Starting today, visitors to the iconic Nehru Planetarium will now be able to witness the Moon in all its glory. Conceptualised by Sideways and Asian Paints, the Lunar Dome has been brought to life by artists from St+art, and will be up for viewing for the next few months. This will be one of the biggest moon installations to be created in India. A viewing gallery has also been set up at the Nehru Center for an unhindered and unforgettable viewing experience, the entry to which will be free. It will be open from 11 am to 9:30 pm, on all days of the week. The Lunar Dome is also a commemoration to the Chandrayaan missions and a hat-tip to the scientists at ISRO.
Nehru Planetarium houses some awe-inspiring space installations and has been hosting astronomical events to spark people’s interest in science and space for decades, making it the perfect site for the moon landing. The artists have attempted to capture the Moon in all its might, giving us a glimpse of its Southern Hemisphere as well.
The artists Gulammahmad Bukhari who also goes by the name Sharad has attempted to capture the Moon in all its might. He started painting in 1978 with experience in canvas oil painting, wall painting, sketching, abstract painting, panoramic painting and more. A universe of techniques and styles is at Sharad’s hands and vision which translates into a variety of projects throughout his long career. Over 40 years as an artist, he has worked on 500 walls all over India and made about a thousand canvases.
Mr. Arvind Paranjype, Director, Nehru Planetarium, Mumbai said,“I am quite delighted to see the art work that has come up in collaboration of Sideways &St+art and supported by Asian Paints Ltd. Just like undying spirit of ISRO, team of these young professionals worked diligently to bring to reality their dream ‘a tribute to ISRO’ in a unique manner.”
HanifKureshi, Artist and Creative Director of St+art India Foundation said, “Painter Sharad is one of the very finest spray painters from Rajkot. We invited him to work on this structure as he specializes in creating planets and galaxies. The biggest challenge of the project was to paint a moon on such a space and scale. We had to install over 2500 bamboos to make the scaffolding to reach the top. The rain also played a huge part in this challenge”
Mr. Amit Syngle, COO, Asian Paints Ltd. said, “We are thrilled to partner with Sideways &St+art once again on this special project at Nehru Planetarium, Mumbai. It is our tribute to the brilliant scientists and researchers at ISRO on the historic Chandrayaan 2 mission. It was a significant milestone in India’s space journey and we are very proud of them. With the creation of this Lunar Dome, we hope to give visitors a small experience of the Moon in all its glory. We at Asian Paints wish ISRO many successful missions in the future, to the moon and beyond.”
Mr. Abhijit Avasthi, Founder, Sideways said, “ISRO, with its ingenious approach, has always taken on complex and challenging missions, even with limited resources. They have been a huge inspiration to all of us. So much so that at Sideways, we have dedicated a room in our office to them. The Lunar Dome is a small gesture from our side, to thank them for the pride they bring to each and every Indian. It was rather fulfilling to collaborate with Asian Paints and St+art India who shared the same enthusiasm for the initiative.”
About St+art India Foundation
St+art India Foundation is an organization formed on the principle of ‘Art for All’ and works on art projects in public spaces. The aim of the foundation is to make art accessible to a wider audience by taking it out of the conventional gallery space and embedding it within thecities we live in – making art truly democratic and for everyone.
In the past six years, the foundation, which has been supported by Asian Paints since its inception, has organized 14 St+art festivals and numerous public art projects in Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Goa, Coimbatore, Kolkata and Chandigarh.
Asian Paints is India’s leading paint company and ranked among the top ten Decorative coatings companies in the world with a consolidated turnover of Rs. 19,349.84 crores (Rs. 193.50 billion). Asian Paints along with its subsidiaries have operations in 15 countries across the world with 26 paint manufacturing facilities, servicing consumers in over 65 countries through Asian Paints Berger, SCIB Paints – Egypt, Apco Coatings, Taubmans, Kadisco and Causeway. Asian Paints is also present in the Home Improvement and Décor space in India through Sleek (Kitchens) and EssEss (Bath Fittings).
About Sideways Consulting
Founded by the former National Creative Director of Ogilvy India, Abhijit Avasthi, Sideways is a one of its kind creative problem solving outfit.It is a team of behavioural architects, techies, product designers, brand strategists, digital media specialists, writers and many others, that come together to put together right-brain solutions across domains.From helping build digital payment solutions for global fintech giants, to designing toys for children, to reimagining retail experiences, solving complex business issues for established heritage brands and of course, building brands for the future, Sideways has partnered over 50 companies since 2015 – from established corporates to start-ups in different stages of their journey.
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