Latest news with #AngelofVictory
Time of India
4 days ago
- General
- Time of India
Beamed into focus: Lit-up angel atop Victoria dome to be part of Kolkata's night skyline
1 2 3 Kolkata: The rotating fairy atop Victoria Memorial Hall dome will soon be visible 24×7. Between 11 pm and dawn every night, it will shine like a jewel, bringing attention to a less conspicuous detail in one of the city's most celebrated landmarks. While Victoria Memorial Hall is lit up at dusk, the lights are switched off at 11 pm, plunging the marble edifice with the angel perched on the dome into darkness. Though the lights will still go off at 11 pm, 10 light beams will continue to be trained on the Angel of Victory with its wings unfurled, holding a wreath in the left hand and a trumpet in the right. "We will do the final light tests on Monday. If everything is good, the fairy will glow through the night, every night," said VMH secretary and curator-in-charge Anurag Kumar. When heritage lovers' group Kolkata Restorers sought Kumar's permission to try and illuminate the angel, he gave the go-ahead but with multiple conditions, VMH being a protected heritage site. Lighting design and illumination expert Suyash Narsaria was told no equipment could be fixed on the facade and that the dome and the angel were off-limits. "That meant no direct access and no standard lighting solutions. But the limitation was also an opportunity to innovate. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Cyprus investments might be cheaper than you think Cyprus Investments | Search Ads Get Info Undo We decided to experiment with narrow-beam focus lights — specifically, 8-degree beam angle fixtures. We did this first from the garden, nearly 350 ft from the fairy. Encouraged by the result, we moved to the terrace for focused and sharper beams," Narsaria said. You Can Also Check: Kolkata AQI | Weather in Kolkata | Bank Holidays in Kolkata | Public Holidays in Kolkata To ensure that the rotating angel is illuminated from all sides, 10 LED focus lights of 18W. Each has been used with eight-degree beam angles, strategically arranged in a 360° layout so that the angel remains evenly lit regardless of its orientation. "The result has been magical. It almost felt like the fixture was designed specifically to highlight the angel — subtle, elegant, and powerful," the illumination expert added. The 4.9-m tall, 3.5-tonne bronze angel, named Victoria after the Roman goddess of victory, is a windvane that rotates in wind in excess of 18 kmph. Created by British sculptor Lindsay Clarke, the angel was shipped from Cheltenham, England, to India in 1920 and installed the following year on the dome, nine years after the memorial was inaugurated.
Time of India
16-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
No light-&-sound show at Victoria after tech glitch
Kolkata: The popular Son-et-Lumiere show at Victoria Memorial was suspended on Thursday due to technical issues with its sophisticated projection system . According to Victoria Memorial Hall director Anurag Kumar, a fault initially affected three of the 10 projectors during Wednesday's performance. Whilst two were fixed, the third requires an imported part from Hong Kong. "The component has to be sourced from abroad. That could take around four-five days," he stated. The 3D visual experience on the building's eastern facade requires several projectors working in unison through projection mapping technology. The present show, 'Kolkata — The City of Joy', introduced two years ago, presents Kolkata's heritage through a dialogue between a personified Kolkata and an animated Angel of Victory statue from the memorial's central dome. It covers various aspects including the Independence movement, notable personalities, artistic luminaries, social reform contributions and cultural narratives. Weekly attendance peaks at 4,000 during winter but has reduced to approximately 600 in recent weeks during the summer lull. The programme is suspended during rainfall. VMH generates annual revenue of Rs 30 lakh from the Son-et-Lumiere. The programme operates in three languages: Bengali (Tuesday, Friday and Sunday), Hindi (Thursday and Saturday), and English (Wednesday). The outdoor venue with open-air seating necessitates cancellation during wet weather.
