The “Unveil” of the Lungta Festival has become a gathering point for a diverse tapestry of society: toddlers, students, youth, vloggers, tourists, artists, and the public. As visitors begin to understand the underlying intention of the festival, deep and insightful conversations naturally emerge.
Many visitors return, standing either in reflective silence or becoming the guide to people they bring. As the visitors stand across the paintings and the installations, we allow them the space and time to just be. A recurring theme in these interactions is a growing murmur regarding the materials used in traditional prayer flags. There is a sense of “environmental guilt”—a realization that the casual buy of synthetic flags and daily commodities has consequences in our daily lives, our highlands and wildlife. By acknowledging the impact of polyester and plastics, we are exploring alternatives in this age of AI, fast fashion, and convenience.
We are seeing the conversation is beyond art, it is about the intentional balance between honoring our heritage, tradition, practice and making conscious choices in this fast-paced production era. These dialogues are happening beyond the festival space as visitors share their thought on their personal blogs, social media posts, vlogs and text messages.
For some, the journey to “unveil” begins and for some a deeper reflection. Art has always been the medium to tell stories, preserve culture and honor tradition. Elders and individuals visiting the exhibition have are sharing stories of the times when the process of printing prayer flags at home was inherently circular.
“Then, we used to borrow prayer blocks from the Lhakhangs and print the prayer flags on cotton. It was a very natural practice, and now we are here buying [synthetic versions].Time to reflect on my own choices”
The “Unveil” is a continues process encouraging us to look within.
