‘An immersive Vesak experience’ at Mahalwarawa Bakeriya Space

The pictures show some of the items that are work-in-progress; which when completed will be displayed at Mind 3.0 at Bakeriya Space, Mahalwarawa. The exhibits will be open to the public from May 12 onwards for a period of six days

The third edition of Manas Divisariya (Journey of the Mind) will open to the public during the Vesak week at the Mahalwarawa Bakeriya Space. The concept goes beyond the traditional idea of a Vesak lantern and aims to shed light on a broader theme that reflects on Gautama Buddha’s teachings and a message for people to take home. This special lantern takes the form of assemblage art with a touch of engineering, technology, lighting and designing. But at Bakeriya Space this Vesak lantern has been transformed into a kind of performance art, merged with videos, music and other visualizations to create a holistic experience to the audience. 

Last year’s lantern was developed using plastics to reflect on the importance of recycling plastics. This time, the main raw material is flowers that are being thrown away at temples. “It (A flower) is something that goes to waste. So we went from temple to temple to collect flowers which were pressed and developed as a decoration for the lantern,” said Viraj Liyanarachchi, proprietor of the Bakeriya Space. 

Having collected flowers from all sizes and shapes over a period of four months, the lantern has been developed with much dedication and attention to detail. 

The central theme of this Vesak lantern is based on the fundamentals of Buddhism; birth, life, death and attaining Nirvana. “We were inspired by the concept of pollination and we attempted to develop it into an art form. It’s mostly done by honeybees and even schoolchildren are being taught about the importance of pollination. If pollination stops, there’ll be a huge imbalance in nature,” he explained. 

The Vesak lantern is in fact a giant beehive with little beehives hanging on all ends. The concept has been developed to reflect on the message of Eight Worldly Conditions preached in Buddhism and why people shouldn’t worry over them; that people should ideally take the Middle Path. 

When asked about the concepts developed during previous occasions and the feedback received from visitors, Liyanarachchi said that the concept at Bakeriya Space takes a different approach.

“We showcase it with performance art and the experience is different to viewing a pandal or series of Vesak lanterns while travelling in a vehicle. Therefore we take people in groups and they have to sit through the performances over a designated time period. This time visitors will be presented with a 15-minute presentation and around 200 people will be taken it at one time. Therefore they will have to sit through the performance whether they like it or not,” he added. 

The organisers plan to have around 20 show times during a day and expects a crowd of around 3000-4000 people. 

If you want to experience a one-of-a-kind Vesak lantern in the form of a performance art, visit Journey of the Mind 3.0 at Bakeriya Space, Mahalwarawa open to the public from May 12, 2025 from 6.30pm onwards for a period of six days.