Celestial Manual
2025
Chandelier and floor lamp, hand-embroidered
Developed at Shakti Design Residency, India, 2024 in collaboration with Tarun Tahiliani
Premiered at Alcova Milano, April 2025
Press release (PDF)
“The residency has brought me so much informational and sensory input. My internal process of trying to sort out and understand everything has inspired me to approach this design as both a personal diary that registers multiple impressions and as a “biographical” display of the fashion atelier’s craft process.”
——Duyi Han
Celestial Manual is a collection of a chandelier and a floor lamp inspired by Duyi Han’s journey in India, where he was immersed in handcraft and the philosophy of creation. Drawing from his visit to Tarun Tahiliani’s garment and embroidery workshops, this collection honors the artisans who meticulously bring garments to life.
The chandelier, shaped like a parasol from an expanded lehenga, symbolizes the cycle of creation—from blank fabric to fully embroidered garment. Each section of its circular design represents a stage in this journey, like a manual of the craft. The circle and the suspended elements evoke multiple impressions of the divine often seen in Indian art, architecture, and philosophy, drawing attention to the connection between craftsmanship and the operation of civilization.
The floor lamp transforms the wooden frames used in embroidery into a vertical column, with translucent fabric as its lampshade. Referencing mudras, the embroidery depicts hands in motion, capturing the choreography of craft that defines the artisans’ hard work.
In a subdued orange hue evoking emotional warmth, these pieces balance the sacred and the humble. Celestial Manual is both a guide and a tribute, illuminating the beauty of craftsmanship in an age where technology increasingly overshadows the handmade.
Exhibition, Alcova Milano, April 2025 (Photo: Taran Wilkhu)
Exhibition, Alcova Milano, April 2025 (Photo: Taran Wilkhu)