Hari and Deepti's Magical Paper Cut Light Boxes

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Deepti Nair and Harikrishnan Panicker (otherwise known as Hari & Deepti) are a Denver couple who craft exquisitely detailed dioramas out of paper.

The dioramas are made using layers of hand-cut watercolor paper which are placed in shadow boxes and illuminated by LED light strips.

At first glance, the dioramas appear like any other paper cut work.

When the lights go out, however, the dioramas suddenly take on a magical quality; The LED strips make the backgrounds glow and cast rich shadows, revealing tiny worlds within the boxes--sometimes small enough to fit in the palm of your hand.

Whether depicting intricate caverns, moonlit cityscapes, or underwater coves, Hari & Deepti's works are full of texture and depth.

Their combined love for paper cut art was inspired by Balinese shadow puppets and an intrinsic need to tell stories. What they like most about working with paper is its incredible versatility:

"It is playful, light, colorless and colorful. It is minimal and intricate. It reflects light, creates depth and illusions in a way that it takes the artist through a journey with limitless possibilities."

Their work was recently on view at Black Book Gallery in Denver, which you can learn more about here: http://www.theblackbookgallery.com/artists/hari-deepti/

You can watch Hari & Deepti's artistic process at work here: https://vimeo.com/66543233
Deepti's website: http://cargocollective.com/iratherdraw
Hari's website: http://www.thumbdemon.co/