n thingfest 2017 SVAD’s annual event, NothingFest, is yet another proud moment enabling BNU’s brightest products to display their immense talent and dynamism and the vast expanse of their fertile imagination. For BNU, it presents an opportunity to exhibit to the world the richness of our founding principles that espouse the delivery and active promotion of a holistic, high quality, enlightened liberal arts education which equips our graduates to not only acquire a more empathetic appreciation of global developments but also empowers them to exploit the resulting opportunities. A Liberal Arts education is rooted in learning and absorbing socio-economic realities and values. Its foundations lie in ethical thinking and convergence of ideas that ow from an exposure to widely varied, yet specialized, academic disciplines. It is our rm belief that those graduating from universities today should have the technical, creative and social skills that endow them with the capability to connect with the outside world with con dence. Shahid Ha z Kardar Vice Chancellor Beaconhouse National University The core of SVAD’s vision is to stay abreast of contemporary thought with a broad-based approach to education and knowledge dissemination. Hence, it has undertaken various projects that go beyond conventional classroom set up; rede ning pedagogical systems to creatively address present-day educational needs. Projects such as Humnawa by Textile, Fashion & Jewelry Department, Stories We Tell by Visual Arts and Art Education Department and Hamari Hariyali, Hamari Kamai by Visual Communication Design Department are examples of endeavors by SVAD that have not only fostered community engagement but have also won International awards for their strategic relevance and signi cance.
NothingFest is a project in the same direction that liberates SVAD students from prescribed 'art and design' curriculum for a week, introducing them to a variety of ideas from a diverse range of disciplines, ensuring active participation through interactive formats and playful thematic premise.
Rohma Khan, the Director of the rst edition of NothingFest brings together distinguished people from a wide array of specializations. Sociologist to physicist, scientist to activist and musician to philosopher, all under one platform to explore the theme of "Nothing", through a series of talks and talk-shops eventually encapsulating everything; encouraging holistic, cross-disciplinary dialogue generating innovative thoughts and new ideas. Rashid Rana Dean Mariam Dawood School of Visual Arts & Design Arts and visual culture in the contemporary era, as well as in the annals of history, have been constantly evolving with its practitioners striving to stimulate and seduce the world they inhabit in new and meaningful ways. Being engaged in an increasingly pluralistic environment, the challenge of perceiving and responding to the ux of information and technology calls for global citizens, at large, and artists, designers and educators, in particular, to nd new ways of experiencing and imparting knowledge and information. The shift from traditional aesthetics demands for innovative pedagogical practices for the teaching and understanding of art and design.
The School Of Visual Arts and Design (SVAD) at Beacon- house National University has led the way for artists and designers in Pakistan to realize their creative potential, cutting across national and cultural boundaries, fostering a unique vision that enables signi cant contribution to the visual world. Being at the forefront of nding innovative ways of imparting quality education, SVAD has come up with an exclusive week-long program of exploring the notion of “Nothing!”
Nothing as a concept can yield to various possibilities of looking at the mundane, hackneyed and banal concepts of “everyday” in a new aesthetic realm. The avalanche of information we live in currently demands a different kind of processing system; a system that can be selective of the sensory perceptions, where the human mind can be in control of the on/off switch. Practicing “nothing” could help become aware of these processes of mind. This could also be related to the conscious development of low latent inhibition, whereby one treats familiar stimuli the same as new stimuli, harnessing a creative and imaginative outlook on the mundane.
Larry David, the man behind the most popular sitcom of the 90’s, “Seinfeld” is said to have based the entire show on nding material for comedy from the everyday/nothing. Shahrukh Khan, re ecting on his father’s life often quotes him: "Jo kuch nahin kartey, wo kamal kartay hain” (Those who do nothing, do wonders!), which sought relevance in the famous quote by Benedict Cumberbatch, in the Imitation Game played by Alan Turing: “Sometimes it's the very people who no one imagines anything of who do the things no one can imagine.” How does this happen? How does observation of mental traf c lead to meditation and catharsis?
This week of experience and interaction at SVAD, BNU will open up a discourse on the above. Looking at the world and life from this vantage point is the acknowledgement of the fact that the root to wisdom begins from a wandering and wondering mind. As Socrates said: "I know one thing; that I know nothing."
Rohma Khan Director NothingFest 2017 | BNU-SVAD
DAY 01 24TH APRIL 2017 MONDAY DAY 01 24TH APRIL 2017 MONDAY
HINGF RASHID NOT EST 20 RANA 17
OPENING REMARKS ROHMA 12:00 noon KHAN Slass Auditorium
NOTHING NG WI NO TALK 1 K "Know that you know 12:30 pm nothing" - This Socratic thought Slass is the acceptance of a belief that Auditorium every meaningful journey begins in a realm “unknown”. While most people spend their entire lives trying to buy security from the unknown, some stare into a blank future, embrace uncertainty and aspire to create value where there is none. This session grapples with what drives entrepreneurs to choose the uncertain path, accept high levels of risk and plunge into JUNAID unseen and unknown territories with conviction and dreams - as they IQBAL dare to create everything out of nothing. HER EXCELLENCY, DR. BRIGITTA BLAHA SHAHBAZ TALKTALK 2 TASEER 12:302:00 pmPM Slass Auditorium Auditorium TH E IM In the PO RT TV series "The Crown", AN C E the character based on Queen O F Elizabeth is con icted between staying N O detached and neutral in certain political T H I situations or taking action based on her personal N biases. As she grapples with this dilemma, she is G N told by her grandmother 'To do nothing is the hardest E S
S
job of all. To be impartial is not natural. People will
I
N
always want you to frown or smile - and the minute you
D
I
do, you will have declared a point of view. And that's the P L
one thing, as sovereign, you cannot do.' O
At times, doing nothing may be an appropriate course M A
T
of action in diplomacy. I C
Dr. Brigitta Blaha, Austrian Ambassador to R
E
L
Pakistan, will be addressing the role of A
T
I
nothingness within her area of expertise as O
N she speaks about her vast experiences S with diplomacy across the globe. DAY 01 TALKSHOPS 01 24TH APRIL 2017 3:30 - 5:00 MONDAY M CE AND OHALLA SPA LIV G- ES DR. AMEN IN In I H N T everyday usage, nothing LA JAFFER O H N O is generally conceptualized as R an absence. But why use this concept E only as a negative? While nothing can be understood as the absence of things, our universe is not composed of things alone. Thinking in spatial terms, nothing can be the area 01 between things. And this space, though devoid of things, is not empty at all but contains the many ROOM relations between things. Applying this understanding to neighbourhoods and bazaars can 406 lead us to rethink the importance of this nothing-space. This presentation will explore nothing-space in the Mozang area of Lahore and demonstrate its signi cance for de ning the spatial, social, and political order of this dense locality. OTHING-GLAS E N S: O TH PE H NI UG N O Drawing on G R A H T Shakespeare - King Lear, L IT E primarily, as well as Hamlet - and R MINA MALIK A 20th century literature (Walcott, Pinter, R HUSSAIN Y etc), this talk-shop will examine how the D Nihilist/Thanatos impulse has driven O O
02 character and creator alike; how nothing R
I
became part of the modern condition and N T
how writers have dealt with that in their O
ROOM T
texts. This will be followed by a theatre H
405 E
activity at the end - using Peter Brooks' D A
R idea of the empty space to K generate a creative something out of nothing. ENCING N PERI OTH EX ING “You N ES SLASS S need to learn how to -N O select your thoughts just the T A same way you select your S
clothes every day. This is a power A
C SHAHNAZ you can cultivate. If you want to O
N
MINALLAH control things in your life so bad, work C E
on the mind. That's the only thing you P
T
03 should be trying to control.” Elizabeth B
U
Gilbert. This will be an engaging T
R
session of talks and meditative E
A
exercises that will make you L I
T experience happiness Y through nothingness.
NG THI NO T: This THING-GLA C NO SS: A will be an interactive HE OP ’S T EN T H I E workshop on the UG N L O G fundamentals of theater exploring R A IRAM H T L the theme of Nothingness. In this IT E SANA R session, the participants will use the A R 04 tool of theater and develop 3-5 minute Y skits as outcomes of the session. They will D O explore the paradigm of using absence to O
R ROOM reveal presence. Iram Sana will mentor
I
N 407 the participants during the workshop T
O
by introducing the philosophy of T
H deconstruction and recreate E
D the argument of Nothing. A
R K DAY 01 TALKSHOPS 02 24TH APRIL 2017 5:15 - 7:00 MONDAY
Movie 01 SLASS TEE AUDITORIUM JE LA
MIRA HASHMI Call it Nothing: The rst stroke on a canvas or a
G drum or the rst line in a verse N I comes from somewhere. Call it H T Nothing - Call it Silence. Farhad O Humayun will discuss his chase for N
T adventure that frequently convolves into I
L nothingness and silence, and when in L
A that moment he can hear the most C magni cent music and see the most glorious colours and 02 forms.
SVAD COURTYARD FARHAD HUMAYUN
DAY 02 25TH APRIL 2017 TUESDAY DAY 02 25TH APRIL 2017 TUESDAY
FROM NOT ING HING YTH ER nahīñ EV TALK 1 nigāh meñ manzil to justujū hī sahī... 12:30-1:30 pm nahīñ visāl mayassar to aarzū hī sahī Slass (Faiz Ahmed Faiz) Auditorium The elds of education and academia have this aim, the constant struggle to create something great through the coming together of innovative and creative minds. This session with one of Pakistan's greatest educators, Dr. Umar Saif, endeavors to unfold how the creation of great works are born through struggles DR. UMAR into the dark, how hope and desire SAIF builds everything from nothing. S T O P What happens D O I when you choose to do N G nothing about what you feel N and why do you continue to O T choose to do nothing? What H
I happens to me when you do nothing N and what happens to you when I do. G Mohammad Jibran Nasir’s talk will be a journey into his political activism, focusing on the role that is not being played by people who are equipped to bring change.
TALK 2 2:00-3:00 pm JIBRAN Slass NASIR Auditorium DAY 02 TALKSHOPS 01 TH S A MODE OF 25 APRIL 2017 G A RESE 3:30 - 5:00 HIN What AR OT CH TUESDAY N -A G does it mean to conduct C IN TI O research with no agenda? What V D IS 01 does it mean to do activism with no M HASHIM agenda? What does it mean to be amidst a BIN RASHID political struggle as a researcher and activist without an agenda? Sharing encounters with shing communities ghting contract shing, ood affectees attempting to understand the oods, displaced slum dwellers protesting for resettlement and villagers facing an encroaching housing scheme, the speakers will force the participants to think about what it would mean to go ZAINAB into these spaces without a concrete agenda. MOLVI Contrasting it with approaching these issues through the lens of an NGO, a charity, a lmmaker, a researcher, a journalist, or a political party, the workshop will attempt to work with the participants to think about what you lose out when approaching a space with ROOM an agenda. 406
Our G IN current generations H T are constantly bombarded with E M a plethora of visual information. We O wake up to go on Facebook, Instagram, S F Pinterest, Snapchat et al, where we absorb O
MAHGUL T huge amounts of information. We are U
O constantly connected and there is a constant RASHID
G ow of information. With all the advantages this N
I may have, we face a huge disadvantage: lack of
ROOM H
T originality. This occurs because the entire world
405 O
N has the same points of information. We are
E globalised in our thoughts and hence to tap T
02 A
E into something new, something unique, is
R
C
a tough call. This talkshop intends to
O
T
create nothing out of
W
O something. H R W ING FO ELLBE TH ING NO This DR. FARZEEN G N SLASS TI talk-shop focusses on MALIK A E the importance of “nothing” - G and emptiness for meditation and N I T spirituality. The speaker, a nutritionist by S A profession, will be discussing fasting as a F tool for cleansing the mind and body. She 03A will be speaking about how, by eating nothing, we can achieve tness for the body, while also paying special attention to our mental as well as physical well-being. There will be an PAKISTAN engaging discussion with the participants WOMEN and solutions for tackling particular RUGBY problems relating to health and TEAM tness will be addressed. 4:00 - 5:00 pm SLASS Members of the 03B S Pakistan Rugby Team, T A namely Fouzia Hayat, Javeria R T I Hassan and Samra Latif will share N stories of their struggles and G
F achievements. They will talk about their R
O
challenges of starting from “nothing” to M
FOUZIA JAVERIA SAMRA now playing at an international level. “ N
HAYAT HASSAN LATIF These stories will help young people not O T
only discover their passion but nd H I
N
WIT ways and means to reach their G RS. H LO ” TTE VE goals and build career choices MA , N that are in synch with VE “Much to do about E their interests. G nothing, nothing whatsoever, IN because nothing even matters. It’s not H T that I want you here, I don’t. But, never O mind… it’s something to keep you going. This N
S will be a talk about my work, which is trying to O make a lot out of nothing, which is what all of us ISMET C are trying to do, behaving like desperate sh out JAWWAD of water. The need to have a goal, some purpose, any purpose, anything to make me live till 80. Oh, but let it be worthwhile, let it be meaningful! ROOM 04 So, I can die nicely. LOL. come, let’s go on 407 rambling, and waste our breath on pretty nothings. Because that’s all we know how to do… uhh” DAY 02 TALKSHOPS 02 25TH APRIL 2017 5:15 - 7:00 TUESDAY
MIRA Movie HASHMI SLASS AUDITORIUM
01
E
K
O
M S G. HIN OT N R It's a O F world of bombs and M E beatings. Mobs still lynch O and survivors of sexual abuse are P
A still taught to say nothing. They are
D taught to feel shame that is not theirs.
N
A Children are raped every day. We say
S nothing. We do nothing to protect them E
C And yet it is from nothing that the anarchy
E
I
P that will create universes is born.
4 I do not fear this nothing. I have been born from it. And I will face it. And 02 that's what we are going to talk about.
SVAD COURTYARD NADIA JAMIL
DAY 03 26TH APRIL 2017 WEDNESDAY DAY 03 TH 26 APRIL 2017 SE AND LIFE - F IVER RO WEDNESDAY N M E U NO TH TH IN The G A Big Bang origin of N D the universe, and the F O subsequent beginnings of R
N
elementary forms of life, are O
T
now understood in precise H
I
scienti c terms. What preceded N G
the Big Bang? Could the universe ? have emerged from exactly nothing? And what purpose does life serve? Dr. Hoodbhoy shall TALK 1 summarize current scienti c thinking on 12:30-1:30 pm these matters. Slass Auditorium
DR. PERVEZ HOODBHOY Shahbaz Taseer will be discussing the emptiness, fear and loneliness just before calling home for the rst time after A being abducted in August 2011. He spent L I four and a half years living with the fear of T T knowing that if negotiations between his family L E
and the militants who kidnapped him during M
O
broad daylight from Lahore didn't go through, he R
E
wouldn't survive. He will be narrating his A
experience of crying endlessly till he stopped B O
feeling anything at all. The ray of hope came U T
through thoughts of his mother and wife N
O
giving him strength, regardless of the T H
I ordeals he had to deal with every single N
day. His talk will be a re ection on G feeling nothingness in con nement.
TALK 2 2:00-3:00 pm SHAHBAZ Slass TASEER Auditorium DAY 03 TALKSHOPS 01 26TH APRIL 2017 3:30 - 5:00 WEDNESDAY In the 01 aftermath of WW1 it ROOM was believed that if the ugly 406 face of war was made vivid enough, the world would nally grasp its insanity. However, in an era of information overload, G where death and carnage can be live streamed, N
O has visualizing the horror of war and con ict R desensitized us and caused us to feel nothing? In
W
the context of Pakistan have we become S
’ indifferent or resilient? This talk-shop will explore HASNA G
N I how we respond to the avalanche of images and SAMI
H information about the suffering of others. Can
T O visual tools be employed to evoke empathy
N and action or does our voyeurism and spectatorship of the suffering of others instill apathy in us?
HING, B NOT IOGR D AP AN “I’m H G Y IN just a common man, O H F T drive a common van A Y C R My dog ain’t got a pedigree O E M V E If I have my say it’s gonna stay that way M Cause high-browed people lose their sanity O N
And a common man is what I’ll be” ROOM M “And I’m happy just being free A 409 And I’m happy just being me N And I hope that you will see” . 02 “Common Man”, Song by John Conlee Haider’s talk-shop will expand on the life of a common man, questioning inspirations and aspirations through an interactive HAIDER discussion. ALI JAN 03 ROOM We 401 exist between being and V IS not-being. Between temporary life U and eternal death. But we experience A L I the same when it comes to world surrounded Z QUDDUS I – and/or created by us. Past is erased, memories N MIRZA G
are wiped out, but these do not come to a complete void, instead these build into layers of ‘nothingness’ – N O
entities, in essence meant to be hidden. T
H
The passage between known, unknown and forgotten I
N leads to combinations and collages of varying kinds. G Because like language, in which once uttered, words cannot be retrieved, in art too visuals cannot be erased totally. These survives in memory as well as in actuality – in the form of modi ed material, underneath imagery etc. The workshop is a means to explore this phenomenon through the practice of studio art. S IN GNES BULLE HIN H S OT For HA N H D many, Bulleh Shah stands ’S N P A at the centre of the Punjabi poetic O G E tradition. The vast corpus of ka s T IN R E attributed to him have inspired generations of Y B musicians, artists, performers and thinkers in South Asia. Interpretations of his life and work have ROOM ranged from the groovy tunes pioneered by pop culture giants like Junoon, to the mystical heights of abstract 405 Su philosophy. This workshop focussed on Bulleh Shah’s understanding of “Being as Nothing,” on negation as a 04 mode of identity formation. Working through his iconic or rather, epochal ka , “ki jaana mein kon, Bullah, ki jaana mein kon,” this workshop session will also take participants through other ka s where he interrogates the “kon,” the “nothing,” as a transhistorical political subject wedded to SARA revolutionary upheaval. The session will KAZMI conclude with a musical rendition of the ka . DAY 03 TALKSHOPS 02 26TH APRIL 2017 5:15 - 7:00 WEDNESDAY
01
Movie MIRA SLASS HASHMI AUDITORIUM LA ST Y E A R I N
M
A
R
I
E
N
B
A D EXISTENCE AND NO TH IN Dr. G TAIMUR Taimur Rahman will RAHMAN explore the idea of nothing in philosophy and music. In philosophy, since the time of Parmenides the dialectical play between nothing and existence was recognized as the dialectical basis of change. In music, the 02 same dialectic between nothing and existence is represented by the tension between silence and sound and within sound as the play between discord and SVAD harmony. Can music then re ect the COURTYARD dialectic of being and nothingness found in philosophy? DAY 04 27TH APRIL 2017 THURSDAY
DAY 04 27TH APRIL 2017 HINGNESS -- TH THURSDAY NOT E V IBR In this AN T CR talk, Afzal Saahir lays E A emphasis on an artist's inner T IV space -- psychological and spiritual -- E S that ourishes in a state of emptiness. P A Sans ideologies, agendas and pre-determined C formulations, this inner space in an artist's E consciousness is where creative energies and rhythms freely ow and work together. Herein, new vistas open, new connections get forged and new visions unfold. This emptied, uncluttered space does not mean a socio-cultural or political vacuum. Rather, it is that vacant, vibrant, inner space where creative churnings take place, unmediated by state, ideologies, cultural and religious practices of the day. This empty, inward space is somewhat like an artist's potter-wheel, a white canvas, a blank page, a soundless bandish, wherein creative forces innovate, swirl, enact, dance and come alive in a variety of ways.
TALK 1 12:30-1:30 pm Slass AFZAL Auditorium SAHIR Air is a nothingness … nothing but thin air - yet potent, full. Air is a carrier … of light, of sound, of scent – the molecular compounds necessary for life and breath – the heat of the sun, the cooling breeze. We will explore the embodiment of air. Inside and outside the Self. Air inside as breath - to initiate the body in motion.
Air outside as carrier - to initiate the body
R in relationship.
I
A
A paradox - de ning the form of Self
G
N in space while dissolving Self into I
H
T air to become NOTHING.
O N
TALK 2 2:00-3:00 pm CLAIRE Slass ELIZABETH Auditorium BARRET DAY 04 TALKSHOPS 01 27TH APRIL 2017 3:30 - 5:00 THURSDAY An analysis of nothing as a phenomenon. From an ROOM unproductive day leading to a 406 01 song that tops the Billboard charts
G every now and then, to how our N I nothingness is a billion dollar tech H industry. “Never before has a generation T
O so diligently recorded themselves
N
accomplishing so little.” Encompassing T
A viral trends and social media. The talk aims
H ZAIN
T to be a tongue in cheek look at the role the
F word 'nothing' has come to serve, NAQVI O
E whether it’s generation gap, mass
R
O consumption or Big Data. Our M nothingness might be more valuable than we can imagine. NOTHING WIT In HO this talkshop UT ID E participants will be divided A into groups and presented with S everyday objects like staplers, pens, keys, thread etc. Each group will pick any two objects, and then use an ideation ROOM technique (introduced in a presentation 409 beforehand) to come up with as many ideas for redesigning those objects as possible. 02 They will then be asked to pick out three ideas: the best, the most surprising, and the worst. They will then be given basic prototyping supplies like foam board, cutters, glue etc. to build as close to ALI a working prototype of one of MURTAZA the ideas as possible in the allotted time. 03 ROOM 407
N Continuing her talk O T Claire will engage students H IN CLAIRE in a performance workshop, G - ELIZABETH applying the same concept of AIR, A
I inside and outside of the body. R BARRET We will explore the embodiment of air. Inside and outside the Self. Air inside as breath - to initiate the body in motion. Air outside as carrier - to initiate the body in relationship. A paradox - de ning the form of Self in space while dissolving Self into air to become NOTHING. DAY 04 TALKSHOPS 02 27TH APRIL 2017 5:15 - 7:00 THURSDAY
SVAD COURTYARD UL SO UT B QUADRUM - G The DRUM CIRCLE IN idea of the H T workshop is self O exploration through music, N coming to the realisation that there is a void that can be ful lled, speci cally through rhythm. Many will feel they are incapable to play an instrument, but through this exercise, they will realize that they already possess rhythm and from 'nothing', they will create music in harmony
DAY 05 28TH APRIL 2017 FRIDAY
DAY 05 28TH APRIL 2017 FRIDAY
TALK 1 2:15-3:15 pm Slass Auditorium TALE S A BO UT The N O T vast and nuanced H experience of politics and IN journalism for Jugnu Mohsin G nds its roots in a tale about “nothing”. Jugnu's talk will unfold realities which are often unknown, unheard and unfelt. She will re ect on her memories; her encounters with JUGNU politicians who believed “nothing”, MOHSIN sons and daughters of the soil, who demanded “nothing” and how a subtle intervention turned things around.
DAY 05 TALKSHOPS 01 TH 28 APRIL 2017 WORLD 3:30 - 5:00 E THE ’S MO FRIDAY OM ST EC PO B Inspiring Women work W TO ER towards helping young women F 01 W U O discover their passion, explore their L H W skills and ambitions, and build careers on O ROOM their aspirations after college. The organisation M runs workshops that target young, college-going E 407 N . girls by providing them with a platform for support, N
guidance and networking opportunities. This talkshop, O
T
ABIDA how to become the world’s most powerful women, H
I MUKHTAR highlights the journey Pakistani women take to get to top. N
Not only will it illustrate the clear as well as hidden G
E
obstacles they encounter, it discusses solutions to L
S
overcome challenges and offer support and guidance. E
Furthermore, the guest speaker, Ms. Myra Qureshi M
A
Jahangir, Founder of Conatural, will be discussing T
T
her journey from an analyst of a bank to running E
R her own company. Ms. Jahangir will be S highlighting the power women hold in our society and the importance of AZAL change. ZAHIR T ROOM MYRA EN 406 ILM LF Using the work of QURESHI U 02 F S three poets (Rumi, Lao Tzu, A and William Carlos Williams) G N this talkshop will explore the I H concept of nothingness in three T
O different literary traditions (Islamic, N Chinese, and American). The participants will be provided the text (three poems) and after a brief analysis by the presenter encouraged to engage in a discussion centered around the importance of NAVID nothingness/emptiness in ALAM literary practice 03 E GIVES IN ANG SLASS CH After HE WORLD’S O E T MOS T setting some exquisite OM T Y EC PO IT self-goals, (in your case class B W N assignments, thesis), the language of TO ER U F W U M complaint/blame “nothing-in-control” L M O I H W steers students, individuals, organizations, E O DR. R even nations away from their prized self-goals. M E SHABNAM E H This nothingness in terms of feeling N
W KHAN
. not-in-control is not good! As students and
N ” S teachers we can borrow from Robert Kegan’s O
T S E ‘Immunity to Change,’ (ITC) and discover,
H I N
N together, that in the very “nothingness” in the
G
G
N
I language of “blame/complaint”, the
E
H
L
T mechanism to break the ITC and take
S
O
E
N control of everything (self-goals)
“
M
F thrives. How? Let us nd out the
O
A
E
T
G ITC, brie y, together.
T A
U
E
G
N R A L ROOM
S 409 If GH there were nothing, K IX would there still be something? Y N What is nothing? If we look at O T something, which is nothing, is it still H I something or nothing? How can one see nothing N G and say nothing, even if one tries there to be L 04 S nothing, but there is still something. Nothing is M
anything until it becomes something, and something is T sometimes nothing but even then it is something. Is V nothing the absence of nothing, or with the presence of nothing do we create something. The universe was created out of nothing, but was there something before NATASHA nothing, and if there was nothing, what was the moment that the nothing transformed into JOZI something. Or is there still nothing? This talkshop welcomes you all to an experiential, participatory, auditory and visual seminar to experience nothing. DAY 05 TALKSHOPS 02 28TH APRIL 2017 5:15 - 7:00 FRIDAY
Movie SLASS MIRA AUDITORIUM HASHMI
TW 01 O S H O R T
F
I L
M
S
B
Y
M
A
Y
A
D
E
R
E N This session approaches the idea of "nothing" as it relates to the erosion of our ancient musical tradition due to its critical foundations being absent in our expression and experience of music. The discussion will centre around its primary reasons, like colonial and post-colonial expressions of popular culture being favoured over
tradition. The speaker will also share her experience
C
I S of practicing under a master of Khayaal Gaiyeki as
U being vastly different from performing in her band; M
having to discover an unknown concept, realise
N I
its overwhelming signi cance and then try and S
S
E learn its form. She will also talk about the
N transformative effect of discovering that G
N
I which has become nothing.
H
T
O N
SVAD 02 COURTYARD
ZEB BANGASH
ABIDA MUKHTAR Abida Mukhtar is the Founder of Inspiring Women. She is a Financial Executive, Entrepreneur and a Feminist. Ms. Mukhtar earned a bachelor’s degree in Economics with honours from Smith College, USA and a Master’s degree in International Political Economy from London School of Economics, UK.
AFZAL SAHIR Afzal Sahir is a poet, radio-host, producer (programmes), literary journalist-. His début collection of poems in Punjabi, entitled ‘Naal Sajjan de Rahiye’ was published by Sanjh Publications (2011), Lahore, Udaari Publications (2012), Vancouver, Canada and Chetna Publications (2017), Ludhiana, India. He has written a poetic play entitled ‘Saiyan Nainaan Waaliyan’. For over a decade and a half, he has variously edited and co-edited literary magazines, namely, ‘Rvel’, ‘Sver International’, ‘The Genius’ and ‘Punjabi Bhulekha’ (a daily paper). Nowadays, he hosts two hugely popular radio shows, ‘Naal Sajjan de Rahiye’ and ‘Mauj Mela’ on Mast FM 103 network.
ALI MURTAZA Ali Murtaza is a Fulbright alumnus, and holds an MFA in Industrial Design from Savannah College of Art & Design (SCAD). Ali currently manages and teaches in the electrical engineering department at Information Technology University (ITU). He previously taught design at Beaconhouse National University (BNU), and has worked as a design consultant for Dolby Labs, Grid Impact, Coke USA, Audi Middle East, and Innovations for Poverty Alleviation Lab (IPAL), among others. Through his role at Makeistan, Ali hopes to promote creative thinking and hands-on problem solving at all levels of education.
AZAL ZAHIR Azal Zahir is the Director Operations at Inspiring Women. She is an Environmentalist and a Feminist aspiring to work towards sustainable development within Pakistan. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Lahore School of Economics and Masters in Environmental Conservation & Education from New York University.
DR. AMEN JAFFER Dr. Amen Jaffer is Assistant Professor of Sociology at the Lahore University of Management Sciences. His current research focuses on the links between social organization, culture and politics in Lahore’s mohallahs. Previously, he has investigated the nature of sacred power in contemporary South Asia
He has a PhD in Sociology from the New School for Social Research, New York and a Masters in Sociology from the London School of Economics and Political Science.
DR. BRIGITTA BLAHA Dr. Brigitta Blaha, Her excellency studied Law at the University of Vienna. She has a doctor’s degree and a Postgraduate Diploma from the Diplomatic Academy in Vienna, 1978. She joined the Austrian Foreign Service in 1978 and since then has had several deputations across the globe, including Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Vienna, First Secretary at the Austrian Embassy in Washington, Deputy Head of Mission at the Austrian Embassy in Bangkok, Deputy Director for the Austrian Cultural Institute in Rome, Head of Cultural Section at the Austrian Embassy, Consul General at the Austrian Consulate General in Hong Kong and New York. Ministry for Europe, Integration and Foreign Affairs as the Head of Department. In 2014 Dr Blaha became the Ambassador Extraordinary & Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Austria to Pakistan and since 2016 she has held the same position for Afghanistan (resident in Islamabad).
CLAIRE ELIZABETH Claire Elizabeth Barratt is an inter-disciplinary artist with a performing arts background. She is the director of “Cilla Vee Life Arts” – an arts organization with a focus on cross-media collaboration.Claire received her professional training in London at The Laban Centre For Movement and Dance and at the London Studio Centre For Performing Arts. Her pre-professional training includes the Royal Academy of Dance and the Royal Schools of Music. She also served an apprenticeship with the Isadora Duncan Dance Foundation in New York and holds an MFA in Creative Practice from the Transart Institute with Plymouth University, UK. Her work utilizes artistic disciplines of dance, music, text, media, visual and installation art.
FARHAD HUMAYUN Farhad Humayun is a multi-talented artist and is one of the most sought after Pakistani drummers/ producers credited for drumming on over 17studio albums and hundreds of songs. Trained in Indian Classical Rhythm and Visual Arts from NCA, he has produced and introduced some of the top names in Pakistani music and is also an award winning video director. Farhad is the resident house band drummer for Coke Studio and Pepsi Smash which he also produced and directed. In 2011 Farhad began to sing for his band Overload. He is revered as the most fashionable musician in Pakistan.
DR. FARZEEN MALIK Dr. Farzeen Malik is an eminent dietitian of Pakistan, backed by an MBBS degree. She holds an international postgraduate degree in nutrition. She has been on numerous TV programmes and has hosted her own personalized programmes with leading channels. She is a regular speaker on national and international conferences representing Pakistan. Dr. Farzeen Malik is adviser in various multinational and national companies on Diet, Fitness and Preventive medicine. HAIDER ALI JAN Haider Ali Jan, Born 1983, graduated from Beaconhouse National University in 2008. Some of his shows include 5th Moscow International
8, Queensland Art gallery, 2015, Love, War and Longings, Harvard-Brown Pakistani Film Festival, Cambridge, 2015, Everything is Embedded in History, Lahore Literary Festival, Alhamra Art Council, Lahore, Pakistan, 2015, 5th Fukuoka Asian Art Triennial, Asian Art Museum, Japan, 2014.
HASHIM BIN RASHID Hashim bin Rashid is a lecturer at the Department of Liberal Arts at the Beaconhouse National University. He teaches courses in political economy, political philosophy, urban studies and research methodologies. He has conducted research on water infrastructure, informal a journalist with Pakistan Today, Express Tribune and The News.
HASNA SAMI Hasna Sami is a Development Consultant. She has worked on issues of gender equality in Pakistan, Syrian Refugee resettlement in Canada and the creation of visual stories for Social Justice in Palestine. She holds a Bachelors degree in International Relations and Political Science from the University of Toronto followed by a Masters Degree in International Development. ISMET JAWWAD Ismet Jawwad is a dancer, choreographer, performance and visual artist based in Lahore. Currently she is teaching Kathak, an eastern classical dance form at the Learning Alliance and Lahore Grammar School in Lahore. She received with an honors in video art. From 2008 to 2010 Ismet attended a few artist residencies in the UK and India and showcased her work at various international galleries including the Herbert Art Gallery in the UK, and Devi Art Foundation in India. From 2010 to the present Ismet has been part of the visiting faculty at Beaconhouse National University teaching video art, and remained a dance teacher at various schools in Lahore.
IRAM SANA Iram Sana is an art educationist and theatre professional. She is also the Director Communications and Co-founder of OLOMOPOLO Media. Through her training in Architecture at the National College of Arts, Lahore, Iram has developed an aesthetic sense in understanding space and composition in theatre. In 2015, she co- directed the critically acclaimed play, Teesri Dhun theatre play on transgender lives, which helped her earn her spot in the 33 Inspiring People from Around the World Promoting Freedom, Equality and LGBT Rights Every Day in 2016. Iram has also worked with several organizations working with children, gender and performance art. She has also consulted for the UNDP Legal Gender Recognition
JUGNU MOHSIN Jugnu Mohsin, MA Cantab, cofounded The Friday Times in 1989, with her husband Najam Sethi, Urdu weekly Aaj Kal in 1995, Daily Times in 2001, GT magazine in 2007. She was awarded the Press Freedom Award 2000 by the Committee to Protect Journalists, New York, and the Sitara-e-Imtiaz by the government of Pakistan in 2012. Jugnu Mohsin has also worked on various projects for television and is now a regular on GEO TV. She is a director of Mitchell’s Fruit Farms, a trustee of The Mohsin Trust & Daud Bandagi Development Trust through which she works as a social and political activist in Okara. She has two children, Ali Sethi, who is a musician author.
JUNAID IQBAL Junaid Iqbal, the Managing Director of Careem Pakistan is a growth an turnaround specialist. An economist by training, Junaid’s diverse professional experience ranges from being an
TV about the stock market, leading privatization deals to the a tune of $1.6 billion as the CEO of Elixir Securities and Co-founding Salt Arts, Pakistan’s leading Arts management and production agency. An avid adventurist, he is one of the youngest CEOs in pakistan, serves on Advisory boards of AIESEC, The Lyceum School and Charter for Compassion.In 2010, Junaid was invited by The White House to attend President Obama’s Summit on Entrepreneurship.
MAHGUL RASHID Mahgul Rashid has recieved trainings from the prestigious Central St Martins in London, her
Beaconhouse National University in Pakistan and her work with globally celebrated artist Rashid Rana, also in Pakistan. Prior to establishing her independent design label, Rashid apprenticed at her grandmother and couturier Nasreen Shaikh’s fashion atelier for the better part of 6 years; indeed diffusion project, ‘Mahgul for Nasreen Shaikh’ in 2013. In 2014 the stand alone MAHGUL brand was established.
MINA MALIK-HUSSAIN Mina Malik-Hussain is a writer and teacher based in Lahore. Her poetry and prose has been published in literary magazines and journals both home and abroad, and she is in her third year of writing her popular column, Notes from the Underground, for The Nation. Mina is also a trustee of The Sirajuddin arts.
MIRA HASHMI Mira Hashmi lives is a A graduate of the Mel Hoppenhein School of Cinema at Concordia University in Montreal, she has been teaching the discipline of Film Studies since 1998, and is currently Assistant Professor at the Lahore School for various publications for the past twenty years. Her areas of special interest include the cinema of for Hindi masala movies.
MOHAMMAD JIBRAN NASIR Mohammad Jibran Nasir is a lawyer, civil rights activist, and an independent politician. Jibran is involved in relief work through Elaj Trust and advocacy for marginalised communities through Pakistan For All and is working on rights awareness and social justice through Never Forget Pakistan. Jibran regularly engages youth on topics of empowerment, tolerance and social responsibility and has spoken at a total of 40 national and international Universities such as LUMS, IBA, Harvard, Stanford, Columbia etc
MYRA QURESHI Myra Qureshi graduated from the London School of Economics and Political Science in 2004. She pursued a career in the Financial Services Industry for over a decade, working for Citigroup, ING and Deloitte in London, UK. Whilst working she completed an Executive MBA from Georgetown- ESADE in 2012. Myra moved back to Pakistan in 2013 where she co-founded Conatural, Pakistan’s NADIA JAMIL Nadia Jamil is a Pakistani TV actor, anchor, producer and an educationist who has worked in shows. She is also a food enthusiast, and curated the Lahore Eat Festival. She believes that you discover new things in life, you learn from them and move on. There’s no point in holding on to the past. Nadia Jamil believes growth is a continuous process, you learn throughout your life. She draws her energy from different sources around her.
NATASHA JOZI Natasha Jozi is a Pakistan born artist. She works in Performance and Video investigating the interactive agency of body, action and ritual. Through her work she explores ideas of censorship of self and the embodied relationship between ‘Self’ and ‘Other’ within the religious, cultural and social experiences. She received a B.F.A in Fine Art with distinction from Fatima Jinnah University, Pakistan, and MFA in Studio arts from Montclair School of the Arts. She is a 2012-2014 recipient of Fulbright scholarship. Jozi works and lives in Lahore.
NAVEED ALAM of No Ordinary Realms, won the Spokane Poetry Prize in the US. His work has appeared in numerous literary journals including International Poetry Review, American Poetry Journal, Prairie Schooner, the Seattle Review, 91st Meridian, and the Adirondack Review. He recently translated Madho Lal Hussein, the 16th century Punjabi poet, into English (Verses of a Lowly Fakir, Penguin Classics). He teaches literature at Beaconhouse National University (BNU), Lahore.
DR. PERVEZ AMIRALI HOODBHOY Dr. Pervez Amirali Hoodbhoy is a Pakistani nuclear physicist, essayist and defense analyst. He has also taught as the visiting professor of Physics at Lahore University of Management Sciences(LUMS) where he also worked on topics in theoretical applications in the topological insulators, various Hall effects and Graphene. Before joining LUMS, he was the professor of nuclear and high-energy physics, and also the head of the Physics Department at the Quaid-e-Azam University (QAU). He graduated and also received a PhD from MIT and continues to do research in Particle physics. He received the Baker Award for Electronics in 1968, and the Abdus Salam Prize for Mathematics in 1984. He has authored journals.
QUADRUM Quadrum is the only percussion band in Pakistan. Daud Randal, Atif Saeed, Umar Saud and Saad Sarfaraz have been performing live throughout the country and have conducted numerous team building exercises for many corporations. They believe in purity of energy and rhythm. QUDDUS MIRZA Quddus Mirza is an artist, art critic and independent curator. He is the Head of Fine Arts Department at the National College of Arts Lahore, where he studied BFA, before acquiring MA (Painting) from the Royal College of Art, London. Mirza has shown extensively in Pakistan and UK as an artist as well as curator. His works include, “Trade Union” & “Take Away’ at Zahoor ul Akhlaq Gallery, NCA and “One to One” at Alhamra Art Gallery Lahore; “Celebrating Art” and “Love” at National Art Gallery, Islamabad, “Beyond Borders: Art from Pakistan” at National Gallery of Modern Art in Mumbai, India; and “Exotic Bodies”, at Preston Museum in UK. Mirza is an art critic with a regular weekly column appearing in ‘The News’, and regular column on art Letter from Pakistan in ‘Art India’ and in ‘Depart’ (Bangladesh) as well as contributing to other publications like ‘Dawn’, ‘Herald’, ‘Himal’, ‘Libas’, ‘Contemporary’ and ‘Flash Art’. He is the co-author of book “50 Years of Visual Arts in Pakistan” and the editor of ‘Art Now Pakistan’.
SARA KAZMI Sara Kazmi teaches Punjabi poetry at the Lahore University of Management Sciences. She completed her MA from SOAS in South Asian history in 2014, where she worked on the contemporary Punjabi movement and its links with Left-wing activism in 1970s Pakistan. She is also a student of Indian classical music (vocals) and has performed extensively with the Sangat theatre all across Punjab. SHAHBAZ TASEER Shahbaz Taseer is a Pakistani businessman and the son of the former Governor of Punjab Salman Taseer. In August 2011, following his father’s assassination, he was kidnapped by militants in home.
DR. SHABNAM SYED KHAN Dr.Shabnam Syed Khan is former Visiting Professor at the GSE, Harvard University. She was Professor of Design at the National College of Arts (NCA). Initially, with a Diploma in Design, from NCA, she did a post-graduation in Industrial-Design, and M.A. in History, from Pakistan. Shabnam completed her MS in Art Education, with the ‘Best Student-Robert Corey Award, from the Massachusetts College of Art and Design. She has an additional M.A. in International Education, and a Doctorate in Education (Developmental Psychology), from Harvard University. Where she was awarded the ‘Roy Larsen Entering Merit Award’ and ‘Outstanding-Distinction.’ She has completed manuscripts of two narratarium books. One, a research novel,‘Education & Agency: Muslim Women and the Tensions of Traditional & Modern Expectations,’ the other, ‘Pakistani Textiles: Contemporary & Historical Causes of Degeneration,’ is a travelogue. SHAHNAZ MINALLAH saints from the ‘Kakakhel’ tribe. She graduated in Law and Political Science. She was strained formally as an Interior Designer. In 2001, Naushad Thariani introduced her to Art of Living. The ways of The Art of Living were quickly adopted by Shahnaz. She started to believe in ‘one world family’, moving from family structures to a limitless, and an international commune awareness. She started to feel, that getting the right people together, at the right time, for the right purpose, can work wonders in any situation. To Shahnaz, spirituality is an amazing thing. “It doesn’t matter whichever religion you’re from, it’s the same for everyone.
DR. TAIMUR RAHMAN is an academic, musician and socialist political activist from Pakistan. He teaches political science at the Lahore University of Management Sciences. He is the band leader and spokesperson for the political music band named Laal. Rahman uses Laal to advance causes which he holds dear, such as socialism, the plight of labour and the suffering Pakistanis have endured at the hands of religious fundamentalism and authoritarian rule. He was also one of the leaders of the Communist Mazdoor Kissan Party. He is the author of the book The Class Structure of Pakistan published by Oxford University Press. The book won the Akhtar Hameed Khan Memorial Award for the best social sciences book about Pakistan in 2012.
DR. UMAR SAIF Dr. Umar Saif works as the Advisor to the Chief Minister and Chairman of the Punjab Information Technology Board (PITB), heading all public-sector IT projects in Punjab. He is also the founding Vice Chancellor of Information Technology University Punjab, a newly setup research university in Lahore. Prof. Saif received his PhD in 2001 at University of Cambridge and worked at MIT for several years before returning to Pakistan. He was named as one of the top 35 young innovators by the MIT Technology Review (TR35) in 2011 and a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum in 2010. He has received a Google Faculty Research Award, MIT Technovator Award, IEEE Percom Mark Weiser Award, IDG Technology Pioneer Award and ACM CHI Best Paper Award. In 2014, Prof. Saif was awarded Sitara-i-Imtiaz, one of the highest civil awards by government of Pakistan. He was also the world in 2015 and 2016.
ZAIN NAQVI Zain Naqvi as a designer and maker. His work is an amalgamation of investigational storytelling and retort to current events. Design Grad from National College of Arts. He is currently a partner/ art director at Treble, A music based tech startup and one-half of Messy Squares. A publication collective with a focus on graphic novels and comics produced locally in Pakistan. He serves as visiting faculty at Beaconhouse National University. Naqvi lives and works in Lahore. ZAINAB MOLVI Zainab Molvi teaches social anthropology, sociology of religion and the idea of commoning at the Department of Liberal Arts at Beaconhouse National University. She has researched katchi abadis, land grabs and water rights.
ZEBUNISSA BANGASH Zebunissa Bangash holds a degree in Economics and History of Art from Mount Holyoke College, she appeared on the music scene as ‘Zeb and Haniya’, the cousin-duo from Kohat, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. In 2008, they made their recorded debut with ‘Chup’, one of the most acclaimed albums worldwide, including a feature in TIME Magazine. Formally training under the adept gaze of Ustad Naseeruddin Saami, Zeb continues to expand her horizons whilst proudly displaying her heritage within all her endeavors. In her recent project, ‘Sandaraa’, fronted by Michael Woodgrad and Zeb, they aim to celebrate traditional South Asian folk music and working with legends including, A R Rehman, Amit Trivedi and Shantanu Moitra – Zeb’s currently working as a music director in India and Pakistan. WOMEN RUGBY TEAM
Fouzia Hayat is a Sports Teacher at Beacon House School Bahria Town branch. Born on 30th March 1987. She belongs to Sialkot. She has an M.Sc in Sports Science from Punjab University Lahore (2010). She has been playing Rugby from Pakistan Wapda.
Javeria Hassan works at Pakistan Wapda as a player, born on 04 Apr 1987. She is a student at Punjab University Lahore for the degree of Sports Sciences and belongs to Faisalabad.
Samra Latif works at Wapda Town Degree Collage for Women, born on 26 March 1992. She has recently completed her M.Sc in Sports Sciences from Punjab University. She is from the Pakistan Army rugby team.
Project Advisor: Logistics Team: Rashid Rana Imran Ahmed Khan Hamza Rana Director: Hifza Farooq Rohma Khan Asad Maqsud
Program Coordinator: Documentation Team: Iman Sheikh Asif Khan Kashif Saleem Program Administrator: Unum Babar Design: Rizwan Hussain Talkshop facilitators: Mirela Peerzada Design Team: Pakeeza Khan Aarish Sardar Aamina Karim Malik Komal Naz Khan Ghulam Mohammad Haseeb S. Khan Aarish Sardar Hamza Rana Creative Committee: Ali Raza Guest Relations Manager: Aisha Abid Hussain Matt Kushan Aroosa Naz Rana Kiran Khan Rabeya Jalil Rishem Syed Media and Public Relations: Ayyaz Jhokio Omair Faizullah Mustafa Shah Abeera Baig Mehwish Batool Waqas Zaki Ushers: Zohaib Rizwan Umer Butt Neha Fauzan Fatima Baloch Ammara Ather Ammar Jamshed Abeera Saleem Nabeel Sheikh Shazme Aamir Misha Khan Sabeen Fatima Abdur Rafeh Haider Khan Talha Moeen Kashmala Khan
Acknowledgements:
BNU Administration BNU Department of Student Affairs and External Relations City 42 Virtual University
TALKSHOP 2 PHOTO CREDITS: Nadia Jamil : http://iampadash.blogspot.com/2013/04/nadia-jamil-padashs-love-award.html Zeb Bangash: http://www.pakium.pk/2014/01/24/zeb-bangash-alia-bhatt-sooha-saha Drum Circle / Quadrum: https://www.facebook.com/quadrum.percussionists Taimur Rahman: http://newslinemagazine.com/magazine/interview-taimur-rahman-laal/ La Jetee: www.criterion.com/boxsets/77-la-gt-sans-soleil
Last year at marienbad http://mustseecinema.com/last-year-at-marienbad/ Two shortfalls by maya defence: http://thephotographersgallery.org.uk/maya-deren-programme