I’ve always known that community work is important to me. I think growing up with a dad like mine cultivated that in me. He’s an eye surgeon and his hobby is to host eye camps in the rural areas of Pakistan where people suffer from curable diseases like cataract and spend their whole lives blind. I watched him perform 200 cataract operations a day for nothing and then spend the weekend sleeping on the roofs of clay houses. He enjoyed every moment of it. I saw the looks on those faces when their bandages were unwrapped and they blinked in …
Tag: storytelling
The Untold Edition– Small Update
One of the outcomes I had in mind for my MA project was a public art project that allows weaving together the narrative of a city full of people. I researched a bunch of projects and finally settled on my own idea inspired by little bits of all of them. I call this project ‘The Untold Edition”. The Untold Edition is underway for the month of July. I will be flying to Karachi to conduct it. Prior to that, I will be in Jeddah so a bunch of planning needs to be accomplished before I finally get there. So what …
Inside the peach there was a stone
Inspiration can come from the most random of sources! A few weeks ago I watched Alias Grace, the adaptation of Margaret Atwood’s novel. I was intrigued. I was mesmerized. I was moved. Because isn’t that what society does? The actions of women are taken and discussed and judged till the truth vanishes and all that remains is a woman pretending to be who you want her to be. The man interviewing her was severely flawed himself and yet society gave him the task of discovering whether this woman was flawed or not. Grace Marks became a sort of expert on …
The Other Story Project–collaboration
The Other Story Project is a fascinating community project initiated by Fatima Al Banawi in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Here’s a bit more about Fatima Banawi herself: I find her and her work very inspirational. The focus of my own past community projects in Karachi has been to provide a platform for the stories and voices of women and children. And now, with my MA project I hope to reach a greater understanding of contemporary forms of narrative art, not to mention the interchangeability of mediums such as writing, painting, sculpting, performing etc. The Other Story Project also has another arm …
Visiting the Luminarium
A few days ago I heard that the Luminarium had arrived in Jeddah. Isn’t the name itself so awe-inspiring and mysterious? Reminded me instantly of the book ‘The Night Circus’ by Erin Morgenstern. Anyway, I took out some time on the weekend to go see the Luminarium and the first word I can think of to describe the experience is: mesmerizing. It was mesmerizing, fascinating, calming, stimulating all in one. It was a giant inflatable, handmade organism that glowed gently from within with flickering lights in different hues and colors and a gentle soothing rumble of music resonated within it. …