Category: Reflective Journal

Reflectively written blogposts that allow me to ponder on my research and experiences to conceptualize ideas for future direction

The Untold Edition — Tree Planting Drive with Akhuwat Foundation

I had been researching a lot of public art projects and they inspired me to recreate the idea that public art can break walls. Literally. So the first thing I did when I landed in Karachi was go and buy bricks. Yup. 500 red bricks which we then painted a pale terracotta and stenciled with ‘The Untold Edition” name. The idea was to build a wall out of them along with 500 plants and to invite people to pick up a brick, take home a plant and plant it with the brick placed next to it. Symbolically, and literally, public …

The Untold Edition — On Uncertainty

The Untold Edition — On Uncertainty

There have been many (too many?) blogposts on this subject. The reason, I think, is the high degree of uncertainty regarding this particular step. You could say this project was like scaling a wall. And at every point of fatigue, I basically felt like I should just let go. So it was a struggle to not quit and keep moving upwards. In the most recent Skype session, I very proudly announced that I feel freer in my artistic practice of late. Scaling The Untold Edition wall has a lot to do with leaving behind the fear of creating terrible, or …

Finalizing the research paper — step 1

Finalizing the research paper — step 1

Post truth and public art were the two keywords my research began on. I even identified a research question in the previous blog post. I just finished reading Lee McIntyre’s book and it cemented the fact that the post-truth era is intriguing and very pertinent, and definitely something I want to include into my research.           So here’s the title and abstract I have so far, bear in mind that this abstract is the pre-completion abstract and will probably become more succinct once my paper is complete: Public Art in the Post-Truth Era A commentary on …

Thinking things through…

Thinking things through…

In order to execute a public art project that involves interaction with an audience, you first need to reach that audience. While organizing The Untold Edition I realized how much I had to rely on social media to connect to people. I realized the power social media wielded over my target audience and how much it swayed their likes and dislikes. I also realized the power social media could afford to me, if I learned to wield it. That began my fascination with this digital post-truth era anew. I hopped onto the social media bandwagon about four years ago, and …

Ongoing brainstorming, research paper

Ongoing brainstorming, research paper

This blogpost is simply a collection of random thoughts. Hopping from one strand of thought to another logically is the best way, I find, to think. But often what happens is that when we finally arrive at our destination we lose the path that led us there. So, in order to avoid losing that train of thought I am creating this ongoing brainstorming post where I will keep updating findings. It has also led me to (finally!) formulate a loose research question. Onto the writing! Tentative research question (by tentative I mean it can be restructured but it won’t be …