LAHORE: A multimedia exhibition by The Citizens Archives of Pakistan with the Routes 2 Roots opened at Nairang Art Gallery on Friday.The exhibition features the adventures by 2,400 students from Pakistan and India that have taken part in a year-long cultural exchange.
The Citizens Archive of Pakistan is a non-profit organisation dedicated to cultural and historic preservation and Routes 2 Roots is a charitable organisation bringing people and cultures together across in South Asian Countries in general, and India and Pakistan in particular.
The artists displayed post cards, photographs and digital installations. In December 2010, The Citizens Archives of Pakistan with Routes 2 Roots began an exchange of letters, post cards, collages and oral histories between students from Karachi, Lahore, Delhi and Mumbai. A 19-member delegation traveled to Delhi and Agra on Feb 8, 2012, and visited partnering schools, engaged with their counterparts and visited historical and cultural sites across the two cities. Two weeks later, a 21-member Indian delegation is visiting Lahore.
During the 17-month exchange for change, a sustained exchange of written, visual and oral histories linked school children aged 10-14 years in 10 schools across Delhi, Mumbai, Lahore and Karachi. Schools were chosen equally along three main economic strata: privileged, middle income and under privileged.
The exhibition features different series.
In the ‘Letters to the Post’ series students wrote letters to each other in January- March, 2011, sharing their thoughts, values, hobbies and interests with each other. In letters, they discussed historical and cultural facts with each other.
During April-May series of ‘Postcard Stories’ which marked the second phase of the interactive project, students added a visual dimension to the exchange.
In September-October 2011, the ‘Photograph Series’ involved students in artwork and collage making based on school life, food, festivals and marriages and historical monuments.
This endeavor enabled students to familiarize each other with history, culture and lifestyle by across Lahore, Karachi, Delhi and Mumbai. The ‘Oral History’ phase ran between November-December 2011, adding an audio based dimension to the project.
Students interviewed their grandparents, collecting historical narratives about various cities across India and Pakistan.
Schools from Pakistan participating in this project are: The City School, Lahore; The City School, Karachi; Links; Ilm School and Saving Group Schools. In India, the participants are: Sanskriti; St Pauls; Balwant Rai Mehta Vidya Bhavan School; Shushuvan and Gandhi Memorialnd. The exhibition will remain on view till Feb 23.
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