Stained glass artist Prabhakaran Kanichar, who runs perhaps the first of its kind Glass Art Museum, ‘Fantasies on Glass', in the State at the Thankey Junction on the National Highway-47 near Cherthala, is aiming at a project that could quite become the envy of any artist.
Mr. Prabhakaran, who has been designing and creating stained glass art pieces for the last 20 years, mostly in Oman before he returned to Kerala three years back, is trying to convince authorities for a unique Glass Art Museum in the national capital, one which will capture and reflect the pulse of historical events in the country, apart from its achievements in art and literature, science and technology, industry, agriculture, information technology and ways of life in different regions. The museum, which he says would be in the shape of a globe atop a 20-storeyed building will have 17 of its floors highlighting important events from India's history and achievements, while from the 18th floor onwards, the structure would be globe-shaped, displaying glass art works dedicated to science and technology, space research and IT-related areas, ending with a planetarium.
Mr. Prabhakaran, who has acquired a copyright for the project, has written to the Prime Minister as well, stressing that the corporate sector and prominent NRIs should be involved in the costly project. Works on stained glass comprise the Kannur-born artist's repertoire, for which he uses clear, opalescent and often hand-made antique glass, etching, colouring and fabricating them with float, acid textures and contrasting colours, coming out with stunning abstract forms of art. Several of his works adorn multinational companies and Government institutions in Oman, while his Tiffany-style lamps too are quite popular.
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Mr. Prabhakaran, who recently sent a huge glass carving of Oman Sultan Qaboos bin Said to him on the occasion of Oman's 40th National Day celebrations, has also recreated on glass some of the sketches of artist Namboodiri, which the maestro had done for M.T. Vasudevan Nair's ‘Randamoozham'.