even Bhramha, the universe is free from our human cycle of birth, age, disease, death and re-birth, and hence, is in a constant state of flux, accepted by the Buddhist dharmas as well.
2. Calendar of The Devas/ Puranic Units of Measurement Puranic units of measurement of time covered almost everything- from one microsecond to one Mahayantra, 311.04 trillion present day earth years, and were cyclical in nature and were based on a logarithimic scale. COMPARATIVE INFOGRAPHIC ON THE FOLLOWING DATA ONLY FOR COMPARABLE UNITS: Sidereal metrics • a Paramaanus is the normal interval of blinking in humans, or approximately 4 seconds • a vighati is 6 paramaanus, or approximately 24 seconds • a ghadiya is 60 vighatis, or approximately 24 minutes • a muhurta is equal to 2 ghadiyas, or approximately 48 minutes Content Management | 36
• a nakshatra ahoratram or sidereal day is exactly equal to 30 muhurtas (Note: A day is considered to begin and end at sunrise, not midnight.) • An alternate system described in the Vishnu Purana Time measurement section of the Vishnu Purana Book I Chapter III is as follows: • 10 blinks of the eye = 1 Káshthá • 35 Káshthás = 1 Kalá • 20 Kalás = 1 Muhúrtta • 30 Muhúrttas = 1 day (24 hours) • 30 days = 1 month • 6 months = 1 Ayana • 2 Ayanas = 1 year or one day (day + night) of the gods Small units of time used in the Vedas • a trasarenu is the combination of 6 celestial atoms. • a truti is the time needed to integrate 3 trasarenus, or 1/1687.5th of a second. • a vedha is 100 trutis. • a lava is 3 vedhas. • a nimesha is 3 lavas, or a blink. • a kshanas is 3 nimeshas. • a kashthas is 5 kshanas, or about 8 seconds. • a laghu is 15 kashthas, or about 2 minutes • 15 laghus make one nadika, which is also called a danda. This equals the time before water overflows in a six-pala-weight [fourteen ounce] pot of copper, in which a hole is bored with a gold probe weighing four masha and measuring four fingers long. The pot is then placed on water for calculation. • 2 dandas make one muhurta. • 6 or 7 muhurtas make one yamah, or 1/4th of a day or night • 4 praharas or 4 yamas are in each day or each night. Lunar metrics • a tithi (or thithi ) or lunar day is defined as the time it takes for the longitudinal angle between the moon and the sun to increase by 12°. Tithis begin at varying times of day and vary in duration from approximately 19 to approximately 26 hours. • a paksa (also paksha) or lunar fortnight consists of 15 tithis • a masa or lunar month (approximately 29.5 days) is divided into 2 pakshas: the one between new moon and full moon (waxing) is called gaura (bright) or shukla paksha; the one between full moon and new moon (waning) krishna Content Management | 37
(dark) paksha • a ritu (or season) is 2 masa • an ayanam is 3 rituhs • a year is 2 Aayanas Tropical metrics • a yaama is 7½ Ghatis • 8 yaamas 1 half of the day (either day or night) • an ahoratram is a tropical day (Note: A day is considered to begin and end at sunrise, not midnight.) Reckoning of time among other entities Reckoning of time amongst the pitrs (ancestors) • 1 human fortnight (14 days) = 1 day of the pitrs • 30 days of the pitrs = 1 month of the pitrs = (14 x 30 = 420 human days) • 12 months of the pitrs = 1 year of the pitrs = (12 months of pitrs x 420 human days = 5040 human days) • The lifespan of the pitrs is 100 years of the pitrs (= 36,000 pitr days = 504,000 human days) Reckoning of time amongst the Devas. • 1 human year = 1 day of the Devas. • 30 days of the Devas = 1 month of the Devas. • 12 months of the Devas = 1 year of the Devas = 1 divine year. • The lifespan of the Devas is 100 years of the Devas (= 36,000 human years) • The Vishnu Purana Time measurement section of the Vishnu Purana Book I Chapter III explains the above as follows: • 2 Ayanas (six month periods, see above) = 1 human year or 1 day of the devas • 4,000 + 400 + 400 = 4,800 divine years = 1 Krita Yuga • 3,000 + 300 + 300 = 3,600 divine years = 1 Tretá Yuga • 2,000 + 200 + 200 = 2,400 divine years = 1 Dwápara Yuga • 1,000 + 100 + 100 = 1,200 divine years = 1 Kali Yuga • 12,000 divine year = 4 Yugas = 1 Mahayuga (also called divine yuga) Reckoning of time for Brahma. • 1000 Mahayugas = 1 kalpa = 1 day (day only) of Brahma • (Two kalpas constitute a day and night of Brahma) • 30 days of Brahma = 1 month of Brahma (259.2 billion human years) • 12 months of Brahma = 1 year of Brahma (3.1104 trillion human years) Content Management | 38
• 50 years of Brahma = 1 Pararddha • 2 parardhas = 100 years of Brahma = 1 Para = 1 Mahakalpa (the lifespan of Brahma)(311.04 trillion human years) • One day of Brahma is divided into 10,000 parts called charanas. The charanas are divided as follows: The Four Yugas • 4 charanas (1,728,000 solar years)
Satya Yuga
• 3 charanas (1,296,000 solar years)
Treta Yuga
• 2 charanas (864,000 solar years)
Dwapar Yuga
• 1 charanas (432,000 solar years)
Kali Yuga
• The cycle repeats itself so altogether there are 1,000 cycles of mahayugas in one day of Brahma. • One cycle of the above four yugas is one mahayuga (4.32 million solar years) as is confirmed by the Gita statement “sahasra-yuga paryantam ahar-yad brahmano viduh”, meaning, a day of brahma is of 1000 mahayugas. Thus a day of Brahma, kalpa, is of duration: 4.32 billion solar years. Two kalpas constitute a day and night of Brahma • A manvantara consists of 71 mahayugas (306,720,000 solar years). Each Manvantara is ruled by a Manu. • After each manvantara follows one Sandhi Kala of the same duration as a Krita Yuga (1,728,000 = 4 Charana). (It is said that during a Sandhi Kala, the entire earth is submerged in water.) • A kalpa consists of a period of 1,728,000 solar years called Adi Sandhi, followed by 14 manvantaras and Sandhi Kalas. According to the Puranic Calendar, it has been 155.52 trillion years since the present Bhramha or the current universe has existed. 2a. Vedic Calendar - Panchangas - days starting with local calendars, 12 months, nakshatras - the emergence of the Lunisolar calendar - regionalization of the vedic calendar in today’s date Decoding Kundalis- ACTIVITY IDEA Each day in the hindu calendar starts with local sunrise, and was allotted 5 Content Management | 39
properties, known’s as the Panchangas1. The tithi active at sunrise 2. The vaasara/ weekday 3. The nakshatra in which the moon resides at sunrise 4. The yoga active at sunrise 5. The karana active at sunrise 1
Ravi-vasara Sunday Ravi = Sun
2
Soma vasara Monday Soma = Moon
3
Mangala vasara Tuesday Mangala = Mars
4
Budha vasara Wednesday Budha = Mercury
5
Guru vasara or Bruhaspati vasara Thursday Guru (Brihaspati) = Jupiter
6
Shukra vasara Friday Shukra = Venus
7
Shani vasara Saturday Shani = Saturn
NAVIGATING THE CELESTIAL SPHERE! (3-D PARTIAL CELESTIAL SPHERE) Nakshatras: The term Nakshatra comes from the words Naskha and Tra, meaning map and guard respectively. Each nakshatra represents a division of the night sky similar Content Management | 40
to the zodiac such that the Moon takes approximately one day to pass through each Nakshatra. There are 27 Nakshatras, and an additional 28th Nakshatra that is not to be added unless specifically mentioned to the 27 constellations. Could you answer why? EMERGENCE OF THE LUNISOLAR CALENDAR A lunisolar calendar is a calendar in many cultures whose date indicates both the moon phase and the time of the solar year. If the solar year is defined as a tropical year then a lunisolar calendar will give an indication of the season. In the Indian lunisolar calendar, there are 12 months, with names based on the zodiac sign in which the sun transits during the lunar month. Every 32.5 months, an extra month or adhik mas is added, popularly known as the purushottam mas.
But what happens if the sun transits into two rashis within the same lunar month? We lose a month- since the same month will have to be labeled by two transits and is known as epithet kshay. REGIONALIZATION OF THE VEDIC CALENDAR IN TODAY’S DATE: Map of India, various calendars with present date based on regional calendars. Digital Panel. 2b. Festivals Collage on various festivities. Images to be sourced. Kolam movie -interactive collage 4. Lunar Eclipses in ancient India - Emergence of the heliocentric theory of gravitation, put in place by Bhramhagupta 1500 years before Copernicus - The earth is spherical and not flat Content Management | 41
WHO REALLY DISCOVERED GRAVITATION? Many years before Issac Newton, Bhramhagupta, in the 7th century, said “Bodies fall towards the Earth as it is in the nature of the Earth to attract bodies, just as it is in the nature of water to flow”. About a hundred years before that, Varahamihira, claimed that perhaps there was a force that kept all the celestial bodies in place, and there was some form of an attractive force that caused bodies to fall towards the earth. (Theatrical conflict between Aryabhatta, Varahamihira , Bhramhagupta and Newton.) “Like a man in a boat moving forward sees the stationary objects as moving backward, just so are the stationary stars seen by the people in Lanka (or on the equator) as moving exactly towards the west.” -Aryabhatta Aryabhatta proposed a Heliocentric model of the solar system, and was able to forecast eclipses 1,500 years before Copernicus. His idea that the moon reflected the light of the sun, and observances of the eclipses made him conclude that the earth is not flat, but spherical. Shadow experiment animation- cube vs. sphere moon, earth and sun as the source of energy. ANIMATED PANEL. 5. Circumference of the Earth - calculation by Bhramhagupta (after Aryabhatta) (closest to present day accurate calculations) In Bhramhagupta’s time, there existed a yogana, a unit equivalent to 7.2km. Bhramhagupta calculated that the circumference of the earth 5000 yoganas. How accurate was he? Go around the rest of the exhibition and find out! 6. Observatories in the Mughal Period - jantar mantar - various instruments, usage - confluence with astronomers from different cultures (greek, persian), merging of concepts in the Rule of Jai Singh II of Amber. Content Management | 42
Jantar Mantar In 1719, Jai Singh II of Amber was witness to a noisy discussion in the court of Mughal emperor Muhammad Shah Rangeela. The heated debate regarded how to make astronomical calculations to determine an auspicious date when the emperor could start a journey. This discussion led Jai Singh to think that the nation needed to be educated on the subject of astronomy. And as a result, Sawai Jai Singh built 5 Jantar Mantars amidst political turmoil and conquests. Five massive structures were built at Delhi, Mathura, Benares, Ujjain, and his own capital of Jaipur. In all of these only the one at Jaipur is working, while the ones in Ujjain and Varanasi are still functional. Relying primarily on Hindu astronomy, these buildings were used to accurately predict eclipses and other astronomical events. The observational techniques and instruments used in his observatories were also superior to those used by the European Jesuit astronomers he invited to his observatories. souce: http://www.jantarmantar.org/Models.htm
(ANIMATIONS OF THE YANTRAS AND WORKING. SEMI-MODELS FROM PANELS.) In the 17th century, the Mughal Empire saw a synthesis between Islamic and Hindu astronomy, where Islamic observational instruments were combined with Hindu computational techniques. Muslim and Hindu astronomers in India continued to make advances in observational astronomy and produced nearly a hundred Zij treatises; at the same time, Jai Singh II invited European Jesuit Astronomers to use the Jantar Mantar, and found European astronomy to be far inferior to Indian Astronomy, which now employed the use of telescopes. http://www.vigyanprasar.gov.in/comcom/feature74.htm
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Cut 2, re-worked, reduced text: Model 1- Terracota/Clay model of flat earth/hindu (Outside) Sulba Sutra, Aryabhata, Brahmagupta, Varahamira- Integrate into timeline Panel 1- 6ft BHRAMANDA Objective- The universe (or multiverse) never came to be at some particular point, but always has been, always will be, but is perpetually in flux. Space and time are of cyclical nature. This universe is simply the current one, which is in flux and constantly changing, when it finally ceases to manifest, a new one will arise. This ancient concept was found to be closest to the present date theory of the universe in physical cosmology, The cyclical universe theory, which has proven to be most apt. Narrative- The Big Bang is described as the birth of the universe (Brahma), the life of the universe then follows (Vishnu), and the Big Crunch would be described as the destruction of the universe (Shiva). When the universe was created, Bhramha was born out of the Golden Egg, metaphorically the hypothetical energy point from the Big Bang emerged; his first sound was Om, a long and drawn out sound, parallel to cosmic radiation that pervades the universe. According to the Bhagwad Gita, not even Bhramha, the universe is free from our human cycle of birth, age, disease, death and re-birth, and hence, is in a constant state of flux, accepted by the Buddhist dharmas as well. Activity- Cycle depicting Artwork Panel 2- 3ft 2 small panels- time and naming Pillar Installation- Units of Measurement ObjectivePuranic units of measurement of time covered almost everything- from one blink of the eye to one Mahayantra ( equal to 311.04 trillion present day earth Content Management | 44
years). They were cyclical in nature and were based on a logarithimic scale. Narrative- According to the Puranic Calendar, it has been 155.52 trillion years since the present Bhramha or the current universe has existed. Visual- naming of days Panel 3- 3ft ARYABHATTA- cutout holding kadamba flower “Like a man in a boat moving forward sees the stationary objects as moving backward, just so are the stationary stars seen by the people in Lanka (or on the equator) as moving exactly towards the west.” -
Aryabhatta
Aryabhatta proposed a Heliocentric model of the solar system, and was able to forecast eclipses 1,500 years before Copernicus. His idea that the moon reflected the light of the sun, and observances of the eclipses made him conclude that the earth is not flat, but spherical. Panel 4- 6ft NAVIGATING THE CELESTIAL SPHERE! NarrativeIn the 5th century AD, a clear picture of the heavens had emerged in India. Aryabhatta states The globe of earth stands support-less at the centre of the circular frame of asterisms surrounded by orbits of planets...Halves of the globes of earth and planets are dark... the other halves facing the sun are bright...” Panel 5- 3ft Objective- The term Nakshatra comes from the words Naskha and Tra, meaning map and guard respectively. Each nakshatra represents a division of the night sky similar to the zodiac such that the Moon takes approximately one day to pass through each Nakshatra. There are 27 Nakshatras, and an additional Content Management | 45
28th Nakshatra that is not to be added unless specifically mentioned to the 27 constellations. Artefact- Nakshatra Map on Canvas Panel 6- 3ft EMERGENCE OF THE LUNISOLAR CALENDAR Generic- A lunisolar calendar is a calendar in many cultures whose date indicates both the moon phase and the time of the solar year. If the solar year is defined as a tropical year then a lunisolar calendar will give an indication of the season. Indian- In the Indian lunisolar calendar, there are 12 months, with names based on the zodiac sign in which the sun transits during the lunar month. Every 32.5 months, an extra month or the adhik maas. But what happens if the sun transits into two rashis within the same lunar month? We lose a month- since the same month will have to be labeled by two transits and is known as epithet kshay.
Panel 7- 6ft CONFLUENCE OF CULTURES Narrative- In 1719, Jai Singh II of Amber was witness to a noisy discussion in the court of Mughal emperor Muhammad Shah Rangeela. The heated debate regarded how to make astronomical calculations to determine an auspicious date when the emperor could start a journey. This discussion led Jai Singh to think that the nation needed to be educated on the subject of astronomy. And as a result, Sawai Jai Singh built 5 Jantar Mantars amidst political turmoil and conquests. ObjectiveFive massive Masonic structures were built at Delhi, Mathura, Benares, Ujjain, and his own capital of Jaipur. In all of these only the one at Jaipur is working, while the ones in Ujjain and Varanasi are still functional.
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Relying primarily on Hindu astronomy, these buildings were used to accurately predict eclipses and other astronomical events. The observational techniques and instruments used in his observatories were also superior to those used by the European Jesuit astronomers he invited to his observatories. Artefact- Model of Ram Yantra Separate Slab: Description: (Ram : a Holy character of Hindu mythology, Yantra : instrument) The Ram Yantra can measure the local coordinates of altitude and azimuth of a celestial object. of anject, ob The angular height of an object, from the horizon is the altitude. The azimuth is the relative angular position of the object measured eastwards, starting from the direction North. The complementary units are so designed that the shadow of the gnomon falls on a Sector of one of the instruments if it falls in the gap for the other instrument. When the shadow falls at the top of the wall of the instrument, the altitude of the Sun is zero. When the shadow is at the junction between the wall and the floor, the altitude of the Sun is 45 degrees. Altitudes between 45 to 90 degrees can be read in a radial direction on the floor of the instrument. The circular ring(horizontal circle) near the roof of the instument has 360 degrees scale for the azimuth, along the circumference. Each degree division is further divided into minute divisions and the smallest division is one fifth of a degree. *Animation Available if Required INTEGRATION: 1. In Copernicus section- Nilakantha Somayaji ,a contemporary Indian astronomer had offered a similar model putting all the planets except earth around the sun and the sun with this huge family was going round the earth. This appears like a precursor to the model of Copernicus. Content Management | 47
2. In TimeLine, contemporary India- Many geographical surveys like the Great Trigonometric Survey of India was carried out with precise pendulums. Final Text that has been sent in for translation to Kannada, since the exhibition is bilingual: 1. The Puranic Universe (Objective) According to the Vedas, the universe (or multiverse) never came to be at some particular point, but always has been, always will be, but is constantly evolving. Space and time are of cyclical nature. This universe in simply the current one, when it finally dies, a new one will arise. This ancient concept was found to be closest to the present date cyclical universe theory in physical cosmology, which has proven to be most apt. (Narrative) The big bang is described as the birth of the universe (Brahma), the life of the universe that then follows (Vishnu), and finally, the Big Crunch, that is the destruction of the universe (Shiva). When the universe was created, Brahma was born out of the Golden Egg, or the hypothetical energy point from where the Big Bang emerged; his first sound was Om, a long and drawn out sound, representative of cosmic radiation across the universe. According to the Bhagwad Gita, even Brahma , the universe, is not free from the humanly cycle of birth, age, death and rebirth. Hence, it is in a constant state of flux. 2. Nakshatras (Narrative) By the 5th century AD, a clear picture of the heavens had emerged in India. Aryabhatta stated that “The globe of earth stands support less at the center Content Management | 48
of the circular frame of asterisms surrounded by orbits of planets. halves of the globes of earth and planets are dark- the other halves facing the sun are bright...” (Objective) The term nakshatra comes from the words ‘Naksha’ and ‘Tra’, meaning map and guard respectively. Each nakshatra represents a division of the night sky, similar to the zodiac such that the Moon takes approximately one day to pass through each Nakshatra. There are 27 nakshatras, and an additional 28th Nakshatra that is not to be added unless specifically mentioned to the 27 constellations. 3. Jantar Mantar (Narrative) Astronomy and astrophysics in India emerged as a result of superstition and a staunch belief in astrology in the early 1700’s. In 1719, Jai Singh ll of Amber was witness to a noisy discussion in the court of Mughal emperor Muhammad Shah Rangeela. The heated debate regarded how to make astronomical calculations to determine an auspicious date when the emperor could start a journey. This led Jai Singh to think that the nation needed to be educated in the subject of astronomy. As a result, Sawai Jai Singh built 5 Jantar Mantars amidst political turmoil and conquests. (Objective) Five masonic structures were built at Delhi, Mathura, Benaras, Ujjai and Jaipur as dedicated observatories. In all of these, only the one at Jaipur still works, whiles the ones in Ujjai and Varanasi are still functional. Relying primarily on Hindu astronomy, these buildings were used to accurately predict eclipses and Content Management | 49
other astronomical events. Jai Singh invited European Jesuit and Arabic astronomers to his observatories to study the skies. They found Indian astronomy to be far superior in precision and accuracy than western astronomy; despite the introduction of telescopes only after this interaction. 4. The Madras Observatory (Narrative) The East India Company’s ever-expanding colonial interests were heavily dependent on safe navigation- this required a strong familiarity with the southern skies of India. In 1790, William Petrie’s offered to establish an observatory for “promoting the knowledge of Astronomy, Geography and navigation in India.” As a result, the Madras Observatory was constructed out of a garden house in present day Chennai. (Objective) The observatory became a reference meridian in British India, and acted as India’s Greenwich. Over here, many observations of Jupiter’s satellites were made. A catalogue of 11,000 stars was produced in 1843; C. Raghunathachary made what was possibly the first astronomical discovery by an Indian in 1876the light variation of R Reticuli. The asteroids Asia, Sappho, Sylvia, Gamilla and Vera were discovered from the observatory. The total solar eclipse of August 1868 was observed by both British and French teams from the Madras Observatory; it was here and then that the first evidence of the existence of helium was presented. In 1689, Alpha Centuri was determined to be a binary star after being observed from the Madras Observatory. Panel 1: What was the secret behind naming days? Days were given different names across different sections; yet what they Content Management | 50
meant remained consistent. We don’t know if this was co-incidence or not, but it shows similar ways of thinking across eastern, western, ancient and contemporary cultures. Information on infographic: Sunday- Sun- ravi-vasara Monday- Moon- soma-vasara Tuesday- Mars- mangala-vasara Wednesday- Mercury- budha-vasara Thursday- Jupiter- guru-vasara Friday- Venus- shukra-vasara Saturday- Saturn- shani-vasara
Panel 2: The puranas accounted for time at a sub-atomic level, to the complete lifespan of the universe. This pillar graphically and symbolically demonstrates the intensity and the detail with which our puranic time-keepers maintained time. According to ancient hindu time scales, we are at present in the 155.52 trillionth year in the lifespan of our present universen
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Indian History Section
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W
ith so much content, some verified and some not verified, it was a task to pick the most interesting and non-textbook-ish topics to
communicate, while making sure that the audience could relate easily to the topics. It was important to pick a mix of known and unknown, and deliver it in an interesting manner. Designing the following exhibits required me to keep in mind some very important factors- limited space, limited budgets, other exhibits in the same space, and the masses of people to come. After many sessions of brainstorming, we arrived at the final flow of content, which gave me a better idea of the size and holding time of the exhibits that I was designing. For the content, it was important to keep in mind what the subject experts wanted to communicate, but at the same time remind ourselves that this was an exhibition and not an encylopedia. It was important to contextualize these historical and scientific concepts, and keep it interesting. For this purpose, I divided the content of all my panels into two categories- narrative and objective. As the tags of the two categories suggest, the narrative aspect of the content is less scientific, more situational and more story-like. Examples of narrrative content would be instances and quotes. The objective, rather simply put, is more fact-oriented. It states simply what needs to be communicated, while it is complimented by the narrative aspect of it. This division of content into Narrative and Objective also created a certain sense of balance while going back and forth with the Curatorial Committee for both parties, since the curatorial committee was not too keen on certain panels using the word astrology- while astrology and astronomy in India have always been inter-connectedn
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i. Designing the Panels A major part of the process was creating and re-working the flow after every ideation session, every new update on budgeting and every interaction with the client. The evolution of the flow-map:
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Initial Try-Outs Some dummy panels that were created to help our clients understand our ways of communicating the concept better:
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Above: a grid for a 6x4 panel, aspect ratio maintained, scaled down to A2. Right: a grid for an A3 size calendar wall panel.
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Once we had a flow in hand, and an idea of the sizes and the number of panels allocated to each section, we started assigning content and searching for graphics. Being the history section in specific, most if the images were hunted down from IIA archives, historical books, books on history, and last but not the least, recreated if they were too small. According to an overall theme, colors were assigned to each geographic region- blue for Greece, green for Persia and Arabia, and so on. A terracottaorange vintage/ worn out texture was to be used as the base background for all the panels on Indian History. For the dummy panels to be used in effect and prototypes to be printed, I created the following two grid-based templates, one for the main section that contained all the panels that were 6x4ft and 3x4ft, and another for the initial A3 panel size idea for the calendar wall that acts like a dividing screen in exhibition space.
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ii. Flat Earth Model Taking from Shylaja’s notes, the very first concept of the universe could be the Turtles all the way down myth or that of the world tortoise. This particular concept shows itself in different cultures, and speaks of a flat earth, standing on the back of four elephants, which are supported by a turtle- this whole arrangement, is protected by a Snake. It emerges from the very fact that each of us is the center of our own universe and that the universe revolves around each one of us, our houses, our villagesphysically as well as metaphorically. This theory is a result of multiple interpretations and translations, and is not verified and requires citation. Because of this, and also a lack of space, I decided to create a more artistic interpretation of the same, in the form of a sculpture that is placed right in fron tof the entrance. So far, three material options have been provided to the client based on the logevity of each; Cement- maximum durability, can handle all weather conditions, and as a permanent exhibit for the planetarium post KY2010; Terracota/ Clay- less expensive, not as sturdy as cement, as a semi permanent exhibit; Paper Maiche- as a temporary exhibit only for the duration of the exhibit. It was relatively easy to find vendors who could create the sculpture in cement and terracota; paper maiche artists are harder to come across.
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Reference Sketches for the Sculpture
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Above: A final 3-D rendering against the temporary structure
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iii. Brahmanda and the Cyclical Universe Theory The next important creation myth of the universe according to our Puranas, that I came across was the understanding of the Brahmanda- the ShivaVishnu-Brahma cycle being a metaphor for the birth, the life and the death of the Universe. This creation myth has also been accepted by the Buddhists and the Jains. Our ancient scripts speak of the universe as being in constant flux, and cyclical in nature- one of the only ancient concepts to come close to the present day cyclical universe theory in physical cosmology; a theory which is, till date the most accurate theory of the birth of the universe, explaining the Big Bang and the Big Crunch.
This panel section was to come right at the exit of the Sound Cave, and is to be placed across two models- one being the Puranic Timeline, and the other being a flat earth planetarium demo provided by the JNP. This section is placed after a big archway that tells us of an Egyptian creation myth. Due to it’s location and the expected masses of audience, the two panels placed here could not be allowed to hold the audience’s attention for too long- that would create a congestion and could lead to a potential stampede. For this reason, a simple panel was designed; along with a cut out (consistent with the theme of the entire history section) of a simple vishnu-brahma-shiva cycle, along with buddhist and jain mandala geometry.
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Top: dummy panel design; Bottom: The prototype
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iv. Aryabhatta and Nakshatras Cosmology has always been an integral part of the life of an India; it recurrs in the form of zodiac signs, “kundalis“, festivals and celebratory occasions, and various vernacular calendars. A traditional Hindu calendar is lunisolar in nature, mapping the course of the sun and the moon, across the sky. Such calendars are known to be persistent across various cultures, including the Chinese, the Arabs and other more ancient civilizations. We have been dealing with nakshatras on an almost everyday basis since time immemorial; from determining auspicious times in present day ( and more traditional) households, to using the night skies to navigate in days begone. Nakshatras are similar to constellations and divisions of the sky; they hold great mystery within them- the essence of which had to be captured in the graphic treatment of the panel. Since the placement of this panel is right next to the Brahmanda panel, it had to be a simple panel. Initially supposed to go with a cutout of Aryabhatta, who speaks of asterisms and celestial globes being lit up by the sun; it now holds only the information, since the Aryabhatta cut-out stands with the discussion/debate on the helio-centric vs. geo-centric solar system. I included the Aryabhatta content within this panel, to serve as a small introduction to Aryabhatta before the audience encounters him again in the cut-out discussion/ debate and in the gravitation section.
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Above: The designed panel; Below: The panel prototype
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v. Jantar Mantar Moving swiftly down time, we shift from the 5th century to the 1700’s; mostly due to a lack of documentation of the events and occurences relevant to astronomy, astrophysics and cosmology in India. Our next topic, from Shylaja’s notes was the Jantar Mantar- well-known as a tourist spot and featuring in every history textbook on the Mughal Period. The 5 Jantar Mantars established under Sawai Jai Singh II of Amber could not be a topic we could simply mention, due to it’s popularity. Working with such a topic was particularly interesting because I faced the following two challenges: • How can I make this fairly popular topic seem interesting again? How can I add value to the content and not make people skip through it? • I’m provided with a working model of one of the masonic instruments, the Ram Yantra. How do I design a panel that balances people’s attention between the content and the model/ activity? This particular panel was to be placed next to Newton’s light experiments, and nearer the exit of the history section. Once again, this was a panel that could not hold so much attention that it would cause a pause in the movement of exiting audiences. During my research, I came across three important things: 1. Content- The reason for Sawai Jai Singh to build these 5 masonic structures, that would eventually become iconic to the historical aspects of astronomy in an Indian context, was simply because there was a heated debate in the court room, as to when was it auspicious, so that the emperor could start a journey! This story-like aspect made me re-work the content for all the panels in such a way that there would be a story telling aspect, followed by a scientific aspect to the panel, affecting much of my content. 2. Imagery- During my research, I came across William Simpson’s artwork, “ancient observatory“; an illustration of the Jantar Mantar prior to it’s restoration. In this image, one can see the space and base structure for an unknown instrument that subject experts know exist, but do not know the function of. This taught me the value of such paintings and how they are used Indian History Section | 68
in today’s date to understand history. This image, used as the background of the panel, has been displayed at the NGMA, New Delhi and is the property of the Victoria and Albert Museum, London. We are still awaiting official permissions to use this in the exhibition, and has been used “for educational purposes“ in this instance. 3. Model- Since this panel is accompanied by a planetarium demo or a model, to be handled by a KYmitra or exhibition guide (volunteer), the panel had to have very little activity, stressing mostly on the information directly. For this purpose as well, the content was re-worked into two sections, narrative and objective respectively.
Above: The designed panel
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Above, below: The dummy panels
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vi. The Madras Observatory The madras observatory panel was the last panel to be introduced into the entire list of topics that were being covered. Initially with not much content to go on, I finally found a paper by Dr. Rajesh Kocchar, and imagery from the IIA archives, which were made available to us thanks to Dr. Prajval Shastri, who let us photograph and document it. The Madras Observatory was made much after the Jantar Mantars, and established during the British Raj. One of the few modern observatories in South India (apart from the one at Kodaikanall), it focused majorly on spectography- a topic to be encountered over and over again in the rest of the exhibition. The Madras Observatory no longer exists; in it’s place stands only a pillar at Nuggambakkam, Chennai- bearing inscriptions of the original mission statement of the observatory in English, Lating, Persian, Tamil and Telgu; protected from the people only by a grill. Due to a lack of space, this panel also remains a basic panel exhibit. Initially there was an attempt to bring down the original pendulum clock that was used to measure the time, longitude and latitude; but it has been shifted to the observatory at Kodaikanal in Tamil Nadu, and cannot be brought down to Bangalore for the exhibition due to it’s fragile condition.
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Above: The designed panel; Below: an image of the madras obaservatory from the IIA archives
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vii. Naming Days In all the heavy-duty information that was being delivered, it was important to create these certain breaks in the flow of the overall exhibition that would reduce the intensity of the information recieved by the audience, and refresh them for the rest of the exhibition that spanned across so many different sections. During my research I came across an interesting connection between the east and the west and how days are named in that context. This panel was allocated space within the calendars section on the parting panel wall in the middle of the exhibition space, right before the debate amongst the cut-outs of the astronomers; where we progress from geocentric to heliocentric, and from the west to the east to the merging of the east and the west. A simple and lighthearted infographic was created, the first iteration shown in the “designing the panels section“. This infographic, (if we can allocate more space to it), will take the form of cutouts, with one side in english, and the other in kannadaď Ž
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Left: The initial infographic Below; A dummy panel showing another inforgraphic of the same daa.
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Puranic Timelines
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Our ancient puranas consist of one of the most extensive scales of time measurement; accounting for sub-atomic time to aeons. This infographic is printed on raw canvas and is to be displayed on an octagonal pillar in fron of the calendar section near the entrance; each side of the pillar being 8 ft high, and 10� across. The graphics are all vector, giving me maximum control ol mathematically; and took over 8 days and nights to generate.
A 3-D simulation of the pillar
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Content Research for the infographic
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Images of the print at the printers
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1 Tarasarenu The time taken for 6 celestial atoms to fuse. Represented by ahexagon with circles at each vertex.
1 Truthi 3 Tarasarenus; overlapped with the 1st and 3rd atom aligned.
1 Vedha 100 Truthis; organically organized.
1 Vedha 100 Truthis; organically organized.
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1 Nimesha 3 vedhas; the time taken to blink your eyes. Arranged in the form of three triangles for simplification and easy replication.
1 Kshana Each nimesha is simplified to a triangle; the three nimeshas are represented by three trinangles; organized to form a larger triangle.
1 Kashtha 5 kshanas; the first four kshanas are organized to form another larger triangle; the last one ispointing downward, center aligned.
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1 Laghu The Kashtha was rotated 15 times at an angle of 21.69ยบ, as shown above, to give the graphic on the top-right; representative of 1 Laghu.
1 Nadhika (15 laghus) Each Laghu, when unified, give a series of triangles arranged to form a circle, with each circle facing outward. Multiplied five times and each time scaled down, it gives us one third of a Nadhika (right).
Arranged as a slightly off-axis triangle,, with each one-third nadhika being placed at the vertex of the triangle, it gives us one complete Nadhika (right).
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1 Muhuruta 2 Nadhikas, arranged horizontally next to each other. (right)
1 Yaamah 7 Muhurutas, or 1/4th of a day or a night. (right) 3 Muhuratas arranged horizontally forming a base, 2 Muhuratas arranged horiontally, mirorred horizontally stacked above the base, topped by one Muhurata right above the center muhurata of the base. This whole unit was mirrored horizontally and placed right below thw base, with two additional muhuratas facing outward; center aligned to the two bases.
1 Day 4 Yaamahs; horizontally arranged, center aligned. (below)
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1 Parammannu The time interval between two blinks of an eye; shown by the tip-sections of the Nimesha facing each other; the actual time interval being denoted by the space within the two tips of the nimesha.
3 Parammannus represented by multiplying the above unit by three and scaling it up, and increasing the gap between the tips. (right)
1 Vighati 6 Parammannus represented by multiplying the above unit by two and rotating it at an angle of 90ยบ (right)
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1 Ghadiya 60 Vighatis; 1vighati multiplied and rotated by 6ยบ 60 times (as shown on the right) to complete 360ยบ, giving the figure below.
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1 Ghadiya The same unit, unified gives us the graphic on the right; re-represented by a circle, as shown by the middle figure.
1 Nakshatra Arohatam 30 Muhuratas; 3 muhuratas vertically stacked, multiplies and rotated by 36ยบ 10 times, to give 30 muhuratas or 1 Nakshatra Arohatam. (right)
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1 Month 30 nakshatra ahoratams, or 30 days.
1 Ayana 6 months; vertically stacked. 1 Year 2 ayanas, 2x6 or 12 months; 2 ayanas horizontally arranged, one lower that the other to fit in the rigging of the first (right). Simplified by creating an outline. 1 human year is equal to one day of the devas, or one divine day or one devdina.
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1 Divine Month 30 divine days; 3 divine days stacked vertically, scaling down as they progress on a vertical axis, further multiplied and rotated at an angle of 36ยบ, 10 times. (right)
When unified, the divine month simplifies to the figure on the right.
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1 Divine Year One year of the devas; 3 divine months stacked vertically and scaled down 80% at every progression, multiplied and rotated at an angle of 45ยบ 4 times, the overall composition being rotated at a 45ยบ angle.
1 Lifespan of the Devas 100 deva years; 36,000 human years. Each divine year has been stacked vertically 5 times, and the entire stack has been multipplied and rotated by and angle of 18ยบ, 20 of times. (right) The same unit has been re-represented by an ellipse as shown below, to differentiate it from the circle representing the muhurata.
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1 Krita Yuga The first 4,800 divine years, represented by 4,800 ellipses. For further simplification, I gave it a 15% grey background which eventually represents the Krita Yuga. Each Yuga is of a different scale and spatial (2D) orientation.
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1 Treta Yuga The next 3,600 divine years, represented by 3,600 ellipses. A 10% grey background eventually represents the Treta Yuga, simplified.
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1 Dwapara Yuga The third 2,400 divine years, represented by 2,400 ellipses. A 15% grey background eventually represents the Dwapara Yuga, simplified. The reduction of the number of divine years that forms a yuga is also shown by the grey value (density) of the overall composition of the form.
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1 Kali Yuga The last 1,200 divine years.
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1 Mahayuga 1 mahayuga is 12,000 divine years, or one cycle of all the Yugas. This is represented by the four grey squares of the yuga’s backgrounds, in the shown orientation.
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1 Kalpa 1,000 Mahayugas. 40 vertically stacked mahayugas multiplied and rotated at an angle of 14.4ยบ, 25 times. 1 kalpa is one day or 1 night of the Brahma. 2 Kalpas form one day and night cycle of the Brahma.
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1 Month of the Brahma 2x30 Kalpas or 60 Kalpas, arranged organically, simplified by creating an outline.
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1 Brahma Year 12 Brahma Months; the simplified outline (above) multiplied and rotates by and angle of 30ยบ 12 times (below).
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1 Pararddha 50 Brahma Years, stacked horizontally
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1 Lifespan of the Brahma 2 Pararddhas or 100 Brahma Years, stacked vertically.
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Branding and Identity
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i. Branding Brief A vital part of the course on Branding and Identity that I conducted, was developing the brief. It was important to cite the difference between creating an identity for an institution vs. an event; it had to be dynamic and modular in nature, so a graphic language could be derived that would spread across the various sections of the exhibition. This graphic language should be adaptable across media and across subject themes. The two examples that I cited as references were the identity for the city of Utretch by Dietwee (www.dietwee.nl) and the Bahamas (www.bahamas.com). Identities for cities and places were more comparable to the requirements of the identity for the exhibition, because like these cities, the exhibition spreads across different media- audio visual, infographic panels, activities, models, demos, etc. and across themes- history, sun and solar system, science of starlight, space exploration, etc.
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ii. Branding Options My class comprised of 5 fourth year visual communication students, and one 3rd year student. Each one was asked to work on a logo for a week, feedback given twice a day. Concepts varies from Astrolabe and Navigation, to Octagons and E8 theories, to String theory and Infinity, Solar Systems, Mechanical Universes and Individual Imaginations. I worked with the students, while developing my own logo option, so the environment was more of a design studio than a class. At the end of week 1, an internal presentation was made to the KY team at Srishti, where logos were selected to be worked upon to be presented to the client. At this stage, students were asked to form teams to work on logos that they felt they could add value to. (contd., page 116)
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My own concept was based on the E8 theory of pattern recognition, taking from the octagon shape of the planetarium, and the octagon shape of the lotus on which Brahma sits. The interconnections signify the various possibilities of star shapes, and at the same time, an attempt to understand the interconnections between the universe. An octagon has 8 sides, which is the number of infinity in various cultures in ancient religious cosmology; in 3D form, it is supposed to be the shape of the universe. The spaces between the form and the various possibilities of the shapes make it dynamic, and no particular color was chosen since it could be interpreted in many ways; the universe contains colors far greater than what is visible to the human eye. The feedback that was recieved was to make the typography more celebratory and more festive in nature.
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In the final options presented to the client, Sabina Von Kessel, faculty, also added her option, that was previously not presented internally and hence, is missing in the options section. The client finally settled on the very first option, since it was more appealing for the intended audience, and had a more Indian feel to it.
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Front Facade
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The front facade is still a work in progress. Conceptually it takes from the Branding and Identity of Kalpaneya Yatre; the astrolabe aspect of it. With various visual references kept in mind, I designed the front facade to have 3 main arches; the largest holding the branding so that it is visible from the main road itself; the second, slightly smaller arch, which shows the birth of a star; from ISM and Nebula to a black hole that triggers the condensation and fusion of atoms in space, which in turn causes a star to be born; and the smalles ring, which is a basic who what when where why of the exhibition, holding patterns emerging from the identity.
This Page: Some initial sketches of ideas Opposite Page: Above- Mind mapping for the facade; Below- Rough sketches of to understand the working of the final facade.
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This Page: 3-D google sketch up renderings of the front facade during the day (above) and at night (below).
Opposite Page: Initial Technical Sketches of the front facade.
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Above and opposite: day and night artistic renderings for a low-cost option for the front facade, keeping in mind structural constraints.
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Next Page: The final artistic rendering for the front facade, a combination of both the options presented here.
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The final option for the front facade is a synthesis of the previously given options, differing on grounds of costing. With the basic structure diagrams finally handed to us by Fabircana, we found that building only one structure was feasible. Using simple colored fabric wrapped around the frame diagonally, gave it a 3-D element and the scope to embedd graphics of space in it. The top section sees a use of flex banners across which the name of the exhibition features. One of the most prominent and eye catching features is the translite logo cutout, which lights up at night. The logo icon cut-out is mounted above an acrylic pillar that gives basic information about the exhibition. The front desk kiosk is colorful and attractive, with various hubble images and usages of the logo from withinn
This spread, next spread: Material-based sections of the front facade
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The sound installation was a result of my own interests in sound and music as a medium to abstract material and communicate. I believe sound and visuals invariably go hand-in-hand, and cannot be isolated; especially in the human mind. The solar-sound-installation is a sountrack created out of percieved sounds of solar flares and activities; the idea, is to keep it an ambient piece; known to be the sound of the sun, only as much as ongoing solar activity is known to the layman. In the following sound installation, I chose a video of solar activity from SOHO recorded recently during a time of heavy solar activity. First, I identified 12 solar flares, coronal mass ejections and sunspots (opposite page, above). I rendered the video into individual frames, and reduced the frame rate to 2 frames per second after time-stretching the originally 18 second video to 2 monites or 160 seconds. Each of these twelve areas of solar activity were assigned different freqencies, based on the quadrant diagram (opposite page, below); and accordingly found their place in the soundtrack. In order to finally present this soundtrack, it was used as the background soundscore for the movie that was to be displayed in the cave at the entrance of the history section n
Above: A screenshot of the soundtrack being developed.
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