Thursday, September 06, 2012

Hands Create Mood n Mystery~


      NEWS AND NOTES
Welcome to the beautiful world of ombromanie… !
Shadowgraphy or Ombromanie is the art of performing a story, using images created by  hands onto a blank screen. Movement of hands and fingers help to give the shadows a character and bring them to life. It is hard to say when the art was first used by humans for entertainment. According to Wiki, it became popular in Europe in the 19th Century..
I am sharing the videos to show how amazing shadow-work can hold audience of all age groups completely mesmerized. The  unique shadowgraph can tell you a million stories with complete audio visual effect, hence is also called "cinema in silhouette”
The best time to shoot such silhouettes  are in evening's twilight, at dusk, at nightfall, … to put it accurately, between sundown and day's end, when the centre of the sun reaches 6° below horizon. "L'heure bleue" as the French call it----a moment that is both romantic and ghostly. Some prefer to film it a little later at night - when only the final shadows raise the chimera of light....I read some wonderful articles on 'ombromanie' recently.
‘Let Calcutta Surprise You! ' showcases the historic city of Kolkata….The following videos will take you through the City of Joy! They cover mostly the historical places, architectural landmarks, icons and places of social importance of Kolkata. By no means, the descriptions are exhaustive. …So, go through the videos and enjoy the mind blowing creativity...
Note--Don’t miss the old Howrah Bridge, Victoria Memorial, Maidan with its vendors selling spicy jhaal-moori, people gobbling puchkhaas (gol-gappas); banks of Hoogly river; Tagore, Mother Teresa, Sourav Ganguly; Mexican Waves at Eden Garden; Calcutta Trams and many more things....


The first video was created by a team at Navsoft - kudos to Priyanka Rungta, Arko Sen, Kritika Malhotra, Raghav gupta, Anu Jalan and Arkadeb Bhattacharyya.


"Let Calcutta Surprise You"

Disclaimer: Videos courtesy YouTube...

"The Kolkata Literary Meet Anthem - 'Ei Patay Oi Patay'"


Facts and images from the net***

47 comments:

  1. You know Panchali di ... I have always found this art very intriguing... As a little kid I used to try this but never got beyond a walking man ! :(

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Rajrupa...yes, even we, as kids used to make these figures. My uncle was excellent in making these images..I still remember :) Thanks for coming by...

      Delete
  2. this is so interesting...I still remember when there were powercuts I and my brother used to have a lot of fun making such shadow pics as kids.....:-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes Sreeja...According to the experts, a candle-light gives the accurate light to create these images! It's fun n interesting.....true :)) Thanks a lot :)

      Delete
  3. For now I can get somewhere close to a dog that sometimes looks like a dinosaur! :) Interesting share and lo you have added one more word to my vocabulary here "Ombromanie" :D

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Jaish,
      Well, that's quite an achievement...!! It's not easy to get accurate images. Keep trying, you'll master the art soon :)
      "Ombromanie" is a new word for me too...:D
      Thanks so much for coming by and sharing your thoughts....

      Delete
  4. Thanks for the great post..Nice to know about an interesting art form..:-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Nagini, I knew, you'd enjoy the post. Creativity involves more than just great ideas, it needs creative hands...and you have that!:)thanks for the words of appreciation... :)))))

      Delete
  5. Wow...What ab art.So well explained and depicted thru images

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hey Shipi...First of all let me tell you, that there's some problem with your comment settings. I tried to post comments twice on your blogs, but some mozilla e-mail verification is creating a bit of a problem. Can you disable that please!I so wanted to write a comment on your 'soakNoMore' entry...please do something about it. Enjoyed reading your entry very much :)
      Thanks for being here..am glad you enjoyed :)

      Delete
  6. ..an amazing art indeed! Thank you Panchali for this intriguing and interesting post:)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Amit...I am glad you enjoyed!! It is indeed amazing...bless the bunch of youngsters who created the video :)Thanks Amit.

      Delete
  7. Amazing. Wikipedia rightly callos this "cinema in a silhouette".

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. SG...The artists need faith, hard work and a laser sharp focus for the end result...and what we see here is absolutely amazing :)
      Oh, yes...it is universally called 'cinema in silhouette'. Good that you also did some research. Do check out, you'll find many articles on this subject!
      Thanks for your constant support, SG. Do visit again.
      Thanks!

      Delete
  8. i remember as kids it was fun when the power used to go ... me and my sis would try to make all kinds of shapes ...though until today i was not aware its called as Shadowgraphy or Ombromanie. thanks for the wonderful post.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. TTT, I’m sure we can all relate to moments when we felt stuck trying to tap into our own creativity....but, it is interesting to know, that there are a few people who have taken this as a performing art..:) Glad you enjoyed...
      Thanks for stopping by..

      Delete
  9. wow mam ,what an amazingly awesome post .....loved it....but as most of the people say i too never knew that it is also a form of art called as ombromanie .... indeed a great info gained ..... :) :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, Vinisha...even I wasn't aware of this, until I read some articles on ombromanie..it is honestly interesting. I am thrilled so many readers enjoyed reading the post:)) It is encouraging...!!
      Thanks!!

      Delete
  10. Fascinating!
    Thank you for sharing!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank a lot, Deepak..:)Glad you enjoyed!

      Delete
  11. Very nice. I knew about this art, but didn't know the name.
    Thanks for sharing

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I am not surprised,Ranjana.Being a creative person, so you must have also tried making these shadows as a kid...But, I am sooo pleased you got the name today!!So, my writing about it helped...it is flattering to say the least. Thank you.... :)

      Delete
  12. Panchalidi, viewing the video literally gave me goosebumps..the howrah bridge, the boat sailing on the hoogly, the Durga idol and the dhakis, the puchkawala, the trum, Rabi Thakur, Dada, and the most outstanding was the Victoria Memorial..Such a splendid work..thanks Panchalididi for sharing it..I would love to watch a live show if they happen to do such shows..

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ranita...You said it! Even I am waiting to see a live show. Must google and find out..:)) Glad you enjoyed the videos.Thank you for the visit and the understanding comment....:)

      Delete
  13. WOW.. unbelievable I seriously live in a weird world I tell you, beautiful video .. enjoyed the figures depicted and all

    Bikram's

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Bikram...Indeed, it's unbelievable! But, why did you say, you stay 'in a weird world'..? I hope you are happy that I helped you learn something new !!1..:D
      Thanks for coming by....

      Delete
  14. Truly amazing. The advertisement of MP Tourism features this.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Rajesh...But, why should MP Tourism show City of Joy..? Must check out asap...
      Thanks for being here :)

      Delete
  15. When we were kids, we used to try shadow games :) Nice memories come back ...
    btw the font was very difficult to read :(

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Purnendu,

      Firstly sorry about the fonts...:(
      Normally, I avoid using these spl fonts, but since this was a small blog, so I used it this time. I shall be careful..
      Yes, as kids apparently we all have played with shadows...shadow works look stranger than photo-shopped imagery and some of the most unbelievable, jaw-dropping images!Isn't it?
      Glad this triggered old memories..Thanks for dropping by...

      Delete
  16. Calcutta surprised me..Awesome awesome video and believe me it is the best among all i have ever seen on You tube. Eden garden, sourav ganguly and then the bengal tiger, one after the other, left my eyes blink-void. Thanks for sharing information and video on this art. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ashish, Your exciting comment made me smile... Am thrilled to know that yu enjoyed :)) Thank you....tons !!:))

      Delete
  17. I'm so glad that you forgot about me.
    Amazing video!
    Thank you for sharing your information.
    They are beautiful.
    Lucia

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh dear Lucja-Maria...You surely came back with a bang...!Cant help about it...! Uh huh...with age my memory is fading!!.. :))))
      Its been long since I saw you on my space as well.---so, it's kind of mutual, u see, Lucja.But, your forgetfulness didn't make me happy/ glad---:(
      I am more pleased than I can tell you that this post resonated with you...thank you:)

      Delete
  18. Haven't we seen this form in that Incredible India campaign for MP? I loved this form, and Kolkata is a city I'd love to visit some day. The font you have chosen for the post is a little distracting to me, but the subject was interesting :).

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Rachna,

      Somehow, I'd missed that Incredible India campaign. But,saw it after Rajesh mentioned about the feature in his comment. It is indeed...Incredible....:)
      Purnendu also mentioned about the font bit..I shall NEVER use it again :)))
      Thanks for being here with your appreciation :)

      Delete
  19. Dear Panchalidi,

    This is a different post from you. And yes, shadowgraphy is an art in itself.
    I had seen the Kolkata video and had loved it. Out of this world, like us :))

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks a lot, Ghaz...:)) You must have seen it like others. I read a few articles on shadowgraphy, hence thought of sharing :)hahaha.."like us..."--you said it, my dear :)

      Delete
  20. amazing post :) ... loved coming to your blog ...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Welcome to my space, Celestial Dreamz...:))
      Good to see you here. Hope to see you more on these pages !!Thank you.

      Delete
  21. marvellous ...could nt resist myself watching the videos

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Great!! That was the sole purpose of the blog!! Thanks much, Gunjan :)

      Delete
  22. I have seen it in some movies, it is simply awesome. In fact I am also awed when someone paints their hands in shape of animals and birds. Thanks for sharing the videos.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Saru !! I found the videos in the web and thought of sharing with you all here..;))It's incredible, isn't it?
      Thanks for the encouragement, my dear. Your comments inspire me so much. Thanks for being what you are...hugz

      Delete
  23. Whoaw, Panchali di .. the videos were mind blowing!! Thanks for the article!! :)

    Do stop by my blog!! I'd love your visits & comments! - Kappu

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Kappu...Thank you so much for your comment. It is so sweet of you.
      I would love to read each and every blog of yours. It's just that I get delayed once in a while, my dear. Just read your marvelous blog on homemakers..kudos girl!!
      Much love and hugs...
      I know you will always be there for me too:))Thanks!!

      Delete
  24. This is truly amazing-what all; one can do with hands!
    Thanks for sharing-i am sending the link to my grand kid.

    ReplyDelete

Please leave a line if you have the time...Thanks!