Moving artworks are this Metro station’s X factor
The bright artworks at the Bhikaji Cama Place Metro Station may have caught your fancy, as they appear to move when you move. And this is by design; the exterior facade is done through a unique concept in animation, called expanded animation. And though it is not new in India, it’s novel on a public building.
The project was undertaken by Delhi-based animation designer Shaaz Ahmed. Explaining the concept, Ahmed says, “The innovation here is that the simulation of motion is achieved by the movement of the onlooker rather than the image itself; the image remains static. The forms in the artwork are designed in a way that they gradually transform from one form to another — in a linear coherent manner — from water waves, boat, fish to birds, book, leaves and so on. The transition tells a complete tale, the story of a greener India.”
“The artwork gives a very colourful and joyful experience to the viewer. We have done similar works in the paediatric wards of Lok Nayak Hospital, Maulana Azad Dental Hospital (Maulana Azad Institute of Dental Sciences), and some cafés in Delhi and Mumbai. For a public space, this is the first one,” he adds.
Mahima Gera, a passerby says, “It’s really cool. I had my eyes glued to the artwork the entire time. As my car moved, the artworks moved along, expressing a story. I have seen a similar thing in London, and now in Delhi. It’s awesome.”
Ahmed has been doing animation for the last 20 years, and he decided to take up the project as an experiment, around four years back. “We completed the project in one month and got an amazing response. The passersby were excited to see a moving story. Expanded animation is where you take the animation from a screen to a space, and to experience this one doesn’t need to visit a museum, they can witness it here,” he says.