Tabeer e Nau is a self-initiated program of two individuals, André C. Meyerhans and Faisal Arshad, who strongly believe in the exploration of cross discipline and collaborative works. The word "Tabeer e Nau" is extracted from Urdu language and roots back to Persian literature. "Tabeer" means "Interpretation" and "Nau" means "New" or "Re-", deriving to "Re-Interpretation."
"Re-interpretation" is the key objective of the private educational initiative behind Tabeer e Nau. During the cross-disciplinary, educational excursions, young professionals and students explore traditional artifacts and ornaments of the region and transform them into contemporary artworks, designs and architecture.
Heritage to Contemporary: a framework of re-interpreting indigenous discernible patterns in culture and crafts
Communities are a group of people that may not be spatially connected,but who share common interests,concerns & identities. Community empowerment, therefore,is more than the involvement,participation or engagement of communities. It implies community ownership and action that explicitly alms at social and political change. Community empowerment necessarily addresses the social,cultural,political and economic determinants that underpin health, and seeks to build partnerships with other sectors In finding solutions. Globalization adds another dimension to the process of community empowerment in today's world, the local and global are inextricably linked. Action on one cannot ignore the influence of or impact on the other. Community empowerment recognizes and strategically acts upon this interlinkage and ensures that power is shared at both local and global levels.
Crafts as practiced by people have been considerable source of livelihood for indigenous communities allacross the world and throughout human history. Tradit onally the practice of the crafts has engaged the marginalized segments of the community like elderly, women and children. n this way the activities generated through these crafts create alternative sources of income for families. Local arts and crafts are an embodiment of a community's history as well. The highly expressive nature of most crafts act as a vehicle to transfer the history of a community across generations. They play an undeniable role in transmitting culture across geographies. People all through human history have expressed their identities through crafts. Apart from the tangible the intangible cultural norms and ideas are both shaped and propagated through crafts.
In particular context of northern Areas of Pakistan,the people have a very strong history of expressing their cultures through crafts. The people are involved in the crafts of ceremonial gown making (chogas),carpet weaving, stone work, wooden crafts and many products are made from wool as well. This region has a wealth of precious and semi-precious stones and artisans craft these into beautiful jewelry very distinct to this region.
The idea revolves around reinterpreting indigenous discemable patterns In culture & craftsin Hunza Valley into the world of contemporary through a sense of merchandizing for the empowerment of the communities.
Hunza is a mountainous valley in the Gilgit-Baltistan region at an altitude of 2500 meters, situated in the extreme northern part of Pakistan bordering with the Wakhan Corridor of Afghanistan and the Xinjiang region of China. The visitors to Hunza are overwhelmed by the rugged charm, the fragrant breeze singing through graceful popar trees and the velvet-like green carpet of wheat fields, set against the background of snow-covered mountains.
Significance of the theme
For all participant, this is a rare meaningful glimpse into the culture and crafts of Pakistan. This is a life-time opportunity to gain knowledge in real time through direct interaction with the artisans, artists, architects, designers, academicians and people of Pakistan. On our side, we hope that the unique landscape, majestic mountains and above all the impressions of a peaceful and progressive Pakistan remain with our international participants throughout their lives. The networks of communication developed through this summer school can result in many new initiatives in different countries of the world. This school seeks to introduce sensitive and deeper ways of looking into cultures, crafts, craft making processes and narratives behind their making. The design challenge aims to open up new ways of analyzing and perceiving the everyday objects of craft. The main aim is to come up with a holistic solution that addresses the issues of design, promotion, production and merchandising of crafts to benefit our indigenous communities.
The theme is deliberately designed to approach the issue through multi-disciplinary lens.
Objective
1) Explore the processes and aesthetic thought involved in making of local crafts.
2) Develop strategies for both design and business to Improve the process without compromising the quality of the crafted objects.
3) Reinterpret the crafts design wise to make them culturally relevant to today's generation of locals as well as aesthetically acceptable for a diverse clientele base easily reachable through internet across the globe.
Phase 1
In collaboration between the designers, architects, artists and local craftsmen, the participants will:
a) Create a catalogue of culturally relevant objects that specific in the region linked to:
- Architecture: structure, details, decorations, materialization
- Artifacts: pottery, jewelry, embroideries, weaves, clothes
- Imagery, photography, painting, decoration techniques, building crafts
- Use, function (of objects and buildings)
b) Identify and isolate culturally specific characteristics (elements) that are fundamental to the vernacular / local identity.
c) Redesign one or more of these elements and re-embed them to create a contemporary yet culturally relevant design.
Phase 2
In the later phases of the workshops, the participants shall endeavor to form a relevant business model to merchandise the products regionally and internationally. This allows to expand the disciplines of participants to business related studies.
Beyond Summer School
Building on the initial phases shown above, additional steps / tasks would be:
- Identify potential manufacturing partners
- Discuss with potential manufacturers / contractors the challenges of realization of new design
- Making prototypes or plans
- Discuss with potential market participants the challenges of the new creations
- Optimize designs
- Develop sales platforms and channels (web portals etc)
- Create marketing related information
- Resolve issues related to funding of projects (incubator,crowd funding etc)
Target Participants
1) Design related professionals and students: architects, designers, visual artists, craftsmen, ...
2) Professionals related up or downstream the creative process: business people, manufacturing specialists, communication, ...
Learning and outcomes
1. Understanding of local Visual Language,and an insight to its cultural significance.
2. Contemporary reinterpretation of indigenous design vocabulary and realignment of innovation in localcrafts through different regenerative processes.
3. Designing of promotion campaign for creating business opportunities by portraying local visual resource in a more sophisticated way to attract masses.
4. Human Resource development:
a) Cross cultural and interdisciplinary linkages.
b) Social uplift and community development through conducting interactive workshops, involving professionals and local crafts persons.