An Obsession with Cartography

An Obsession with Cartography

Cartography. Isn’t the word itself lovely? I have to admit, I am overall a bit obsessed with the English language. It’s my favourite language in the world. And its literature and language components were always my favourite subjects in school. So back to cartography: why is this what fascinates me now? I think it is a fascination that has always been there, but only recently surfaced. I can date it back to a childhood loving books like The Phantom Tollbooth, and an adolescence hoarding hardcopies of fantasy books that included a map to their world. And the view from a …

The Trickiness of Travelling

The Trickiness of Travelling

One of the biggest obstacles I faced as an online student was figuring out when and how I would be coming for the final show. This was a problem even more difficult to solve than the one of figuring out what to display. I knew online students were setting up from July 1st-3rd, but coming then meant I’d leave before the final show opening, which would be terribly sad. Because I am the primary care giver for my kids, I couldn’t even leave for a whole 2 weeks unless I brought them with me, but then how would I focus …

Projection practice

One part of my final show installation will be projecting a video montage of my Karachi events on fabric. Why fabric? Because the idea is to convey impressions and an overall feeling of community, people met, and places engaged. It is not to create a documentary on the work. Fabric, flowing and ethereal also creates a dream-like quality and allows people to interfere with the installation as they approach. Most importantly, I saw a projection on fabric at the Amygdala exhibit and it was extremely immersive and eye-catching. It left me wondering what was being shown, and at the same …

Group tutorial write-up

This MA has been a journey towards understanding not only my Art, but my Self. I began with the vague idea of seeking novel forms of narrative art. Illustration, digital and otherwise, was only one aspect of it. Writing, realistic and fantasy fiction, was only one part of it. What were the narratives to be found in objects, people, places? The narratives rooted in my own history, culture, and sense of belonging? Through exploring Jeddah, Karachi, and a variety of public art and community projects organised by myself or others, I began to discover the narratives that were lived with …

The Resin Trials

The Resin Trials

Sometimes in the process of making, learning happens in leaps and bounds. That’s kind of what I’m experiencing right now since I’m making SO MANY of the resin squares. Let’s start at the very beginning, which is filled with learning experiences (read: disasters). Act 1 I took my beautiful wooden study table (the only place I had to work in the house) and laid out layers of plastic sheeting. I created my silicone tubing boundaries on the plastic and began pouring resin. Enter Mistake 1: Though the windows were open working indoors meant the pungent smell got overpowering since I …