Textile design exhibition opens in capital

Textile design exhibition opens in capital
Islamabad: An exhibition of textile design opened at the Hunerkada on Monday showcasing the works by graduates of the Centre of Excellence in Art and Design, Jamshoro. Quaid-i-Azam University (QAU) Vice Chancellor Professor Dr. Masoom Yasinzai inaugurated the exhibition.

The group show includes a diverse display of works done by the graduating students - Asmara, Fariha, Fatima, Marium, Rabia, Samina, Sheza and Zafar. Depicting imaginative, intellectual, technical and industrial demands of textile design and printing based on their personal creative achievements, the exhibition depicts ideas of the students inspired by wide-ranging visual studies from the personal environment to the nature.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Masoom Yasinzai appreciated the creative thoughts of the students. He said that they have made a refined use of their knowledge to incorporate individual expression of contemporary textile and fashion design concepts. He said that given proper encouragement and opportunities, the students would be able to set a high standard in textile design.

Sharing his thoughts and views on the works displayed at the exhibition, Jamal Shah, director of Hunerkada College of Visual and Performing Arts, said that the young generation of textile designers has achieved greater success through exploring new techniques and a refined blend of traditional and contemporary aesthetic concepts. Stressing on the need for evolving greater opportunities for students by facilitating modern technical know-how, Jamal Shah said that Hunerkada remains dedicated to providing best technical knowledge to its students facing dearth of proper institutions in the capital city. He urged the government to facilitate and strengthen the existing institutions to make creative media more vibrant in achieving result-oriented force benefiting the country.

He said that around this part of the world, the textile industry is constantly changing and dependent upon wide-ranging issues related to culture, politics and the economy. The inter-related cycles of these three areas present innumerable issues that determine both the perceptions and the products of textile design in Pakistan that needs to be addressed. It is important to mention here that Hunerkada was the first such institution established by Jamal Shah in Islamabad decades back, and still working for the promotion of visual arts without any assistance and support from the government.

Designing for Textile designs displayed at the exhibition covers a wide range of activities from traditional and contemporary craftsmanship to fashion and furnishing collection for interior design following a thorough research in to the development and use of new and old materials that can be applied within these disciplines. These issues need to be addressed to find ways of providing an institutional forum that is capable of providing broad-based training for textiles practitioners who can place themselves anywhere within the wide sphere of textile or alternatively, create a niche for themselves in the yet developing market of this country.

Students block road to protest drone strikes
Peshawar: The tribal students from different educational institutions on Monday staged protest and blocked the Sher Shah Road outside the Peshawar Press Club against the US drone attacks.

Led by the Central Fata Students Federation, Haroon Lucman Afridi, the protesters were holding placards and banners demanding reopening of educational institutions and restoration of lasting peace in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas.

The students gathered at the Government College Chowk and marched towards the Peshawar Press Club where they staged protest. Haroon Afridi said the revival of the education sector was imperative for the establishment of durable peace and development in the tribal areas. He said the development was the only way to pull the tribal areas out of the prevailing crisis. He demanded immediate reopening of educational institutions in Fata, saying that the students' precious time was being wasted.

"We want educated tribal society instead of a culture of weapons," he said while calling for the establishment of a university and reconstruction of damaged infrastructure of educational institution in Fata.

Haroon Afridi condemned the growing US drone strikes and called upon the government to clear its stance about it. The presidents of tribal students' federation from the seven agencies including Kurram, Bajaur, Mohmand, Khyber, South Waziristan and North Waziristan participated in the protest. The news