Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy’s exhibit will take you back to Partition days

Film-maker reflects on the largest migration ever witnessed through historic display in Lahore

In the exclusive and immersive exhibit, two-time Academy Award-winning film-maker Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy reflects on the largest mass migration ever witnessed, which took place 70 years ago.

‘HOME1947’ put a human face on history and asked as to what it meant to find and feel at home.

The unique showing collects stories from people who left their homes and crossed borders during the 1947 partition of the Indian subcontinent. ‘HOME1947’ will display these refugee narratives in the form of photography, sound design short documentaries and installations to be displayed at the Heritage Now festival at Al-Hamra Arts Council in Lahore. The display will be open for public on October 21 and 22, 2017 from 10am to 8pm. CNIC cards will be required for entry – making it all the more secured.



The demonstration will also be travelling to Karachi at the Frere Hall on November 17, 2017.

PHOTO: FILE

The presentation is a deeply personal exploration of the lives and stories of the millions that were displaced in 1947 during the creation of two new independent states, India and Pakistan. The display will include a series of documentary films, a gallery installation, an experiential virtual reality and sound installation, recreating the long-lost sights, sounds and smells of what millions once called home. As the refugee crisis continues to affect millions across the world, ‘HOME1947’ shows the audience, partition not through the words of historians and politicians, but through the eyes of those who lived through it.



“‘Home1947’ is an ode to my grandparents' generation whose stories I grew up listening to. As you walk through the installation, imagine the journeys people made, the conversations that were interrupted, the broken friendships and promises, the playgrounds children left behind, the empty corridors of their homes and those suitcases of memories locked away forever. Home1947 is a deeply personal reflection of partition... from one generation to another...” stated Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy.

‘HOME1947’ was first showcased at the Manchester International Festival earlier this year with the support of the British Council as part of its programming to celebrate 70 years in Pakistan and its effort to support artistic expression in UK and South Asia to strengthen cultural ties. This project is co-commissioned by Manchester International Festival, British Council and Superslow Way.

Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy’s award winning documentary Song of Lahore, which narrates the creative journey of some of Lahore’s oldest musicians, now part of the Sachal Orchestra, will be making its Lahore premiere during the Heritage Now festival on October 21. This will be followed by a live performance by the Sachal Orchestra the same evening.

Heritage Now aims to bring together heritage and museum professionals from around the world as an initiative to promote dialogue and discourse on preservation of heritage in Pakistan. It is also an endeavour to contemporise heritage, both tangible and intangible, through the lens of culture and arts.

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