KARACHI: Here’s a tongue twister for you: Nine years of success celebrated with nine photographers on March 9. Got it? Good.
Upon completing nine years of her brand Kiran Fine Jewellery (KFJ), jewellery designer Kiran Aman celebrated her success in an unconventional manner; she asked nine extraordinary female photographers to exhibit their work and compiled it in a book Kam Sukhan — a must-add to the coffee table collection.
Launched on Saturday, March 9 at Indus Valley School of Art and Architecure and distributed free of charge, Kam Sukhan is an arrangement of nine photographers’ images and stories behind them.
The theme of Kiran’s work, the book and the celebration was the essence of women. “From her inhibitions, struggles, and fears, you’ll learn of patience, forbearance and resolve; and in time you will find that her spirit, ever-daunted, is a pearl made of steel,” said Kiran.
She designs jewellery pieces calling them “extensions of her” and works only in gold as its strength, warmth and malleability are authentic representations of the women who wear her brand.
The dexterous clickers were each given a white, diagonal wall to showcase their images and a chance to speak about their work. While each lady had her own style, some that stood out were mirror, cloth and canvas printing; projections, reflections and papers were also used; and every single photograph was excellent in its own way.
The team of Kam Sukhan welcomed guests and directed them to the temp photo gallery bustling with people, including celebrities like Mahira Khan, Feeha Jamshed, Nida Azwer, Misha Lakhani, Maheen Khan, Tofiq Pasha, Adnan Pardesy and Amean J.
Every once in a while, a server offered hors d’oeuvres and cinnamon iced-tea, and an apology for the delay was announced. The guest of honour, model-actor Aamina Sheikh also appreciated the photography of each woman. She spoke in length about womanhood and how the work displayed in Kam Sukhan captures the beauty of women. “To me, this [Kam Sukhan] was an awakening; I felt that the fate of womanhood and this planet is one, also because it is the woman who channelises life on earth,” said Aamina.
Farah Mahbub (Khaamoshi Sunn) :
”It took me seven months and I got to meet people and students in a different light. She describes her collection as the sound of silence: esoteric, intimidating and perfect.
Lali Khalid (With each of us inside me) :
”Lali explains her collection: “Building a language from expressions, emotions and moments, my photographs are a reflection of my inner personal qualities.
Shalalae Jamil (Big time sensuality: Women and the camera) :
”She describes her work as: “A rumination of how the female body or face projects itself towards the camera, each image creates its own [potential] narrative.
Qurat-ul-ain Khalid (Ummeed-e-Subh) :
”People weren’t just looking at the photos and liking the ‘pretty’ images. They were interested in the thought behind those images which covers the purpose of the event.
Mahwish Rizvi (Constant bad faith) :
”My experience was surreal. The exhibition space was brilliantly designed — I was the youngest amongst all nine; but Kiran Aman had faith in me.
Insiya Syed (Unabridged and unpublished) :
”The experience of being a part of this project was personal for me — from observing my grandmother really closely and trying to make sense of the dynamics of her relationship with my father.
Nazia Akram (Compass) :
”It was my first exhibition and book launch in Pakistan. The exposure was great, and the event was well organised. Every woman’s work was different from the others; it had individuality even though it was the same theme.
Adeela Badshah (Ghunghat) :
”I was a part of the project from inception as project manager and one of the photographers. The night of the event felt magical and full of incredible positive energy. All of the photographers were unique and each talked about a different aspect of the subject matter.
Khaula Jamil (Shana Bashana) :
”Every woman in my pictures has a story of love, dedication, inspiration and resilience. They smile and bid you a good day, working in careers which, until a few years ago, were unheard of for women to pursue.
Published in The Express Tribune, March 12th, 2013.
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