Tracing the Threads of Nostalgia and Memory: A Journey Through BNU’s Thesis Display

When it comes to art, the pieces that have always resonated deeply with me are the ones that explore the theme of nostalgia and invoice in you a memory you were not even familiar with– a sense of déjà vu so all-encompassing that for a minute, you’re suspended, looking at the world through the lens of another and still feeling the sense of familiarity. Edward Hopper is one of my favourite artists because of his representation of the loneliness and solitude in suburban America; and I have searched for that very, very often in art since then.

I like to believe that when artists use their personal memories and their emotions for another– either another person, their passions or even their outlook on the world– the work gains a certain complexity and depth that can not be replicated because it’s so individual to them. In fact, that is the strength of it– it takes you away from your little bubble of perception and puts you in a place where you can see the world from another light.

Nostalgia and memory seemed to me to be a recurring theme in BNU’s SVAD for the year 2023. It was what made quite a few of the works stand out to me and made me want to reach out to the artists to get a deeper look into why they had created the work they did. I was not let down– the insight that you gain from knowing why someone has created what they did is always a rejuvenating experience.

Tahreem Rizwan Qureshi’s project detailed the spectres and phantoms of Lahore’s historical buildings, adding to them an element of hypnosis– you look at the dizzying array of patterns and lights in the areas marred by the shadows of age and time, and you’re transported back to a time you were not even familiar with. It evokes a deep emotional and psychological response within you; Tahreem’s work gives these shrouded in darkness the soul and personality that had dwindled with time through her artistic projections. I had a very interesting conversation with her about her work displayed in the thesis. She told me how she had gotten inspired to bring about the cyberpunk culture to these areas– namely, DHA Phase 1 H block market, Liberty Market and Anarkali Market– to reimagine them as if in an alternate reality. When asked about mediums, she commented: “I don’t want to change the building’s structure or deform the façade in any way which is why I chose to project onto the facade.” She explained how she had tied the strings between the art movements from the 16th century and the 20th century to form an amalgamation of the both– a crossroads that converges into the past and the present in the way that memory itself shies away. She explained that this project was a stepping stone further into her artistic journey– “My aim was to create a mind-altering experience for my audience which is similar to a psychedelic trip without the consumption of the drug itself.” Tahreem talked to me about her future ventures; she is currently collaborating with the owner of Junoon restaurant to work on a new branch titled ‘Junoon Heritage’, located in Old Lahore. She mentioned how working on this project made her realise the steps and troughs of time eroding away at our history, social customs pushing these sites towards gentrification, people from all social strata and times somehow walking through these same paths made her want to give this inanimate object, one choke full of history, a voice. I asked Tahreem about what conversations she hopes to spark with this journey: “I had conversations with multiple people related to the architectural field and I gained further knowledge…I also had conversations with multiple psychologists who found my work interesting in terms of bringing parallel reality and escapism in architecture.”

Zuha Tareen has one of the projects I was left in awe over– I was with a close friend and we both spent our time looking through her representations of the grotesque and the unnerving in a manner that was so beautiful. We looked through the magazine displayed beside the project, titled “Perceptual Autopsies” which explored the thematic and ideological meaning behind the project, designed beautifully by Rehma Shehzad in collaboration with Zuha. The project aims to reframe psychoanalysis from the perspective of the artist, using the clinic as a metaphor. I saw sinews, tendons, blood and gore coating every crevice of the area; the horror and darkness of it all, the vision of teeth embedded into the gentle softness of a heart– it reminded me of an 80s slasher set in the best way possible. I did reach out to Zuha to talk to her about her project, and she talked to me about wanting to form a narrative through investigation, where the sculptures are specimens present in a laboratory and tested upon by an elusive doctor figure. There are pieces of poetic text that were attached to each piece, displayed in the zine crafted marvellously by the artist. This overlap of psychological dilemmas and artistic research resulted in the culmination of one of the most gnawing pieces I have seen. She talked about her artistic process and how she sat with the materials for a while before working on her project, making it as fast as possible. “My project ended up having a lot of varied elements by the end, so it was definitely a challenge to keep all of the plates spinning!” she explained. Her inspirations ranged from lyrical and literary influences such as Plath and Fiona Apple to visual artists such as Anish Kapoor and Salvador Dali. She explained why this project meant so much to her: “I feel that life truly becomes enriching when the mundane is celebrated first.”

Ayeshah Shariq truly took the reins of nostalgia, memory and family to form a project that is not only an ode to her maternal great-grandfather, Abdul Sami Azaad, but also an exploration of self, emotions, literature, and history. It aims to foster connections and bring in the individual with the collective to shape it into something cohesive, rather than abstract. Her thesis, she explains, is a look into an ordinary man’s perception of an ever-changing word. It utilises the Urdu language through hand-written notes and combines it with visual and sensory experiences to create a full experience that resonates with the on-looker. There are themes of migration, belonging and heritage embedded in her work, as well as an evident attempt to dismantle colonial structures that have dragged us away from our historical roots. What I found striking about Ayeshah’s work was how laden with nostalgia it is– “The work eventually transcended from nostalgia and began to materialise into ideas such as movement of people, objects, ideas of lineage and a man’s connection to nature.” I could see how she had strived to document archives and almost replicate history under the awning of the present. The initial surmise of her project was going through books and journals and exploring the materiality of the book, and then it transcended into videography to help with the progress of her work. “My work titled ‘In Loving Memory’ which is an interview with my grandmother about her father I believe was one of my strongest works,” she explained in conversation. Looking at the conversation which you could sit down and listen to as it played out for you, and listen to it through a set of headphones, I felt as if I was in an oddly familiar space with these absolute strangers– as if love transcends all boundaries and is a language without borders. There are many stories that Ayeshah hopes to explore on her journey ahead, and summed up her experience as: “My work is full of love and I hope that my work surrounds people with that same feeling.”

One of my favourite displays was from Imaan Asif Butt. I didn’t know the thematic significance of her project before I walked into the room– in fact, I was unnerved by the frequency of sound through the room, the hushed whispers, the flashing images dancing across the screen. Then, as I stood and watched, I realised I needed to observe it for longer. I sat down, crouching on the floor and spent at least 15 minutes merely marvelling at the sight in front of me. I looked at all the colours, the chaos of existence, the ambiguity of the images flashing before me and the serenity of the now hushed music that surrounded me in the dimly lit room and realised how much it means to just sit down and take in your perception of self. I later talked to Imaan about her project– she told me how it was inspired by Freudian theories and the Rorschach Inkblot Test. I studied Freud very deeply during my freshman year, where we explored the theory of the unconscious in connection with Oedipus Rex’s tragedy in Grecian Literature. Imaan included this theory in her thesis, making use of repressed thoughts, feelings, and memories, to access the realm of repressed memories and feelings facilitating self-reflection and valuable insights. Imaan told me about how her degree was one that combined many different elements together, and psychology was the one she fixated on and decided to make a part of her thesis. “ …The credit goes to Ms. Aman Karim, an ex-faculty member of BNU who’s a Clinical Psychologist and Assistant Professor of Psychology based in the Greater Toronto Area, Canada who inspired me and guided me throughout the process. I couldn’t have done it without her,” she explained in my conversation with her. She made use of a variety of tools to create ambiguous stimuli that could elicit an unconscious response, then used Adobe Photoshop and refined these with AI tools. She took her inspiration from the Abstract Expressionist movement, particularly the works of Jackson Pollock and other artists such as Salvador Dali and Max Ernst. Combined with the visual display was a personality test based on the Inkblot Test that questioned you about how you viewed different stimuli presented on screen, and gave you a cohesive response based on your choices– Imaan told me how she studied other personality tests such as 16 Personalities to prepare herself. Our conversation ended with her explaining to me the purpose of her research: “Ultimately, I aim to foster a deeper understanding of the human psyche and the transformative power of art.”

Another work that deeply resonated with me was Abdul Musavir Mir’s– the abstract vision of figures in insistent motion really resonated with me. It was as if they were suspended in a realm beyond my perception or sight, and I was there, looking on at someone’s memory enclosed in the trenches of time and space and unable to move. Even in its haphazard motions, the pieces instilled in me a deep-seated sense of stillness; one of the most unique senses of enigmas I have encountered. In conversation with Abdul, he explained: “It delves into the notion of disturbance, but in a subtle manner that perpetuates a sense of ambiguity throughout my work. I tackle the pressing issue of media saturation and the resulting desensitisation that stems from constant exposure to visuals.” When we are constantly exposed to hyper-consumerism and the fast-paced life of the 21st century, never stopping, never resting, even the most concrete of thoughts and memories become fragmentary. He aimed to capture that powerlessness and isolation in his work and did it exquisitely. He explained the elements that he included in his work; how these causes of dissonance came from smaller factors one might overlook– in his surroundings at university, and at home, it felt as if the lines between reality and fiction were blurring. I was reminded of the idea of Simulacra and simulated hyperrealities in the neo-liberal world of today in this conversation. He also talked about his influences for this venture, namely, Bani Abidi, Shilpa Gupta, Awiwe Wee and Damian Ortega. He explained the culmination of his venture very aptly: “We should strive to be less passive and docile. After all, this world is our shared home, and everyone deserves to inhabit equitable and inclusive spaces.”

One of my last conversations was with Minahil Atta Ullah– I found the vision of death and decay in her work deeply striking. I spent a lot of time going through the excess research and mind-mapping resources she had included alongside her thesis display, lining out the trajectory of her venture as well as the research that went into it. The blue, greens and striking blood reds were intensified by the use of varying textures. It was aptly described as “ a special emphasis on the beauty inherent in deterioration.” Minahil discussed with me how she spent three weeks observing, photographing and then recreating the textures of fruits in different stages of rot and decay, using 3D manipulation and the production of textiles as a part of her work. She also used eco-printing as a resource amongst others. Minahil explained that her research aims to promote a shift in perspective and embrace the transformative power of personal vision by questioning traditional concepts of attractiveness. Her investigation, thus, provides proof that the saying; “beauty truly lies in the eye of the beholder” is true, by fusing fabrics with the mesmerising visual of rotting fruit.