Hasta La Motion!

Commissioned by Rajkiya Nirman Nigam, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, a remarkable view into the life of Siddhartha Gautam Buddha in a 360 degree space is being designed by Charuvi Design Labs (CDL). Through beautiful and permanent films for the upcoming museums at Sravasti (Uttar Pradesh) and Kapilavastu (on the India Nepal Border), the team plans to immerse the audience from all perspectives in this one of a kind experience.

CDL is currently conceptualising two 30-minute animated films to be exhibited and projected as part of the museums currently being constructed at Sravasti. This is the site where Buddha spent twenty-four rainy seasons at the Jetavan monastery, built by his disciple Sudatta Anathapindika and Kapilavastu which is deeply endowed with Buddha’s origins. It is believed that Buddha spent his first early years here before embarking on the long journey to enlightenment.

The films attempt to encapsulate the brief duration of Buddha’s exemplary life spent in both the places. The intent is to visually depict some of the important milestones in his life whilst parallelly showing the historical aspects of both the sites and the holistic connection to the life story of Buddha himself. Tremendous research was done supplemented with incredible documentation before proceeding to conceptualise the visuals.

The 360 projection space is a permanent installation at the museum and the content intends to soak the audience in spiritual journey aiding with historical facts. “We have primarily used a mix of pure 3D, motion graphics and an amalgamation with real photography, live shoots and drone shots. Considering it’s a 360 projection, we had to formulate the camera movement as per the surface area so that it feels seamless when viewed from any angel,” mentioned Charuvi Design Labs founder and director Charuvi Agarwal. During 3D production, the team used Unreal Engine and Maya for animating majority of the shots.

For both the films, music and audio constitute half the viewing experience. The sūtra-dhāra of the films takes one through the entire journey of Buddha, where one can experience a captivating monologue of Angulimaal. “We want the audience to step into a poetic rendition of the whole experience and all this and much more can be experienced under the soothing and sometimes dramatic musical score,” added Agarwal.

CDL was in the news years back for the 25 feet sculpture of Hanuman, made of 26,000 bells, installed in New Delhi. This grand piece of art was made to promote CDL’s animated film Shri Hanuman Chalisa. 

Agrawal presented A Tour De Force for The Jayprakash Narayan Museum in Lucknow, where a praxinoscope titled Thali Bajao, attempts to recreate the flash in history. The installation makes one understand the physics and dynamics of constructing a large structure and also takes one on an emotional ride, recreating the historical impact of the protest and feel the deep rooted emotions attached to the movement.

CDL, with its unique concepts and breathtaking artwork is taking animation industry to another level. And, we just can’t wait to get enthralled by experiencing the life of Siddhartha Gautam Buddha in a 360 degree space!

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