Works of graduating IVS students on display

Students have reflected real life experiences in their artwork

KARACHI: Artwork inspired by real life experiences of the graduating students of Indus Valley School of Art and Architecture (IVS) are on display at the school as part of its convocation that will be held on December 9.

With works of around 100 graduating students of five disciplines - architecture, interior design, communication design, textile design and fine arts - on display, IVS looked like a mini art museum during the show.

Life-changing moments in the lives of the artists often reflect in the artworks they create. Many students shared their private experiences which became a source of inspiration for their art on display.

A graduating student of the fine arts department, Raahima Junaid, worked on a project titled 'brain fog'. She tried to portray forgetfulness in her work.



"My personal experience is the inspiration of my thesis work since my ear-drum has been affected due to sinus problem," said Junaid. Drawing repetitive lines appeared to be a therapy to her which eventually transformed into her thesis work.

She has used a dry point technique of print in all her works which includes etching with a needle and adding ink to subsequently take out a print through press machine.

Syeda Anousha Hassan, who lost her mother and father to a bomb blast during a Muharram procession in 2009, reflected her personal tragedy in her thesis project. Her work included the video of the blast which was set to be played on a wall with the repetition of the sound of explosion, along with photographs of her parents.

An empty chair with a side lamp placed on a table complimented the video and photographs. Titled, 'Resilience - Imaan, Umeed aur Ishq', the work represented dark realms of human suffering and pain. "My work is about exploring the trauma and devastation that follows when hate devours precious innocent lives," she said.

Work of Syeda Anousha Hassan depicted her personal tragedy. PHOTO: ATHAR KHAN

The other half of her artwork was a room where long clothes with red stain marks were hanging with lots of plastered feet lying.

Zainab Muhammad Sheikhbhoy had made video installation with photography. Her work focused on artificial boundaries, which according to her, people created with religion, race and culture.

She showed a divided cityscape on segmented wooden and cloth surface. People share same geographical location yet they are divided due to difference in their perspectives, she said.

Maham Babar, who is to graduate in communication design, had created a mini-exhibition tilted 'Luthfullah archives and Museum'.

According to Babar, her project called for the need to preserve the rich history and culture of Pakistan following people like Luthfullah Khan, who was an archivist, extensive traveler and photographer. He maintained an enviable audio library collecting voice records. "Unfortunately, we do not remember him," she lamented.

Students are graduating in five disciplines which are architecture, interior design, communication design, textile design and fine arts. PHOTO: ATHAR KHAN

The artwork of Fahad Najam, student of architecture, was titled 'Architecture as an agent for rehabilitating the natural environment'. He had made a model which depicted an ecological approach towards architectural design. According to him, the habitat fragmentation and expanding urban settlements have damaged ecosystems. "Architecture can serve as an agent for harmonising the built and natural environments while preserving ecological diversity," he claimed.

A graduating student in interior design, Noorus Sabah, with her model, envisioned revival of an abandoned village, Bhit Kori, near Mubarak Village into a recreational resort for scuba divers. A certified scuba diver, she believes that there is a lot of scope for the growth of tourism in Pakistan.

She also depicted local crafts, designing of interior spaces and architecture in the abandoned town.