FITFD, Institute of Art & Design
Prologue;
Competition, talent, hard-work, presentation all these words seem more like a metaphor when a viewer tries to find the lacking in his own self, while examining a piece of Art because for a viewer a piece of art is nothing more than his self-reflection. These are the words of a wise man whom later on marked his legacy in the history of mankind. It was Leonardo Da Vinci (of course you didn’t know that).
As I walked around seemingly like a goof to the over excited yet tired and anxious students of the Institute of Art & Design Faisalabad, I wandered with the lust of curiosity that I usually carry around.
The purpose was to collect data about the state and work of Pakistan’s young and emerging graduates in the field of Arts, Fashion & Textile Design. & here I was fulfilling my eternal and sworn duty as the White Knight of South Punjab’s fields of textile and fashion design sectors, on behalf of BTL Studios and Fashion Creeks — period. (Quote) Believe me I love consuming BTL’s & FC’s budgets on my trips, that’s a Hush Hush between you and me (Unquote).
Medial;
Alright! So here’s how it rolled!
The Juggernaut:
I know it sounds weird why a Juggernaut well to be honest I have been playing Call of Duty a lot recently so that’s the first thing that came into mind thinking about the work and presentation of Zoha Safdar. She took it all head on like a freaking Juggernaut and no doubt presented herself on the front-lines with the best she had. Presenting her work and showcasing it in a fully ethical manner. The topic she covered were attires based on the following;
Theme: Chocolates
Inspiration: Tharparkar
Mood: Fusion
& what better way to describe it, other than her own words. So these are the words she memorized like a fortune telling parrot;
“Sometimes we have to remind ourselves to find something beautiful in ordinary. The journey from cocoa tree to chocolate bar is not complex, but it requires several steps. Different ingredients add flavors and colors to the dull life of chocolate so to add interest in it I fused the chocolate to the colors of the traditions and culture of Tharparkar. Tharparkar is a small district located Southeast of Sindh Pakistan. The name Tharparkar derives from Thar which means Thul (a town in Sindh), and Parkar means to cross over. I used the colors and palette of tones of Earth, (Soil — Dirt). The relation between chocolate and Tharparkar represents the common factors between Desert Soil and Cocoa Plant till its journey to being made and produced as a chocolate.”
It’s her penchant of creativity that’s intriguing. To take up a traditional attire as a source of Motivation and to use the Colors of Chocolate as an inspiration.
Angel of Atlantis
As Atlantis sank, reaching the bottom of the ocean with all its cultures traditions leaving just a mystery behind. Arsh’s work was somewhat in the same context. Obviously her topic was not the Angel of Atlantis, it’s my personal touch with a strawberry topping. Yes! I do, I do love Atlantis’ mystery and that is why I am using Angel of Atlantis as a headline to write about Arsh’s work. Coral Reef, Aquatic life. Arsh presented herself as the savior of all the oceans just like the Angel of Atlantis but that was a bit exaggerating for herself too. She knew that, but didn’t let that influence her confidence and surety of what she is presenting and what her work was.
Arsh described;
“I wanted to show the beauty of Aquatic life and the corals are themselves the reincarnation of eternal beauty showing even after death there’s life and beauty, we should strive harder on saving the aquatic life from various factors like water pollution etc. & my work is based on all that.”
Well! Yup, you are thinking the right thing. A lot of questions and opinions might be rising in that cute brain of yours. But worry not, she meant what she said. Her work spoke for itself.
Galleries! Corridors! Doors. I was wandering more curious than I have ever been. It had been a while since the PIFD & NCA Chronicles that I have been this curious. Faisalabad’s environment was quite pleasing, they were a bit different, the peeps there. From the poorest to the richest goofs, they all had that satisfaction and self-purity in them. I have not been able to find it anywhere else in Pakistan. Yup the whole Pakistan and I mean all Provinces and cities. Yes, been there done that.
The Clockwork Goblin:
Where’s the graduate that worked on this project? Excuse me, do you know where can I find the Girl who worked on this project? Hi, do you know whose work is this? & she was nowhere to be found. It was unethical and a lot of questions came to my mind. To name a few, — (Seriously can someone be this irresponsible? Why isn’t she here with her work? It’s her presentation and thesis work MAN!) It was no use thinking like this I knew that! She might have her reasons but who am I to judge. Right? … Yeah Right!
No worries, I remembered one project that I worked a few years back and it was also Clockwork Mechanism those were the days when I was still a Fashion Designing student and seemingly a nobody. From a viewer’s point of view that’s what I thought about the work.
“Execution’s good, Presentation is up to the mark! The theme might be on the mechanism of Clockwork and Gears or most probably TIME, but the student had no time for her own work”
It’s the 3rd cup of coffee I am having right now, not to mention 3:39 AM. Am I being too hard on these youngsters? Or do I really need to push through, to let them know what they lack or even if they don’t lack, Perfection is still a void. What do you say? … I know you can’t say anything! (& I am laughing hard at that, right now). That was just to get your attention as of now, because the journey is near to its completion.
A Viking with THOR’s Hammer:
Many of you might not know much about Norse mythology. Thor is among the Norse gods and is the son of Oden also known as the Ruler of Valhalla. A Viking is the follower of Oden and Norse gods and is by nature a hard headed warrior, who just drinks hard and bashes his axes and swords in the battlefield in hope to die and be welcomed to Valhalla (Heaven) by Oden himself. As the headline and title suggests (A Viking with THOR’s Hammer) Hassan here fits that profile perfectly. Representing himself as a Viking and on top of that He was literally wielding Thor’s hammer at that moment. (Thor’s Hammer is a weapon wielded by Thor himself and no one other than Thor can wield it due to its purity and mere humans couldn’t even move the Hammer because for them it weighs more than the Mountains — Norse Mythology).
You might be wondering what’s all this fuss about and what’s its link to thesis work of a student in Institute of Art & Design. Be patient you will know!
Hassan’s work was attires, head gears and accessories based on;
Theme: Surrealism
Inspiration: Art Work
Mood: Effusive
Surrealism is an Art Movement based on Post World War I in the Great Depression Era. Where artists started painting, making sculptures etc. to raise awareness and to try to put an end to the Great Depression Era.
According to the presentation and description provided by Hassan;
“I worked on Surrealism and made these attires, head gears, accessories and footwear to represent the current state of Depression affecting the people of Pakistan and through this work I wanted to create awareness. I made and used my own techniques for the preparation of textured fabrics etc. …”
I was moved by the spirit of this young boy. But now you might understand why Hassan’s role seem exactly like (A Viking with Thor’s Hammer). It’s obvious his work was great but is it leading him in the right direction? Combining and trying to represent two Eras in the same is like playing with fire. There’s a lot and to mention wildly Visible differences between “The Great Depression Era” & The current state of Pakistan, the current state of Pakistan is prosperous not that the people are in depression due to war. Realism is itself the meaning of reality and awareness. & that’s why I had the longest session of questions & answers with Hassan than any other student. I guided that soul and played my role in this Play of Life. Giving him best wishes and prayers for success in future.
With that in the last few hours I visited The Painting Displays of FITFD’s students among which I found the following painting oddly satisfying.
The Extremity;
All in all, Faisalabad kept its promise of everlasting pool of talent and creativity in the Fields of Fashion & Textile Design. FITFD, Institute of Art & Design was the finest host among all. I didn’t get the time to meet with the HOD’s and the Admins of the College, but I sure do plan to meet them, to appreciate their work and throw my hat off in front of them. Because of their efforts and their hard work, the students are nourishing their skills & talents and are being provided with a platform to showcase their inner Artistes. I would like to wish all the students of FITFD that are going to graduate soon, a joyous and successful life ahead. And to the emerging juniors and students of FITFD keep up with your seniors, Guys! you need to compete with their portrayals. In the last, the moment I can never forget during my visit was the Work of Amir on Stammering, his work was quite unique and among the best of all. To appreciate and contribute his work I will be writing an article solely dedicated to Amir’s work. & with that hope you guys liked this article. Sayonara! Till next time …
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