Khalifa Manzil
Photograph by Arif Mahmood
The City of Brass: Antiques Display | A Hafeez
Photograph by Humayun Memon
The City of Brass is one of the many stories found in Alif Laila and, as with many of the tales, it starts with a story within a story. In Damascus, a Caliph is in conversation with his courtiers, one of who relates to him the tale of a fisherman who caught a brass bottle in his net. This bottle contained a wicked djinn, sealed within by Hazrat Sulaiman (AS). Intrigued, the Caliph issues a quest in search for the brass bottles: physical reminders of Hazrat Sulaiman’s greatness and magnanimity. They travel to the City of Brass, named for the two brass towers that loom above the walled city. An unknown calamity has struck and its inhabitants lie dead in their homes and shops. The travellers happen upon the remains of a princess, her body guarded by statues of copper. A letter by her reveals what happened to the city: a famine that struck down an otherwise prosperous population. She reminds her readers that none can escape death and welcomes all to the treasures of the city, save the jewels she wears. When one of the travellers attempts to take her necklace, he is executed by one of the copper statues. The others leave with their treasures and the bottles back to Syria, where the djinns are set free and granted forgiveness.
Like the bottles that were remnants of Hazrat Sulaiman’s legacy and the treasures of the city, these antiques shall continue to pass on from generation to generation, their value preserved as long as there remains someone to tell their stories.
Dastaan Dewangi—A Story of Obsession | Emad bin Abid, Saman Gaziani, Hasan ul Haq, Mehak Irshad, Luluwa Lokhandwala (Habib University)
Medium: 2D Animation
This animation relates Emperor Jehangir’s quest to win the hand of Noor Jehan. It evokes the Mughal architectural and artistic influences that have shaped the Walled City and the Picture Wall in particular. Regarded as the largest mural in the world, it was commissioned by Emperor Jehangir and is made from a section of the Lahore Fort’s boundary wall. It depicts an array of mosaics, frescos and tile work, featuring a variety of images, including battles scenes, fictional creatures and animals. Viewers will be able to identify a distinctive Mughal aesthetic in the colours and imagery of the animation, most notably in the floral motifs that are featured. Through poetry, music and colour, Dastaan Dewangi tells a tale for the ages and builds upon the Walled City’s penchant for storytelling.
Instructors: Umair Azfar Khan and Saima Zaidi
Noah’s Ark | Aiman Hasan, Fatima Mashood, Hamza Masroor, Haya Danish Rafiq, Saniya Shah Zaidi (Habib University)
Materials: Wood, sensors, led lights
Photograph by Humayun Memon
This interactive installation is inspired by the story of the Prophet Nuh (AS) or Noah, who built an ark to save the believers from the flood. The tale has been reimagined in Islamic calligraphy, which lights up when you move your hand over it through its incorporation of sensors. Zoomorphic motifs depict a few of the animals that accompanied Hazrat Nuh. Designed by an interdisciplinary team of computer science and communication design students, this projects demonstrates new ways to experience some of our most timeless narratives.
Instructors: Umair Azfar Khan and Saima Zaidi
Stellar | Sarah Khan
Materials: Petri dish, bacterial cultures, agar
Photograph by Humayun Memon
The Golden Age of Islamic scholarship (9th-13th Century) at the intersection of mathematics and astronomy yielded decades of intensive writings on the patterns and movements of celestial bodies. Many stars still retain their original Arabic names. This series depicts the constellation Al Dubb Al Akbar (Ursa Major) in microbial art; created with no less than an octillion of bacterial cells in petri dishes of agar (a jelly-like nutrient for the bacteria). Al Dubb Al Akbar is the largest constellation in the Northern hemisphere and the third largest in the sky. These celestial bodies are observable only from the Northern hemisphere, including most of Asia and, of course, the Walled City. Playing with the natural colours and textures of the bacterial cultures, this piece of living art is an amalgamation of art, biology, mathematics and astronomy.
Intezaar Ka Dusra Rukh—Waiting and the Other side of Waiting | Azeem Hamid
Materials: LED DMX 512 Spotlights
Photograph by Humayun Memon
Intezar Ka Dusra Rukh is an interpretation and imagining of two aspects of love—longing and anticipation. The various states of light in its shades, gradients and transitions correlate and complement the waxing and waning of two people connected by love. The visual display transcends the barrier between tangible words and abstract emotions.
This installation pays homage to Saadat Hasan Manto’s classic narratives Intezaar and Intezaar Ka Dusra Rukh. Intezaar tells of a young man getting ready to meet his beloved, while Intezar Ka Dusra Rukh relates the same of his counterpart. The pair must overcome complications of both heart and mind, as well hindrances from family to meet each other. The lights engage in a similar dance, communicating through windows and across the barriers of the scaffolding that encases the building. As one light fades, we await the next.