right_column

W11 TRAM PROJECT RETURNED TO KARACHI ... FILM SCREENING + EXHIBITION

DSCN3429_crop_320.jpg
On a recent September Sunday evening the story of the W-11 TRAM collaborative art project returned to Karachi. An open-air public screening on a half-closed major road at North Karachi's Allah Walli showed a documentary film by Wajid Ali and a video artwork by Mick Douglas, all while the W-11 mini-buses continued to ply the road alongside into the night. A co-inciding exhibition was held at VM Gallery, Rangoonwala Community Centre in Karachi, and was extended for two months due to demand.

W-11_north karachi depot_web.gif
Allah Walli terminus at the end of the W-11 mini-bus route is a humming community of W-11 industry - decorators, repairers, owners, drivers, conductors - and the community who are passengers of the service. They turned out in droves for the free street screening, opened by Naib Nazim (deptuy Major) of Karachi, with W-11 FM famed Saleem Alfedi as MC. They roared, taken aback and elsewhere, affirmed and transported to see their decorative world in its Melbournian manifestation.
DSCN3414_crop_320.jpg
w11-2_320.jpg
w11-16_crop_320.jpg

Lead chamak patti wallah (decorator) for the W-11 TRAM Nusrat Iqbal marks the other-worldy connections of his work with a simple sign on his Alli Walli workshop: W-11 Karachi 2 Melbourne. He displays no images of his work on vehicles though, as he thinks showing examples only limits his clients willingness to take a risk with the decoration for a new job. He wants to to be invested with his clients trust.
DSCN3543_iqbalshop_crop_320.jpg

Chamak patti wallahs Nadeem and Safdar now enjoy mobile connections and a thriving new decoration business from the recognition of their work in Pakistan.
DSCN3525_nadeemPh_320.jpg
DSCN3458_320.jpg


Posted by tramtactic at December 22, 2007 02:38 PM