Challenging Craft-Design Dualisms: Handloom Weaving in Kachchh, India

This article will draw on recent PhD research on design education for handloom weavers. It will draw primarily on findings from one of two focus case studies: Somaiya Kala Vidya (SKV) in Kachchh, western India, which provides a year-long curriculum…

The Pakistan Pavilion – Architecture and Space as Locus of Dream, Desire and Longing

On October 1st 2021 the much awaited Expo 2020, hosted by Dubai opened its doors to visitors with great fanfare and a spectacular opening ceremony. The aim of the Expo was to promote “an exhibition of culture, technology and architecture…

The Disappearing Mohalla

Reminiscing about my early years, I came to the conclusion that the Urdu word “mohalla” does not translate into English very well. It certainly does not mean “neighborhood”, and “locality” is too restrictive. “Community” would be closer to the truth,…

Tracing Contemporary Photography in Pakistan through the Lens of Arif Mahmood and Nade Ali

Pakistan has seen a growth in the ever-evolving state of photography, especially after the ‘Digital Boom’ that exploded in the country, in the beginning of the twenty-first century. Along with this expanse came a great influx in the variety of…

Karachi-the Concrete and the Humane

This comprehensive two-part essay has been authored by Dr Suneela Ahmed and Laraib Asdaf respectively. While Ahmed’s writing engages with the swift transformations of the city’s public architecture, with a design language evolving from global influences and local aspirations along…

People and the Farmlands

The monochromatic series of images illustrate the countryside and the ambiance that it offers. There is a certain calmness and stillness in everything that happens at these farmlands— the trees, the people, the stretched plains, all offer a unique quality…

The ‘Other’ Culture: The Asian Pavilion at The Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam

An Asian Art department was created at the Rijksmuseum37 in 1952, when the Royal Asian Art Society donated their collection to the Museum.41 Today, a number of objects from the Asian Art department are still on display in the main…

Cultures of Consumption – Contemporary Perspectives of Art and Consumerism

In lieu of the growing and expansive culture of product (and profit)-making, it can be argued that the postmodern experience of consumerism for the average individual is increasingly becoming a manufactured necessity. Consumers are inevitably confronted with mass-produced goods that…

The Other Horses

Ongoing book project by Nad E Ali and Essay/ Text by Hassan Chima It is said in relation to the horse of Hussain that when men became beasts, this beast showed humanity. I do not find this hard to believe.…

The Growth and Tumble of the Pakistani Cinema

The Indian subcontinent in 1947 was divided into two countries and three parts: India, West Pakistan and East Pakistan. My essay aims to look into the development of the film industries of the subcontinent, with a focus on Pakistan. Moreover,…

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