June 13, 2011

Monday, June 13th, 2011 70th Day of the 136th Academic Year

ISSUE #

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THE OCCASIONAL SHOPPER Official Publication of The National College of Arts, Lahore

BETA

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MON A Y

THE OCCASIONAL WHAT? Not so long ago, there was a tradition. A tradition that brought every man/ woman/being who roamed the corridors and courtyards of NCA into a state of constant vigilance. It was the tradition of THE SHOPPER! Yes, a plastic bag full of water, emerging from nowhere, without any prior warning and climatically exploding on impact against you. It was a moment of shock and awe. More so, it was a moment of the glorious realization that you were, indeed, now soaking wet. Long gone are those days, but despair no longer for THE SHOPPER makes its return in another form altogether, rising up(or falling, one may argue) again to give you the attention that YOU need!

The Shopper Mon!

THE TEAM Madyha Leghari Zoya Gul Hasan Abu Bkr Asif Sania Azhar

Syed Hasan Haider Zain Naqvi

Haider Ali

Zoona Jerral

Uswa Amjad

Areeba Maqsood

Naima Ansari

Muhammad Ahmad Khan

Sabah Zaman

Nyrah Mushtaq Zara Asghar

Zahid Mayo

Hadia Zahra

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NCA Chartered University

INTERVIEW

Akifa Mian

INTERVIEW

Shehrbano Taseer

REPORTS

Sacred Sustenance Zinda Laash

REPORTS

Psychotic Art I

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EDITORIAL

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t is often the case that we profess to know of things whose jargon we become familiar with. Hey, as long as I can talk about it! We dress to the teeth, drink to our minds and become saints in our own rights.

It’s a beast that’s self nurturing, and yes, it’s after us.

Therefore this publication is established for this very purpose i.e. we acquaint ourselves with words; their character; the delicious way we need to roll our tongue when meting them out, the difference between stroll, toddle, amble, limp, saunter, march, hike, stride, promenade and perambulate; and their similarity with walk. The way one may become the other with a slight flicker of movement, a mere twist of the tounge, or perhaps a subtle change in tone. Only when we decode the code, can we transcend it. Only then can we claim to understand.

Our agenda is simple: upholding the culture of reading and writing in the National College of Arts and the promotion of the works of its students, in college and outside of it. And most importantly, letting the voice, opinion and thoughts of roughly 700 students echo repeatedly within these historic walls to remind us to ponder, think, and re-think forever. To let this sound burst through the gates of 4 Mall, into the streets of Lahore and beyond. To let there be silence, in anticipation of a storm that shall be the cry of our intellectual thoughts, and to fight against any oppression of these very thoughts. For we believe that freedom of thought is a gift when granted abundantly, but a miracle only when used wisely.

It is on this note that we pay homage to the performance of such miracles whenever and wherever they might occur, and to the constant exploration of the frontiers of our enormous potential.

May we all explore what is beyond, and what is within.

We will continue to work on the next issue over the summers since it will be released right after, so keep the submissions coming in. We’re also distributing outside of the college, so do send in your address for delivery.

From the Editor’s desk, Speak, read and write!

We look forward to hearing from you.

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EXCLUSIVE

NCA - Chartered University We reveal the truth behind it all

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ate into the night of May 29th, a bunch of students working on an architecture major project, noticed the lights in the principal’s office were switched on. Unaware of what matters could not wait until the next morning, the students speculated. Their imagination was dreadfully off target. What could not wait till the next morning were preparations for what probably is the most significant event in the history of NCA . The next morning, the principal, Prof. Fauzia Qureshi, would be heading to Islamabad, to be part of a Board of Governors meeting chaired

by Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani himself.

Among several agendas for the meeting, one would officially allow NCA to begin its process towards becoming a chartered university in its own right. Later in the day, news channels and newspapers across the country would break the news. But lots of details were omitted from the reports and questions remained as to what exactly this move meant. We decided to get all our facts straight from best source available.

Sitting down with the principal, she told us how glad she was to be able to reach out to all concerned parties through THE OCCASIONAL SHOPPER. She began elaborating the matter from where it all started. Even though the matter had just recently gained steam with the devolution of the Ministry of Education, she found it important to go much further back in time.

It all began when NCA became subject to the Provincial Ordinance of 1985, issued by the Ministry of Education. At the time, there existed the UGC (University Grants commission) which was a part of the Ministry of Education and was responsible for allocating funds to institutions for higher education. Though NCA’s controlling authority was the Ministry of Education, it was the chairman of the UGC who chaired NCA’s Board of Governors (BoG)

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meetings as well. . Consequently, as the board was a policy making body, the UGC had considerable control over college matters.

The UGC was dissolved in 2002 giving way to the HEC (Higher Education Commision).

NCA then came under the direct control of the Ministry of Education, with the minister as the chairman of the BoG. As a result, it lost a lot of independence; NCA became a ‘mehekma’ of the Ministry of Education. That was applicable until recently when it was decided that the entire Ministry of Education itself was to be devolved from the center to the provinces. This raised a severe concern for NCA’s integrity because its control would have to be transferred to a provincial education ministry.

She continued to elaborate how this would damage the essential ‘federal spirit’ of NCA. Though both campuses are located inside Punjab, NCA is one of the only truly Pakistani institutes of education. Its quota admissions system ensures that people from across the country are among the student body.

“When students come here, they say they are in an institute which is Pakistani … they’re all Pathans, Balochis, the Sindhis, the Kashmiris, they all look at each other as, as part of this nation called Pakistan. Yes, a Punjabi will say I am a Punjabi, a Pathan will say I am a Pathan. But they’re studying in an institution which is not a Pathan institution, which is not a Punjabi institution. It is an institution that is Pakistani and it’s the federation of Pakistan which has that center spirit”, she said proudly.

However, if NCA falls under the control of any one province, this diversity is threatened because being financed and controlled by that province, it will then have to act according to the wishes of the said province.

This may include limiting the all important diversity. On the other hand, with the quota system intact, all provinces can individually provide scholarships to their own students, giving opportunity to talented and deserving

students from across the country, to study in NCA.

After numerous days and nights of hard work, in an effort to remain with the center, it finally yeilded fruit. Instead of being assigned to a provincial ministry, NCA was transferred to the Federal Ministry of Inter-Provincial Co-Ordination. This is the very same ministry that is handling the devolution of the HEC. With this change, the ordinance regulating NCA had to be revised as well, and the college took this opportunity to make its big move.

“My plea at this time was that if you’re changing the Ordinance, then let us change it for the good of the institution.… we should be autonomous, we should have our own Senate.

Currently, we say we are an autonomous body, we say we have an independent board of governors, but the board of governors chairmanship is with the minister who is also wearing the hat of the controlling authority, that’s hardly any independence. That is when we decided we must push for a change in the Ordinance which must be that of an autonomous nature, so the time was just right”, she claimed On Monday the 30th, after a long night and a five hour drive to Islamabad, she presented a draft in a meeting with the Prime Minister and the Board of Governors., This meeting would decide the future of NCA. The Ordinance was quite similar to an existing model used by the HEC, referred to as the Model University Ordinance. It is a tried and tested formula which allows universities, of any nature, to function with considerable autonomy. It allows the establishment of their own governing systems under which most matters are settled by the university’s own administration and faculty.

According to the draft, the NCA administration will be revamped. Currently, the two campuses of NCA are under the authority of a single principal, who is seated in Lahore, while urgent matters of NCA Rawalpindi are

managed by a director. Under the new system, each campus will have its own principal. The principals will sit together in a Senate, which will replace the current Board of Governors body. The Senate, in turn, will be chaired by a Vice Chancellor. Among other members of the Senate are eight (the exact number is still under debate) distinguished experts from fields related to the college (in NCAs case leading artists, architects, designers, film makers et cetera). They will be allowed to serve for a maximum of two tenures, each comprising of three years. Every year, one-third of the Senate membership will be rotated. Furthermore, she believes that the board will be strengthened by the inclusion of four faculty members of the college.

“So the stake holders of the college”, she says,“are also in the highest body of the college: the governing body of the college”.

This should, in her opinion, make the decision making process more democratic. Initially, a search committee will be established by the government to nominate suitable members for the Senate apart from the two principals and the faculty members, who will be selected according to existing rules of the Model University Ordinance. Once the system is set in place, the Senate will act democratically with complete independence. At a lower level, there will be a syndicate which will consist entirely of the faculty and heads of departments, with no external interference.

There was now a certain sense of satisfaction about her, but it was quickly followed by her urgent reminder that it’s not all over yet.

Almost immediately, she began elaborating the procedure to come. Calling the process “long drawn”, she said that once all the technicalities and minute details are finalized,

INTERVIEW

the legal documents will have to go from the Ministry of Inter-Provincial Co-ordination to the Law and Justice Department which will vet it. She believes this shouldn’t take too long as it’s already a tried and tested model. Once approved, it will be forwarded to the Cabinet and finally, it will be sent to the Parliament to be enacted as a bill. She estimates it may be a four to six month long process. Once it’s complete, the status of NCA as a chartered university, as announced by the Prime Minister, will finally be confirmed.

We asked her how, once enacted, this change would transform things from the perspective of the student body. She begins by talking about improved governance. Not a fan of centralization, she appreciates decentralizing control from a single authority to the hands of various principals, all the way down to the appointed deans and head of departments.

If there are any problems, they will be dealt with at the appropriate level. She jokes about how even an application for leave, currently, has to be signed by the principal. Courses and curriculum would remain unaffected as she believes staunchly in what is already being taught in the college. Moreover, under a currently functioning Board of Studies, courses are already being documented: firstly in order to be scrutinized for improvement and secondly, to be streamlined in an effort to move from an annual system to a semester system. Upon inquiry, she quells the concern that there will be a requirement for an increased number of Ph.D qualified faculty members, emphasizing that in the fields of Arts, Design and Architecture, the terminal degree of qualification is a Master along with professional practice.

Moreover, she is adamant upon how

Akifa Mian “The name ‘Inaam’ is the irony of the film...”

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kifa Mian, an upcoming filmmaker and assistant professor at Beaconhouse National University, was here at the National College of Arts on 12th May for a screening of her new short film, “INAAM”. This film was shortlisted at the 13th London Asian Film Festival, 2011. It addresses issues concerning South Asian immigrants living in the UK including cultural shock and economic hardships.

‘Inaam’ is a story about a young Pakistani lawyer who comes to the UK with a positive attitude and lofty dreams of becoming a heroic lawyer. But unfortunately, he does not have enough money to take the examination required to become a certified lawyer, and so tragically, ends up becoming a cab driver.

This is where the movie really starts and we see the clichéd immigrant’s sad tale unfold before us as he is treated with hostility and unfriendliness. His life heads downhill and he starts to realize how unwanted he is in this

foreign land. The movie starts Rez Kempton, Andrew Bolton, Shradhey Jani, Isabelle Defaut and Mariam Haq. The Occasional Shopper team caught up with Akifa Mian who answers questions regarding the film:

“Why did you choose the redundant theme of an immigrant facing hardships abroad?”

“Pakistanis are usually portrayed as doing something wrong and I wanted to portray how wrong that is and how they are forced (to do so) because of (dire) economic conditions.

I think I kept it real there, as there was no fantasy attached to it.” “ How was the film shot?”

“The film was shot using a 750 Sony HD, as in HD you can keep the depth and the dynamics.

The movie is shot on a moving set, with a state of the art car kit and the visuals depict the gloominess also found in Inaam, the main character”

important it is that funding for research be pipelined through people who understand its importance i.e. the educationists themselves.

She reiterates how, once this change is official, NCA will be able to manage its own funding according to the requirements of the college with complete freedom. So when the NCA administration decides that a certain research project by a teacher requires funding, it need not go through an elongated process of submitting a request to the ministry and then waiting for the finances to trickle down.

Instead it can allocate the required amount directly, on its own.

All said and done, there remained one more aspect to touch : the name of the college.

With probably the most fervor in the entire meeting, she proclaimed her stance that NCA should remain the National College or Arts.

“I studied from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the number of Nobel laureates that have come out of that, is irrespective whether it’s called a university or it’s an institute…the draft that I took to the meeting just said ‘National College of Arts’, a degree awarding institution, that’s what we are, that’s what we will remain.”

We figured we had covered just about everything so we asked for any parting comments.

“I’m going to be retiring in the next few weeks, it’s going to be my way out and I’m looking forward to it, and I just hope my next successor, sees this through. Once achieved, we’ll have a big celebration!”

We’ll be taking her word on that.

We wish her the best of luck, a happy retirement and commend her for her untiring efforts in the service of the National College of Arts.

“ Why did you name the film Inaam?”

“The name Inaam is the irony of the film. His name is Inaam and he’s a prize for his family.

Look at his life and all the things he had to give up in order to provide for his family. Every person has the right to dream and sometimes in South Asia, you can’t do that.”

“What were you trying to show with this film?”

“I wanted to show what the immigrant community goes through, how being far away from home and living in a different culture changes your attitude on the whole. The aim was to translate the feelings of a particular immigrant, his uncertainty and confusion towards everything.”

So although the theme seemed to be redundant and clichéd, the plot still explores the humanistic side of the story, something other films on the same topic often ignore. Therefore, Kudos to Miss Akifa Mian!

The audience response, however, was mixed.

For most of the people the film was too short and they failed to understand the emotions perfectly. However, the auditorium was jam packed. Clearly, they at least had the faith, even if the film didn’t really live up to it.

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INTERVIEW

Shehrbano Taseer “...how our lives fit into this madness or how this madness fits into our lives.”

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n 28th April 2011, NCA launched the second issue of ‘Sohbat’, a biannual journal of contemporary arts and culture. Invited to speak for the occasion was Shehrbano Taseer, who is currently the Social Media Director at Daily Times Pakistan and a reporter with Newsweek Pakistan. Furthermore, being the daughter of late Salman Taseer, she has a more personal insight to offer into Pakistani politics and current affairs. The Occasional Shopper team was lucky enough to squeeze in a word with her amidst all the activity.

We began by inquiring her of the decision to pursue journalism.

“I don’t even know why,” she concedes, chuckling. She further informed us that she graduated from college with Film and Governance as her majors. Even though her family had a background in journalism, she drifted towards it when Hussain Haqqani, Pakistan’s ambassador to the U.S., suggested she submit her writings to newspapers.

“So you wrote well before that?”

“Not really.”

She explains that she was more involved in activism than literature and goes on to notify us that she is a part of a ‘little’ publication called Newsweek.

“Little?”

“Well, it doesn’t extend its readership to masses in Pakistan.”

Her expressed interest in activism led us to question her further about something she had stated during the lecture, earlier.

“You spoke about having ‘a name to uphold, a role to play’. What kind of a role did you mean?”

“Of course I feel responsibility. I will do whatever I can, in my capacity,” she reiterates passionately. Referring to Salman Taseer and his subsequent tragic assassination she added, “Even my father did the same.”

We wondered whether this sense of responsibility might entail her entering into politics to which she informed us of how her father involved her in his work. She even accompanied him on visits to the oppressed and the impoverished, including one to Mukhtaran Mai. “Though, from his eyes I got a very romanticized notion of politics,” she mused. She continues further about how she’s getting increasingly disillusioned with Pakistani politics and its practice as a profession instead of public service.

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“Politics isn’t always the best way to bring about a change in people’s lives”, she believes, “Maybe the best way to do that is through education and economic empowerment.”

However she maintains that she is not discarding the option altogether.

“Never say never”, she quips, “I don’t know where my life will lead me.”

“You also spoke about a ‘poverty of cultural, philosophical and literary discourse’. How do you propose we encourage such a discourse?”

She began to elaborate on what she meant: Ideals are placed before us by our ancestors and we invoke names like Jinnah, Iqbal and Faiz without actually being personally familiar with their works. She believes that there is a need to bridge this gap through intensified effort so that these ideals become more meaningful to us than mere rhetoric.

“We must use all our tools,” she insists. The media, for example, can be used particularly powerfully.

She smiles and adds, “Even publications like yours.”

The government also needs to prioritize its funding. Instead of reserving a massive section for defense, if it concentrated on areas like tourism, she deems the paybacks would be richer for Pakistan.

On being questioned about the role of an ordinary individual, she shrugs and says,” I don’t have the answer for everyone. We need to define it personally. I would write.”

Keeping her intention to reach out to wider audiences in mind, we asked her about the recent fiasco that involved one of her pieces being completely misconstrued as it was carelessly translated and published in a leading Urdu newspaper.

“I received a threat the very same day,” she admits. And even though she told us that the newspaper in question was duly apologetic and fired the responsible subeditor, the incident was demonstrative of how immature Pakistani media is. There is an abundance of ‘pundits’ and self professed ‘experts’, and everything is unjustifiably sensationalized. In volatile times like these, she believes, Pakistani media needs to act more responsibly.

She agrees with us when we wonder if writing publicly in the above mentioned circumstances is particularly unsafe. Continuing in the same vein, she tells us about the fire she had to face after her address to the UN delegations, when a resolution on the defamation

of religions was being considered. She had argued in the address that while the proposed resolution might mean well, it could be easily manipulated because it was very vague and open ended. The UN, eventually, adapted a resolution that focused on the protection of individuals regardless of religion.

“I feel you have to stick your head out and live courageously”, she affirms.

This leads us to pose, perhaps, the most solemn question of all: “Would you say your faith in Pakistan is sentimental or rational?”

“It’s both, really,” she considers. To bolster this view, she relates an incident of a protest rally held in Karachi against change in blasphemy laws, after her father was murdered. Thirty thousand people had participated.

“It was a sickening sight, my mind left my body for a moment”, she recalls, “But I realized that in a city of sixteen million, thirty thousand was not the majority.” She professes faith in this silent majority and believes these teeming millions can be perpetrators of change.

“But the protestors were citizens of Pakistan as well. How do you differentiate the gray from the black or white? And importantly, how do you deal with these grays?”

She agrees that the situation is complex and therefore, the solutions aren’t entirely simple.

Drone attacks to obliterate militants aren’t going to help anyone.

“It’s a mindset we are dealing with,” she explains. To tackle this effectively, she believes that the government needs to regulate education.

“Take charge of madarassa curriculum,” she declares, “…places that breed violence and teach kids that J is for Jihad and T is for Takrao…”

Her emphasis on education paves way to the final question: “Do you believe in the esoteric nature of knowledge? And that it can be withheld from the masses?”

“I don’t think so,” she says, rejecting the notion of knowledge being intrinsically inaccessible to masses. She goes on to emphasize on individual responsibility. Citing her father as an example, she explains how he was learned man, yet mostly self taught.

However, she does believe that it may be forcefully withheld by outside forces, so that the masses can easily be manipulated.

“They don’t want you to think for yourself,” she cautions.

REPORTS

Sacred Sustenance Zoona Jerral (3rd Year Architecture)

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o what is sacred architecture? How is it possible that such an extension of human reason is describable in such an extension of matter? Moreover , what is that elixir which smoothens the transition from corporeal back to the celestial?

The answer mostly lies in the images of ancient monuments and majestic shrines.

But what if, for a moment, we try to reverse our binoculars and search for more mundane answers.

One such precedent may be traced back to our very own heritage:

Imagine a narrow elevated platform between adjacent tenements in a remote village. A small tandoor burns in one corner. Red flickers of smoke twirl in the air. Tall warm earth walls huddle you within them from both sides and a canopy of screens lets in freckles

of warm light that dance an enchanting chiaroscuro with the scaly geometric floor pattern below. These scales converge to the nucleus in the centre and burst open into a quiet pool.

Swift streams of wind gush in from balconies, drooping over the only two open sides.

One facing the icy silhouettes of the mighty Pir Panjals and the other, the lazy warm waters of the Jhelum that eventually collapses into a lake.

Often you would find an old lady repeating an oral tradition to a pack of children at the other end. Their distance apart is spanned merely by raw timber beams.

The only materials used are native earth, filtered light, channelled air and the rustle of everyday life. The only technique used is the touch of bare hands which brings about an instinctive metamorphosis of one shape and

Zinda Laash A brief history of Pakistani Cinema

Syed Hassan Haider (3rd Year Film & Television)

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ilm making is the youngest art form today and can be traced back to 1895 when the first moving image was introduced to the public.

It was a 49 second actuality titled ‘Train Coming to the Station’. This film is rumoured to have made the audiences run out of theatres, thinking that the train would actually come out of the screen and run them over. Yes, the earliest films where as simple as people coming put of a factory or a crying baby. They were only a few seconds long. At that time, a moving picture was so fascinating that people used to flock to these film shows and bought tickets to watch a few second long clips of things they experienced everyday.

However, today film makers are creating wonders like Avatar, which is said to be one of the most important films of the century. Also with the advent of IMAX and 3D, the audience is being given a new and improved viewing experience.

But what has been going on in Pakistan? Well, at the time of the partition in 1947, Pakistan’s film industry was no less than the Indian film industry. A lot of talented artists, who had moved to Pakistan, kept the industry up and running. It was only in the eighties that the downfall of the film industry started. Since I

was born, I have only seen posters of Punjabi or Pushto films being shown in a handful of cinemas. The number of films released per year ran in hundreds but now you can count them on your finger tips. And sometimes, you don’t even need all the fingers to count.

Some notable films in the first five years of the 21st century include Majajan (Directed

by Syed Noor), Ye Dil Aap Ka Hua (Directed

by Javed Shiekh) and Muhabatan Sachiyan (Directed by Shahzad Rafique). Recently, two feature films were produced three to four years ago, namely Ramchand Pakistani (Directed by Mehreen Jabbar) and Khuda Kay Liya (Directed by Shohaib Mansoor). Another film which deserves a mention here is Zibahkhana (Directed by Omar Ali Khan) which is a non 35mm, HDV feature film. The marketers dubbed these films as instruments of revival of the Pakistani Film industry but that just remained a convenient label through which advertisers and film producers got the public to go back to the cinema for a few days. But now, again the cinemas are quiet, stripped of their very essence and soul i.e. the AUDIENCES. There have been a couple of other films, produced in recent years but they haven’t been very popular with the censor board

form into another. The solemn design philosophy employed is creating space inspired by, as well as sustaining the surrounding environment by merely addressing a simple combination of bare necessities.

Centuries old Eastern customs and rituals have been given life in this one agglomeration of form and space which has originated from some fundamental human needs: of congregation and of privacy; of festivity and of tranquillity. Daily mundane chores to ceremonial feasts, all have been invited with frank honesty into this one scope. Thereby, the solace that traditional courtyards afford comes as no surprise, as we are engulfed into them.

Man has tried to create a myriad of spaces that can help expose the deepest of his feelings: that of salvation, or the “sacred experience”. Towering cathedrals, grand mosques and classical temples are a few examples. Is there really a need for such an expense to have that experience? Is it not true that many of our most intimate spiritual experiences are those related to space as a manifestation of our personal feelings, not as an example of what universal grandeur should be? for exaple Slackistan (Directed by Hammad Khan). Even films like Tere Bin Laden, (Directed

by Abhishek Sharma) in which Pakistani talent has been acknowledged, have not been allowed to screen. I think the Censor board needs to rethink its priorities.

Are these really all the films that were produced in these many years?

Apparently not. If you think about it, we don’t really have a lot of material on the history of film in Pakistan. But there are a few websites you could visit and you would be surprised to know that there are quite a few films which were released but most of us didn’t even know about them. One such website is http://www. mazhar.dk/ where Pakistani Cinema is much appreciated and all films released, are promoted very formally.

Another is http://www.thehotspotonline. com/moviespot/. The man behind this website is none other than Omar Ali Khan (Director of Zibahkhana). This one is more critical (read bashing). So together, these websites give you kind of a ‘good cop, bad cop’ analysis.

At the moment, the most anticipated film is Bol (directed by Shoaib Mansoor) which is expected to be released in the summers. The music of the film has already been released and has received a mixed response. At least, there is some activity.

So let us keep our hopes up! Let us start going to the cinemas again, not only with friends but with family as well, so that the film makers see some potential audience, get their cameras rolling and produce what we have always desired to see from the Pakistani Film Industry.

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REPORTS

Psychotic Art I “We know nothing about the artwork we are about to explore... we will merely speculate.”

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his article has been split into parts covering three categories of psychotic art.

This, the first part covers artists that were afflicted with psychosis. Before we begin, I firstly urge the reader to try to overstep the tendency to be reductive and simplistic, despite an environment that daily reinforces this.

Psychosis is, in broadest terms, schizophrenia. The important thing the layman needs to know about psychological disorders is that coming from an arguably non-empirical science, their diagnoses vary qualitatively and the nature of the disease allows itself to be labelled only loosely and broadly. This means that it is very hard to generalise, as very often individuals display a hodgepodge of symptoms from different disorders. So, contrary to popular notions, there are no hard-and-fast signs of psychoses. There are “stark raving mad” schizophrenics, true – the obnoxious antisocial kind that are violent or are otherwise harmful. The truth, however, is that the majority are a danger to themselves due to their inability to dial down their inner reality (or synthesize this with the external reality, if you will) and to comprehend social interaction fully enough to function.

Secondly, I insist that this inner world be seen as detached from and only partially related to “our world”. Remember that when studying any kind of an Other, our first

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duty is to remove prior constructs and refrain from construing things using our habitual systems of signification. We know nothing about the artwork we are about to explore. As with everything else, but even more so with this, we will merely speculate.

Also, because there are considerable differences in the periods, intensity and nature of each artist’s disorder.

Understandably, lack of proper documentation means that we can’t even say what sort of state a specific artwork was made in.

We can, however, put this burden entirely (and so precariously) on dates: the paintings, dated prior to recorded symptoms of psychoses or institutionalisation, are seen as the ones belonging to the ‘sane’ period for (my) purposes of convenience. Paintings dated after this are labelled as those from the ‘psychotic’ period. I can only redeem myself by adding to the above disclaimer, a third point: The onset of psychoses is a very tricky thing. It is not a red light on the patient’s head that turns on and off but is more like a randomly pulsating graph that isn’t exactly easy to read.

And lastly, I find it hard to imagine someone painting during a full-blown psychotic fit and therefore, like to believe that art by psychotic patients is made during periods of relative clarity. Or at least some sort of clarity. In this case (of artists-turned-patients), it is harder to detect any “abnormality” in the artist’s expression because of their masterful skill et cetera but easier because we may compare it to their earlier work. Yet the latter doesn’t always yield anything too significant. If it does, there is no justified way

of saying the change in style or subject is a direct consequence of psychosis. It could just as well be experimentation that may or may not (or most probably may partially) have been instigated by the disease or chemical imbalance et cetera.

We start off with the most renowned of these artists: Van Gogh

Vincent Van Gogh’s condition has been described as a number of possibilities. In modern medical terms it could be epilepsy, lead poisoning, excessive use of absinthe, hypergraphia and Bipolar disorder. The latter is no new association with artists in general. His excessive use of yellow has been explained through the inordinate absinthe intake, and the ‘halos’ around the stars in Starry Night as a possible consequence of lead poisoning. Van Gogh’s symptoms start appearing in 1888, some time before his good friend, Gaugin, moved in with him so the two could paint together. This they did, but Van Gogh’s breakdowns became more frequent and violent including an episode where he threatened Gaugin with a knife, and another where he cut off his ear lobe and gave it to a prostitute for safekeeping. Following this, Gaugin left and Van Gogh admitted himself to an asylum in Saint-Remy. He stayed there for little over a year, painting through (as much as his illness allowed) many pieces - mostly landscapes including the famous Starry Night – until eventually, he moved again to a live near a doctor who had treated many artists before him. However, in the end his depression got the best of him; two months later, he shot himself in the chest and died after two days from this wound. His brother, Theo, has reported his last words to be “The sadness will last forever”.

Van Gogh was not recognised in his time at

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all and sold just the one painting. His influences include impressionism and Japanese art. He found very little else to his taste. It is important to know all this because it helps us map our study better and understand the artist’s context.

Many critics claim they see psychosis in Van Gogh’s post-breakdown work.

Artwork Pre- and Post- breakdown:

Before you go through this, you may want to go through the images yourself and see what changes (or lack thereof) you find.

As you can see in the images above, Van Gogh’s earlier palette isn’t very colourful.

The brightest or lightest he ventures is pretty much represented by these images.

The only colours he occasionally introduces into his nearly constant black-and-brown routine (see image 1) are dirty overcast whites (see image 2), rust, cream-yellow and green, all of which aren’t very lively either (see image 3). There are a few instances of dabs of bright red and blue and some where the hues even look almost normal (image 4). His subject matter constitutes still-lifes, animals, figures(always roughly painted) and landscapes. The earliest instance of his use of the infamous sickly yellow seems to be image 5. His strokes are linear, broad and thick. Finally, his earlier self-portraits perfectly summarise his style (image 6).

If one looks very closely, a third period emerges - an interim between the ‘before’ and ‘after’, if you will. This period seems to exhibit extensive experimentation in style and colour. This includes wilder impressionist examples (including both quick linear strokes and pointillism); a lighter, sometimes more vibrant palette; and even relatively flat works with fine strokes. The fact that there is such a frenzied, vacillating outburst of artistic exploration just before the actual breakdown is very significant for me. I will, however, resort to a Wittgensteinian vow of silence here and leave it up to the reader to make the same synaptic journey I did, involving the relationship, if any, between

artistic creativity and an unhinged or chemically imbalanced brain.

Finally, we come to the “crazy” period.

Quite aptly, we start off with ‘Starry Night’ (7), made roughly a year after the breakdown. The halos around the stars have again been seen as visual distortion in the artist’s mind incurred through poisoning or substance abuse. The aforementioned excessive use of yellow is also attributed to this. This may very well be true- compare the very similar, earlier painting (8) which, although, depicting virtually the same sky, deals with the stars entirely differently stroke-wise. It is recognisably Van Gogh’s earlier style. So what caused the dramatic change that we see in ‘Starry Night’? And to what extent are all the mainstream interpretations, we hear in our art history lessons, concerning its symbolism and composition true? The strange, psychedelic rice-grain technique and swirling strokes are entirely novel, and more distinctive than any style his earlier ventures bore. It has this vehement, self-assured certainty so characteristic of a lot of psychotic art (9). In Van Gogh’s work, therefore, the psychosis seems to affect the strokes and palette more than anything else (10, 11).

I personally prefer to attribute this, somewhat simplistically, to the mood swings he suffered; I see a lighter and darker side (quite literally) to both his pre- and post- psychotic

8 work, contingent on the there-and-then.

Compare, for example, the self-portraits: (6 and 12).

Another very noticeable feature of his postpsychosis oeuvre is the repetition of both subject matter and specific ‘impressions’.

Arguments are made against construing this merely as symptoms of psychosis, asserting that being locked up in an institution yields very little variety in terms of what one can paint, especially in case of landscapes.

Secondly, many artists do repeatedly paint the same thing. Explore more of Van Gogh’s work on your own in chronological order and you’ll be able to make safer, if not truer, assumptions about the fascinating changes in his work and what caused them(what you saw here was a very small quota of over 1200 paintings.) Happy fantasizing!

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FEATURED

Ramsha Baluch “Design has to be true.”

R

amsha Baluch is a Fourth year student if a commercial concern is in conflict with in the Department of Communication it?’

Design. After a few unfortunate false starts, Unlike her earlier responses, this time The Occasional Shopper team was finally able Ramsha had no sympathy for the greys. to pen down her interview.

‘No, never’, she states simply. To demonstrate We launched head on into the heart of the her point she relates an incident when a matter and asked her about the philosophy fuelled discussion in class had led to some she employed in her designs. Understandably, people asserting that the assassination of Ramsha was very vocal in response. She Salman Taseer was justified. believes that direct experience is the most ‘It really upset me to a very great extent’, she important influence on anything that one cre- recalls, ‘Now if someone asks me to make a ates, be it design or otherwise. In her opinion, portrait of the murderer, I won’t be able to do this direct experience is where one’s convic- it.’ tions lie and therefore, the resulting work is She further adds that, at the expense of possibly sounding bookish, money is not a primary bound to be sincere. concern for her.

‘Design needs to be honest and soulful,’ she asserts. She goes on to say that because she puts this principle in action, she proudly owns her work whether it is academically appreciated or not.

‘So my design philosophy is that whatever you do, it should move you to a certain extent,’ she concludes.

Moreover, she stresses upon originality and cautions against taking blind diction in the name of instruction.

When asked about her inclinations in terms of technique, Ramsha refuses to pick either manual or digital means.

‘I incorporate whatever skills I have’, she explains.

To her, the choice of a medium is secondary and she believes that it is not definitive of a particular work. And hence, she chooses to go with whatever compliments her concept.

‘Sometimes, I sit down and do manual work, patiently and meticulously. At others, it is completely spontaneous’, she further expounds.

When we questioned her about her design process, she explained that often it started from the simplest of things. She told us how she kept a record of everyday incidents that made an impact on her.

‘I don’t go for a hunt on the internet,’ she goes on.

She feels that this practice instils honesty into her work and she can, therefore, confidently defend it.

‘Design has to be true’, she insists.

Contrast She further explained that by bold, she means that she experiments often.

‘But are you comfortable with anything particularly?’

‘I’m comfortable with minimalistic work.’

Simplicity and crisp design are recurring throughout in Ramsha’s work. Often, these are brought about with the use of clean simple lines, one or two tones and basic colours.

We asked her if she had a particular sig- ‘I don’t like shashka’, she further elaborates. nature style. She considers carefully before ‘Shashka?’ befriending the greys again.

‘Matlab daal ke ooper tarka lagana; if it’s not ‘I’m very versatile with my work. I can be a needed, it shouldn’t be done.’ hundred different people but my philosophy remains the same’, she informs us, ‘My working style is a bit, I would say, bold’.

Another notorious divide we asked her to consider was the one between commercial design and ‘Art’. The answer, again, was neither black nor white.

‘I think it (design) should be a hybrid of both (concerns)’, she declares. She goes on to distinguish design from art saying, that while art is mostly concerned with personal expression, design is heavily dependant on communicating with the masses. And hence, a design is unsuccessful if it is not understood by its targeted audience. But since the principles of design aesthetic are derivative from art in the first place, she believes, both aspects go hand in hand: ‘...an equilibrium needs to be maintained.’

‘But would you compromise on principle

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Dominance is just good in bed

And Dogma is a Bitch

Ayesha Kamal “I don’t want to put a label on it(my work) and would like to keep it ambiguous...”

A

yesha Kamal has a number of associations with the National College of Arts. In 2005, she graduated with a major in Printmaking, and minors in Graphics and Calligraphy. She then joined the Film and Television Department as a Teaching Assistant (T.A.) for the next four years.

Simultaneously, she was also assisting with the History and Heritage course for the First Year. Finally, today the instructor is back to being the instructed as she is enrolled into the Masters (M.A.) programme in Multimedia.

Unsurprisingly, she multitasked her way through the interview with The Occasional Shopper team, as she flitted through the library in search of some book or the other.

While mapping out her journey through the National College of Arts, Ayesha Kamal reminisced about her days as an undergraduate student here. She believes that things used to be different.

‘People liked taking initiatives,’ she asserts.

We were curious as to why she chose to return to the National College of Arts in the capacity of a T.A. in the Film and Television department since she had no academic background in the field. In response, she informed us of her interest in theatre and her relevant experience. She was a part of the much lauded Puppeteers Society while studying here. Moreover, she is genuinely fond of film and believes that taking up this job helped sharpen her earlier theatre expertise as well.

‘I even acted in an Urdu drama called ‘Jalsa’, directed by Naeem Tahir’, she notifies us.

She also, particularly, spoke about how assisting in the Urdu Literature and Drama course was useful with her theatre skills.

Digging deeper into the whys of her choices, we inquired about the decision to pursue an M.A in Multimedia at the National College of Arts.

‘I thought it would bring all my faculties together and give me a new perspective’, she replies, ‘I learnt a lot about animation, compositing, video making etc, and now I can combine all my skills together.’

She went on to clarify that she was still in touch with the fine artist within her and has continued to exhibit her work alongside maintaining her academics or career.

We questioned her further about her art

practice. Ayesha Kamal refrains from putting a definitive label on her work. It may have social, political or personal connotations and she wants to maintain a certain amount of ambiguity so that the viewer gets more personally involved. She believes that this correspondence between the viewer and the artwork is what makes art relatable.

She further goes on to enlighten us about how she sees the volatility of our lives and times as potentially inspiring, rather than seeing it as an obstacle. She believes that the social, political and economic circumstances of Pakistan give her all the more reasons to want to say something with her art.

Discussing her future plans with The

research on a particular topic’, she admits.

Her avid interest lies in film and she lists Shallow Hall, Amélie and Casablanca as some of her favourite movies.

‘But do you think theory is important for an artist?’

She replies in the affirmative and goes on to explain how studying theory may help with the intent and planning behind a work.

Moving from reading to writing, we had only just begun to consider the possibility of her writing a book when she informed us that this was a feat she had already accomplished.

‘It was for my dad’s class fellow, who was compiling all his work into a volume and so I wrote for that’ Concluding our conversation, we handed the floor over to her to address the readers as she pleases:

‘Hope gives you a sense of control over future so try and keep your hopes up!’

And so with these words of wisdom, we ironically let her get back to the very same books to which she had claimed only a moderate interest in, a few moments ago.

Scene from ‘The Source’

Occasional Shopper, Ayesha Kamal reveals that she intends to concentrate more on field work as opposed to theory. However, in the long term, she intends to pursue a PhD.

All this talk of academics and art education programs led us to pose the principal (and principle) question behind it:

Air

‘Do you think ‘Art’ can be taught?’

‘I think, yes’, she considers. She goes on to elaborate that talent without required skills would be effectively useless. Similarly, the practice of a skill or receiving correct guidance on honing a particular skill, may instil a passion that can develop into a talent.

Therefore, she thinks one can strike a balance between nature and nurture.

Interviewing Ayesha Kamal in the library, we only felt it was our solemn duty to ask her what she liked to read.

‘Actually, I don’t read much unless I have to

Relic

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PHOTOGR APHY

Sabuhi Essa (Third Year, Architecture) SUBMISSIONS

Muhammad Fahd Dasti

Wazir Khan Mosque Faiza Farooq (Fourth Year, Communication Design) Muhammad Fahd is a Fifth Year Architecture student I started working on caricatures simply because I got bored of making portraits. I then came across the work of Jason Sieler which greatly inspired me. I find drawing caricatures engaging as well as challenging. The art is to exaggerate the subject’s features and yet make sure that people can still recognize it. This caricature was sketched digitally with a pen tablet, and took about five minutes. However, once I take it into Photoshop, painting the entire image in detail can take up to eight hours. I’ve mostly drawn my friends, either individually or posing together.

I’ve gotten so engrossed into this work that I’ve been seriously thinking of sidelining my major, which is architecture, to take up illustration permanently.

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SUBMISSIONS

Rajab Ali Sayed Rajab Ali Sayed is a Third Year Fine Arts student studying Printmaking

Of Ruins and Rumination…

The images in this body of work are representative of the artist’s interest in understanding the relationship between the past and the present.

Rohtas Fort was once a testament to the mighty Mughal Empire, and now it stands as a monument of their demise.

Stories of the past haunt the vast fields and dilapidated structures where once, great ceremonies and displays of affluence flourished.

One cannot help but contemplate the almost perverse irony that the only human presence in this massive structure is tourists and revelers who walk like specters through the walls of the Fort that were originally built to be impenetrable.

To explore the construct of this irony, the photo transfers juxtapose the past with the present in an attempt to examine the relationship between space and time and ultimately comment on the transient nature of human existence.

Usman Khan

Muhammad Usman Khan is a Second Year Communication Design student

This is not a standard photo-manipulation with clean cut execution. I kept it crude looking because that is how I see this thing, we live in; it is not finished, it is still in its transition towards, perhaps, something more. However, on a realistic note, there is reality and that is what this image shows. God rules and everything else comes second when it comes to our own personal gains, as has been seen in so many years of political propaganda.

Some captions I wrote when I made it:

We serve the best food: our people. [Insert politician name] Best food for a Pakistani leader: his/her countrymen.

Usually, “use me” is written on dustbins; my country has been used in ways which would make even the dustbin nauseous.

I wanted to make an oil painting initially but having no experience in that field, I went for this. The reason behind wanting to use oils was that people take those as ‘real’ art but don’t really appreciate digital work. They think it is effortless and that anyone can do it.

Nonsense! I believe it is time that people became more open to what art is. It is not just a neatly done miniature painting to be hung in their drawing room.

Putting myself in the ‘painting’, as I call it, has its consequences and these might be something I’m not prepared for.

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EXPORT

Afaq Karadia and Nida Ezdi from Second Year Communication Design department took matters into their own hands when they came up with Tanatomy, their very own clothing label. Specializing in graphic T-shirts, they claim to be inspired by urban designs and popular culture. Jokingly, they state their motto: ‘of the youth by the youth and for the youth’. They believe that the youth of today, which is clearly their target market, deserves quality ‘upbeat’ designs. Thus, they claim to be merging original art-work, picked up from the college, with urban wear to create a unique fusion. Being mere students, it’s up to them to handle marketing and advertisements themselves.

Having gathered friends together for the shoots, they’ve done an impressive job of showcasing their photography skills as well. You can follow them up on their Facebook page listed under ‘Tanatomy’ to get a hold of their T-shirts and to stay updated.

Urfia’s Collection Handmade jewellry by Zahra Asim and Sidra Asim

I

n the words of Masaru Ibuka, creativity comes from looking for the unexpected and stepping outside your own experience.

Zahra Asim, 20, and Sidra Asim, 22, are two sisters who have proved that the simplest of ideas can bloom to become distinctive.

With no formal training whatsoever, the two took a plunge into the realm of jewellery making almost a year ago. Inspired by their mother, whose area of expertise is papier-mâché and foil jewellery, the two have given birth to ‘wearable sculptures’, in Sidra’s words.

These tiny works of art are not slaves to unnecessary complications, unusual materials or even tools. The reason why they have caused much hullabaloo is because the potential of an ordinary, inexpensive material, the wire, has been tapped. What is more

surprising is that only three basic tools are used: pliers, cutter, and The Hand. Zahra uses copper, gold and silver coloured metal wires, twisting, winding and coiling them intricately.

Coupled with artificial stones and beads, the pieces of jewellery are minimalistic yet replete with boldness. Since the jewellery is made to order, the wires can be plated with precious metals and real stones can be set in.

Being a believer of the Art Noveau philosophy, she makes use of fluid, curvilinear forms and organic motifs; she is also inspired by Greek and Egyptian jewellery which explains the repeated spirals and geometric forms that crop up. Recently, Sidra has started using fabric for jewellery making. She chiefly uses bright coloured or printed cotton and threads, with different kinds of stitches and embroideries. On being asked as to what makes her

want to use vibrant colours, she very simply explains that the colours used to make ice creams are what appeal to her. What results is a creamy, delectable fusion of blue, orange, mauve, yellow, white, and green.

Perfection and symmetry are important for the artists but obviously, since the jewellery is handmade, making copies of one’s creation is nearly impossible. In fact, what makes them so special is the very fact that none of the pieces of jewellery are like mass-produced products sitting comfortably in the hands of every other Tom, Dick and Harry!

An amalgam of eastern and western traditional styles, the jewellery, by the name of Urfia’s Collection is starting to create quite a stir and has already been deemed ‘funky’, ‘elegant’ and ‘playful’ by the Women’s Own magazine. Moreover, Sidra won the accessory competition held under the annual Gul Ahmed Fashion Awards 2011. And more recently, their jewellery was worn by models for Munib Nawaz’s fashion show.

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IMPORT

Bamboo as a Building Material Sulava Piya (Architect, Adobe and Bamboo Research Institue, Nepal)

H

uman civilization has come a long way from the stone age to the era of technology. Though development has made life dramatically easier and luxurious, much harm has been done in the process. And because we give more weight to the advantages of development rather than its disadvantages, the existence of Earth today is seriously threatened. While the majority is aiming for skyscrapers, there are a few who are asking the world to return to nature’s ways and live a sustainable, healthier life to save our Mother Earth.

Bamboo is one of the many gifts that nature has given us. It is a grass. It falls in the Poacea family and the Bambusoideae tribe. There are seventy five genera with more than eighteen hundred species of bamboo, covering a total area of twenty two million hectors in the tropical, subtropical and temperate regions of all continents except Europe. There are ten genera and 300-400 species in Asia alone.

Most bamboo is grown and used in the global South.

Why bamboo?

Bamboo is the fastest growing plant on Earth. It grows about twelve to thirty-six inches a day and can grow up to a hundred ft. high. Unlike trees, bamboo attains its full height and strength in 3-5 years where as in comparison it takes sixty years for timber to mature. It sequestrates thirty percent more CO2 and occupies a sixth of the space a tree grows in. This makes it ecologically and environmentally, a very important plant.

Bamboo can grow in any altitude, any type of soil and any climatic conditions. It requires minimum fertilizer and very little water.

Bamboo controls soil erosion and is therefore, planted on steep hills to control floods. The strength of bamboo is roughly equal to that of mild steel where as in density, it is as light as a bird’s bone.

Once bamboo is established which normally takes three years, it multiplies itself and continues to grow. And therefore, some bamboo could be invasive. But what is interesting is that the more you harvest bamboo, the better new culm it grows. This also means that unlike trees, you don’t have to worry about saving bamboo. If you don’t use bamboo and try to preserve it, it will be useless. Just like a fruit that you don’t eat will go bad!

Uses of bamboo are many and cannot be counted on fingers. From roots to leaves, from shoot to massive structures, from strength to beauty, no other plant can ever outshine bamboo. It is the most versatile plant and as soon as its first shoot appears, it is ready to serve humans.

Bamboo for construction

Not every kind of bamboo is good for structural purposes. Normally, the kinds found in the flatter land of tropical and sub-tropical regions are considered better for construction as opposed to those found in the mountains.

However, to ensure best output, one must be really careful in choosing species of bamboo.

Some of the best species are found in South America and Asia.

Bamboo has often been considered the poor man’s material. One of the reasons why this view is widely held is that bamboo decays and therefore, has to be changed frequently.

Another reason that people do not use bamboo is because of a lack of knowledge on how to modernize this material in a way that caters to modern sensibilities. With quality bamboo, proper connections, a good boot and a good hat any modern structure that cement and steel can build is also possible.

Adobe and Bamboo Research Institute (ABARI)

Impressed by the versatility of bamboo and inspired by the Colombian techniques of construction, ABARI was established by young architects, social workers and agronomists in Nepal.

Nepal possesses knowledge of sophisticated techniques of building with natural materials like earth, bamboo, stone and reed. Today, they are being replaced by a heavy influx of modern materials. Having witnessed the strength, durability, beauty and sustainability of these traditional buildings, ABARI, as a research and design firm tires to promulgate these materials into contemporary design practices.

To introduce bamboo as a modern construction material, we had to first address the issue of its regular maintenance. Bamboo has a high content of sap which attracts insects and termites. After a six month long period of research and going through many trials and errors,, we came up with a treatment plant which would prevent bamboo from being infected by termites and beetles. Our pressurized treatment system would replace the sap content with boron compound which will make its life longer. With the treated bamboo, our structures can last for more than thirty years.

We are the first and only organization in Asia so far which developed pressurized treatment plant at local level. It is portable, efficient and very easy to use. We have already sold our plant to India and Bhutan. Moreover, it is being demanded from all over the world including Mexico, Malaysia, and Fiji.

However, only the treatment of bamboo will not make it last forever. Bamboo is a natural material and one cannot expect it to do everything. But by using simple techniques and taking some precautions, it can do anything that steel and concrete can do. For instance, protect bamboo from direct sun and rain by giving it a large overhang, elevate it from the ground to prevent capillary action and employ different joint systems to keep bamboo firm and strong.

By using these simple techniques and our treated bamboo, we have built structures in India, Nepal, Uganda, Kenya and finally in Bhutan.

Another material we love is earth. When earth’s binding nature and bamboo’s strength is combined super structures that are ecological, economical, sustainable and beautiful can be built

ABARI is a small group of dedicated workers from different walks of life. In our workshop we are doing things that are bound to bring a revolution in architecture within a couple of years. Our lime plaster and waterproof mud plaster has given us increased confidence in these materials.

Alongside maintaining bamboo plantations with the help of the local community for a steady supply of quality bamboo, we have also collected 18 different species of bamboo from both inside and outside the country.

Moreover, we are prototyping different wall systems and joints using natural fibers and fabrics. We do not want to limit ourselves to structures only since bamboo has so many other uses. We want to combine it with different materials like wood, fabric, leather and canvas to produce hammocks, umbrellas, lamps, furniture, partitions, windows, doors etc. With the wasted or decayed bamboo, we make briquettes. Currently the cost is a little high and somewhat labor intensive but it is smokeless and burns for forty five mins.

Our next step is to create a bamboo gasifier to generate our own electricity.

Bamboo is abundant. It’s cheap, it’s ecological and it’s beautiful. Above all, it grows faster and therefore has to be used faster. We have tried this material and we trust this material.

We are confident in what we are doing. For us, bamboo is a gift from God and we know that it is the future!

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ARCHIVES Correspondence between the late Principal of National College of Arts, Mr. Shakir Ali and Mr. Hameed Ahmad Khan from Majlis-e-Taraqi-e-Adab, 1972

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