Reviving tradition: Artisans attract visitors by displaying skills

A week-long exhibition at Lok Virsa invites people to see how crafts are made.

An exhibition on cultural heritage is ongoing as part of the Pakistan Week celebrations at Lok Virsa, the National Institute of Folk and Traditional Heritage, according to a press release.

Over a 100 master artisans can be seen at work in cultural pavilions, putting their creativity in arts, crafts and innovation.

Attractions include embroidered items from across the country, block printing, lacquer work, pottery, tie and dye, dolls, khaddar, truck art, woodwork, papier mache, metal work, shawls, zari work, motikari, traditional carpets, ajrak, wax printing and stonework.

A multi-talented artisan, Zulfiqar Ghazi specialises in the famous Kashmiri art of papier mache. He is also an accomplished artist in stain glass, fabric designing and traditional furniture painting. Ghazi paints landscapes, floral motifs, birds, animals and Mughals in his paintings as well on papier mache artifacts.

Traditional crafts on display and artisans at work at a week-long exhibition at Lok Virsa. PHOTO: COURTESY LOK VIRSA

Lok Virsa’s executive director Khalid Javaid said “Pakistan with its rich and varied heritage has a craft tradition dating back to the Mehergarh civilization in Balochistan, when reveals the earliest evidence for pottery production. The Indus Valley civilization of Mohenjodaro in Sindh and Harappa civilization in Punjab indicates impressions of woven cloth production from cotton and wool.

The crafts represent a valuable material heritage, which forms a tangible part of our historical and contemporary culture. Most traditional crafts in Pakistan are a product of social practices. The onslaught of the industrial age is erasing this craft heritage, even in rural areas. But there is a recent trend towards displaying crafts as art objects in urban homes. Historic forms and designs are being revived both by the increasing number of trained craftsmen and by designers for export.

The Pakistan Week celebrations will continue till January 7.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 5^th, 2013.