Alexander Csoma de Koros was a Hungarian traveller/explorer who
Csoma ended up being a cross-cultural pioneer for both countries and forged a long-standing language, cultural and learning exchange between the two nations which still endures today.
To commemorate Csoma’s spirit of cultural support and exchange, Hungarian conceptual tech lab Kitchen Budapest has created a low-tech kinetic image projector called Csoma’s Wheel.
Csoma’s Wheel is a bicycle-based installation that uses traditional Tibetan prayer wheel design as the base structure to create an electronic art/image projector.
The LED flashing prayer-wheel is made from two bicycle wheels, bike and other parts, LEDs and a concrete block. When the wheel is rotated by hand, the spinning generates enough electricity to power a strip of LEDs that shine light through a perforated screen or drum. From these LEDs, a basic animated image is projected onto the concrete block.
The designers have loftily claimed Csoma’s Wheel to be “the first ‘new media treasure’ of the Himalayas”.
This project has been completed and is installed in the Csoma’s Room (also called Csoma’s Santuary), which is charity school supported by Csoma’s Room Foundation in the Zanglar in the Himalaya. This foundation supports locals by supplying funds, skills and volunteers to help revive a local Palace, repair Bhuddist temples, and build schools and homes.
The homes and schools are all completely solar-powered.
This NGO uses sustainable local materials (adobe bricks), revives and utilises traditional construction and handicraft skills, supports local economic and labour/skill (income-generating) opportunities, builds more schools and homes and provides solar power.
In keeping with Alexander’s spirit, there is a strong emphasis on promoting local heritage and using local Zanglar skills, practices and materials to reduce reliance on high tech, resource-dependant, imported materials.
The bicycle prayer-wheel projector was installed to complement the recent completion of major construction to Csoma’s Sanctuary, which is visited by many international visitors each year.
This is certainly one of the more unique and innovative ways to use bicycles!
All images courtesy of Csoma’s Room