Bachelors’ theses: Artists explore identity, technology, visual forms

Annual degree show of the Mariam Dawood School of Visual Arts and Design features the work of 53 graduating students.

LAHORE:

“The work on display at the BNU degree show this year has many common threads. They generate a lively visual dialogue. The artists deal with form and fabrication, new technologies, notions of personhood and identity, urban aspirations and dystopia,” artist Rashid Rana told The Express Tribune on Saturday.

The annual degree show of the Mariam Dawood School of Visual Arts and Design (MDSVAD) features the work of 53 graduating students in textile design, visual arts, visual communication design, fashion design and jewellery and accessory design. It started on May 29 at BNU’s Tarogil Campus and will conclude on June 1(today).

Fashion design

Zafaryab Farooq’s high-end prêt-a-porter collection, Beyond the Red Border of Time, has been well received for its “creativity and finesse”.

Farooq says he has been inspired by the works of surrealist artist Salvadore Dali.  “My thesis collection aims to express a feeling of entrapment. As a fashion statement, it is classical yet bold… it also represents my notion of beauty… in time context,” he said.

Thesis Advisor Pakeeza Khan said that this was the first batch of fashion design graduates. She said they had combined their creativity and knowledge of the fashion industry to realise a diverse and exciting collection. “They have worked hard and equipped themselves with the skills necessary to succeed in this highly competitive industry.”

Textile design

As many as five students are graduating in textile and fibre studies.

Hina Arjumand Butt, whose thesis was titled When the Curtains Fall, says she is interested in how visuals are perceived and interpreted differently. She says her work explores the visual form of the burqa. “In my work the woman is not present but the silhouette of the burqa exists. It carries the identity that people associate with women who wear it,” said Butt.

Visual arts 

As many as 22 students are graduating in visual arts.

Saman Sohail Dar says he uses objects to indicate the absence of the human body. “My installations initiate a conversation and trigger memories of loss. These works are intended to transport the viewer in time, to recreate a reality that is not there, but is present in my mind,” he said.

Wajeeha Batool says “My work speaks to identity, through the use of characters from media, cinema, or fairytales. She says she selected images, and manipulated them digitally or through painting.

Jewellery and accessory design

As many as four students are graduating in jewellery and accessory design. Thesis Advisor Sumaira Malik says each thesis represents a unique answer to a set of questions. Umer Javed says his thesis Broken Words explores the role of language, accents, fluency and stammering.  He says he has rendered these themes into seven jewellery pieces.

Visual communication design

As many as 18 students are graduating in visual communication design with bachelors and seven with masters’ degrees in art and design studies.

Dean Salima Hashmi says the thesis exhibition is the proverbial grand finale at any art and design school. She says “This is the moment when we step back and take a proud yet critical look at the work of our graduating class. It is a time for celebration for students and faculty, but also a time for reflection and self-assessment. We look forward for ways we can develop further”.

She says she hopes that all of the graduates have realised their potential and ere stepping into the real world, ready for all challenges. “We also hope they hold on to their dreams and ideals and make the world a better, more winsome, place!”

Published in The Express Tribune, June 1^st, 2014.