Art graduates exhibit form and finesse

Many works, however, lacked creativity.

ISLAMABAD:

From pink ball gowns to safari suits, the Pakistan Institute of Fashion and Design thesis display had just about all.

The graduating class of fashion design, textile design, jewellery and gemmological sciences and furniture design and manufacturing put their best foot forward at the Pakistan National Council of the Arts (PNCA) on Thursday.

The National Art Gallery was set for the students to display their work and engage visitors. Each exhibit had its details hanging next to it, giving the viewer an insight into the piece’s raison d’etre. Their creators, the students, stood proudly by their work explaining the driving force behind their work.

Visitors were first introduced to the fashion design students work, set on mannequins.

First up was Hisham Malik’s “Aleph o Zahir”, dresses that portrayed diversity and unity. In an attempt to showcase the dichotomy of nature embedded within several cultures, Malik used symmetrical flowers, stars and snowflake shapes created with white cloth for emphasis. However while the stitching was detailed, the shade of white in Malik’s clothes gave off a dusty look.

Next up, “neo nomadism”, Scheherazade Sohail’s work, is inspired by the present day urban life.

“The aim of this thesis is to create a clothing palette for a neo nomadic social paradigm set in an alternative future,” said the young designer. Her clothes are made with earthy colours to evoke an old nomadic feel, but are touched up with urban taste.

Another eye-catching exhibit was Aleeza Abbasi’s “man machine”. She took inspiration from F-16 Fighting Falcon jet, creating a jumpsuit without legs, to give space for movement. With simple cut lines consisting of jackets complete with badges, her work seemed trendy and well-stitched.

The textile students were not to be outdone though.

Aina Hijazi’s ‘turtle rescue” featured beach items such as beach towels, mats, umbrella. Completing a long lasting beach match, she used cotton and polyester in order to keep the sandy grains of the beach from spoiling the mat.

Her collection, however, is not only about funky colourful beach accessories. She also hopes to help green turtles in Karachi. “Green turtles are Pakistan’s unique treasure, they lay their eggs and build their homes on the shores of Karachi, however picnickers destroy their eggs and homes [by walking on the beach]. Though this collection I’m looking forward to [spread awareness on the issue],” she said.

“Metamorphosis from ethnic to neo ethnic” was another eye catcher at the display. Seemal Sikander designed contemporary outdoor chairs with bright colourful embroidery inspired from Ndebele, an African tribe.

Shireen Zafara’s furniture collection titled “Illusions” created an impressive benchmark for other students. She has used straight-cut designs with glass, steel and wood to create visual illusions for the viewer.

Overall, while students demonstrated finesse and mastery of technique, most of them failed to stand out creatively. However, the departments of jewellery design and gemmological sciences seemed to have thought out of the box and created pieces that attracted most attention. Sara Azam Khan’s “jewellery as a tool for dealing with nervous habits” was an interesting take on dealing with habits such as nail biting, complete with changeable studded tops providing an option for formal and informal wear.

The exhibition continues till November 22.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 26^th, 2012.