Photography: Arif Mahmood Etched over an ink-blue backdrop, age-old colonial structures stand shoulder to shoulder; among others, the Frere Hall, the Hindu Gymkhana, the Merewether Clock Tower, Empress Market and Abdullah Shah Ghazi’s shrine wreathed with lively green flags. Light and shadow, tall minarets and circular domes, steeples, spires, greenery and clocks pointing to 7:30pm; even the stars glistening in the sky are mapped out in constellations: Big Dipper, The Hunter, Ursa Major and Ursa Minor.
This tapestry, created for an overseas client, has the finesse of a painting from afar. But look closer and the beauty is in the details. Bunto Apa, as she is often called, is a stickler for them.
“The tapestry took over a year to create and there was a point when I stopped making it,” she admits. “My couture and tapestries have always delved into florals and figurines. This was the first time I was taking inspiration from architecture and it was very challenging. I sent my craftsmen to see the actual buildings and we used myriad images as reference points. The linear lines were measured with scales and we tried to capture every nuance that formed the essence of the buildings. The client had especially ordered a nightscape of the city while I myself chose the buildings that I wanted to re-create.”
Each thread strand was broken into three parts before stitched in with minute delicacy. It was important that stitches were made with precision. For instance, when the craftsmen tried to make some changes to the Empress Market dome, the fabric began to tear. The stitches had to be resurrected, uplifting the dome, managing to give it a three-dimensional effect that looks all the more real.
The tapestry could easily hold center stage in a museum or art gallery. It pays ode to the city it hails from, showcasing a magical, exuberant side to Karachi devoid of the pain that often mires its landscape. It also gives homage to the passion that defines Bunto Kazmi’s ethos and is testament to the painstaking craftsmanship that is dying out as fast fashion gains dominance.
Crafted with love, the final tapestry could easily hold center stage in a museum or art gallery. It pays ode to the city it hails from, showcasing a magical, exuberant side to Karachi devoid of the pain that often mires its landscape. It also gives homage to the passion that defines Bunto Kazmi’s ethos and is testament to the painstaking craftsmanship that is sadly dying out as fast fashion gains dominance. The names of Bunto Apa’s exceptional artisans is now written along with her own at the very bottom of the silk canvas.