Heritage Area with World’s tallest Mask
Nepal and NAV will be the location to visit and see the world’s tallest sheet metal repoussé mask of Hayagriva Bhairab. This was the idea of Late Raj Kumar Shakya whose artwork is spread all over the world including the tallest statue of Guru Rinpoche in Bhutan. His family has now completed the mask and is ready for installation. This piece of art will attract tens of thousands each year.
Promoting and Conserving Repousse Art
The ancient art of repousse was in danger of disappearing when late Raj Kumar Shakya made it a mission to help conserve and promote the art and the skills associated with it. Today the world’s tallest repousse mask is a testament to his legacy and will hopefully serve as a place for gathering inspiration for other artists to do the same. The mask will draw large crowds from across Nepal and also globally.
Efforts are underway to enlist the Bhairab mask that will stand seventy-two feet tall in the various world records. We shall publicize the mask, the culture around Bhairab and all the festive events around it. We shall share these events and stories with the world. We shall be selling replicas and souvenir items to generate funds for upkeep and maintenance work.
The mask will help place Nepal at the center of attraction and inspire a whole generation of young artists.
1.1 Canteen and restaurants
We expect that thousands of local and global visitors will come to NAV to see the artwork, place orders and spend time with artisan families. They will have a chance to get good food and a world class dining experience at NAV. We have planned for one canteen and four restaurants around the world’s tallest repoussé metal Bhairab mask. They offer a good investment opportunity.
1.2 Year Around Cultural Calendar
The entire heritage area has been designed to enable year round music and cultural performance. We shall also be hosting international, regional and Nepali cultural programs at the venue. This calender will be contracted out to a world class event management company.
The revenue will help sustain NAV and also support all forms of cultural heritage here and globally.
1.3 Museum and Gallery
Nepali artists have their arts and masterpieces on display all over the world. They may have a few photos but not the piece they sold. One mission that NAV has is to help artists to keep their masterpieces in Nepal and sell limited copies. The museum and gallery at NAV will help document and tell the story of our artists and their art to future generations. The building behind the world’s tallest mask will be dedicated to this purpose. This activity will help generate revenue and help artists and NAV.
The NAV gallery and museum will also host regular events and programs to promote Nepali and international artists and their art. We shall also host exhibitions related to art from all over the globe.
The area around the world’s tallest mask will also be the venue for art workshops and will bring young people and masters together. With canteens, restaurants and homestays, artist from all over the world can spend quality time here.
Over three hundred artists, their families and friends have invested in the Nepal Art Village. The central idea of the residential area is to help build a supportive community for art and craft. The houses we build will be modern in terms of amenities, will be very planet friendly and efficient. They will also have extra rooms for visitors and will be the perfect place to preserve all that is close to our heart.
NAV will ensure that building designs will reflect the whole of Nepal and will once again have a full cultural calender to represent the people and their traditions all year round. The idea is also to plant fruit and flowering trees that are an integral part of the cultural life of the peole and make them available at the nursery at the NAV Garden Center. Artists will have their shops and the area will also host a few commercial and service buildings.
There will be a voluntary agreement with each resident on what they can and cannot do with their property. Water, energy, sunlight, plants will all be managed with a simple code of conduct. An internal design approval system will in place in partnership with the local municipality.
The commercial plots will be designed to provide services to the residents and also to sell products from NAV to the visitors. Basic health and medicine, elderly care and repair and maintainance services will be included.
Of the three major zones at NAV will be a modern “industrial area” where we shall be producing all types of art and craft – small and big, for domestic use and export and from precious to daily use. The idea is that many artists do not have the space and the needed tools, energy source and access to skilled human resources to produce their art, craft and masterpieces.
NAV is the place where designers, artists, craftsmen and women will all come and produce. The area will have a visitor center where school and college students can come, learn and do hands on work. Tourists can come and spend the day trying their skills. The university students will be able to conduct research and carry out experiments here. We shall find new and better alternatives to traditional processes and materials. We will graduate the traditional workplace into a modern and state of the art studio.
The production areas will have a visitor’s center for this purpose. We shall dedicate space for animation and film studios. We will dedicate resources for AI and IT so that Nepali art can go into the future. This will hopefully draw young minds to NAV. While there will be workplace dedicated to all traditional techniques, methods, materials and processes, we shall be futuristic in our approach.
The various workshops will also be managed in different modalities. Some will be privately owned and managed while others will be cooperative. Others will be directly managed by NAV and artists. This will be a shared space where everyone can help each other and also attain an economy of scale. Credit lines, access to precious metals and stones on credit will help all to do what they are best at doing. Research, documentation, publications and marketing will be done by a common NAV platform.
At NAV we shall not only produce art and craft but also plants and seeds needed to maintain the yearly cultural calendar. Visitors will be able learn about these plants, and buy them for their own garden as well. NAV will contribute these plants, flowers and fruits to cultural events in the valley and beyond. This area will also have a separate canteen and facilities for cycle riders, hikers and outdoor sports. Showers, lockers and changing rooms will be available.
