Textile exhibition: Designs inspired from kufic script on display

LAHORE:

The letters and other patterns in the designs are inspired from the kufic, one of the earliest scripts in which the Quran was written, says Iram Zia Raja, the National College of Arts Textile Department head.

She was speaking to The Express Tribune at the opening day of Translating Traditions, Transforming Textiles, exhibition of her 11 textile designs at Zahoor ul Akhlaq gallery.

Raja says the patterns are made using gold laces and threads. “Kufic script has always been a source of inspiration for me. The lines in this script are straight and simple, she adds.

She says the colour palette she has chosen for the fabric is more modern. “I have used orange and red more than any other colours,” she adds.

She says her work represents a balance between the old and the new. “It offers a contemporary take on tradition,” she adds. Raja says in most of her work she has focused on exploring the relationship between tradition and contemporary trends in the society.

“I have read and experienced a vast variety of things in my career. All those influence my work,” She says.

The displayed work was well received by the visitors on Thursday. Sajida Omar, a visitor, says she particularly liked the use of gold laces and threads in the designs.

The exhibition was inaugurated by writer Intezar Hussain. It will continue till June 15.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 12^th, 2015.