Rooted
پیوستہ

Suite of public realm artworks sited across Bagh-e-Jinnah (Lawrence Gardens) as part of the Lahore Biennale

Rooted پیوستہ (Paivasta) is a public realm artwork, made in collaboration with Lahore based artists Unum Babar and Matt Kushan.

Lahore and Glasgow are twin cities.

We were directly commissioned by the British Council to create a project for Bagh-e- Jinnah (Lawrence Gardens) in 2016, as part of the lead up to the 2018 Lahore Biennale.

Bright green palm fronds patterned with the shadows of other fronds and large grasses in the foreground

Chalk outline showing the location of the artwork within the crossroads of Bagh-e Jinnah park — The central artwork, taking the form of an Islamic star, acts as a guide to the exploration of the gardens. Seven points of the star lead to seven non-native trees, planted by British colonisers.
At each of these trees a marble stool offers a place for rest and contemplation.

Large shapes cut from marble are laid out on grass, in the background several labourers are moving and lifting other marble slabs

Workers installing a marble artwork on the ground in the foreground, with a trees and a large building in the background.

A marble chair in the foreground, consisting of five layers of different coloured stone with an etching on the top. In the background, a person lies on a bench in the sunlight.

The artworks were created out of marble and onyx, locally sourced and built on site by local traditional craftsmen over the course of two weeks.

Our intention was to create an artwork that was beyond decorative- to provide a stage for performance, a kind of keystone for gathering - and to create space to reconnect the gardens to its own past.

These ideas were developed together during our first visit to Lahore in at the start of 2016.

The skyline of Lahore, showing a Mosque in in the centre ground, with residential buildings in the foreground.

On 27 March 2016, Easter Sunday, a suicide bombing hit the main entrance of Gulshan-e-Iqbal Park - Lahore's second largest park.

People had gathered to celebrate the Christian holiday. At least 75 people were killed and over 340 people were injured.

More than ever, the importance of coming together and gathering in public parks become central to the project.

Elements of the marble artwork laid out on grass, forming the shape of a leaf.

Three layered stools sit at the base of a many rooted tree, in the background is a large pond and birds

A group of children and adults gathered around a table with containers of paint. — We ran block printing workshops at a Christian girls school in the north of the city. 60 children took part, printing banners on fabric from Pakistan and Scotland. These banners would be used to further decorate Bagh-e- Jinnah during the opening of the artwork .

Large printed fabric sheets are hung over the balcony to dry

Papers with printed shaped and buildings covering them are placed on a table in the corner of a classroom.

Over 500 people came to the opening night on June 3rd. It was an incredible experience.

After the official performance by Olomopolo had finished, people began to organically claim the artwork as their stage. Unplanned music, dance and spoken word performances happened over the hours that followed.

A man's bare feet shown mid-step standing on the marble patterned artwork

Details of the marble and onyx artwork patterns. Various colours of stone are visible: pink, black, golden and marbled grey

A large crowd of people surround the artwork. There are two dancers in black with yellow scarves facing the crowd with their backs to the photographer

A group of people forming a crowd around the edge of the marble artwork, with a performer in the centre, facing towards the crowd.

Reading Between the Lines

In 2017 Unum Babar and Matt Kushan came to Glasgow, for a six week residency. We invited them to read the city, from their perspective, to open up new conversations and ideas about what it is, was, and could be. The outcomes were presented in the gallery space at Many Studios, curated by Natalia Palombo.

Client: British Council Scotland | Pakistan, Government of Punjab, Lahore Biennale Foundation
Location: Lahore, Pakistan
Completion: June 2016
Collaborators: Unum Babar, Matt Kushan, Olomopolo Media

Rooted پیوستہ