LAHORE
The 7th international THAAP conference titled “People and the City” started on Friday and will continue until Sunday. THAAP Photography Conference and an art exhibition in collaboration with Ejaz Art Gallery have also been organised on the same theme of the conference and will continue until Monday.
The conference has been organised in collaboration with Government College University and Information Technology University together with the support of Higher Education Commission and Society for Cultural Education (Forthcoming University of Culture and Art). The venue for the paper reading sessions was 43-G, Gulberg-III, Lahore, which will remain the same for another two days of the conference.
THAAP forum provided a formal, in depth and well-focused paper reading sessions. First day of the conference was well-attended by writers, scholars, historians, economists, sociologists, artists, town planners, designers, architects and delegates from Australia, Austria, China, France, Germany, Iran, Nepal, USA, UK and various cities of Pakistan.
The inaugural session of the conference began with the welcome address by Prof Sajida Haider Vandal, an educationist, architect and CEO of THAAP. She explained that THAAP is a not for profit registered organisation founded in 2006 which organises talks, seminars and colloquiums that lead to the conference at the end of each year. She added that from conferences on Historiography of Architecture in 2010, Portrait of Lahore in 2011, Life in Small Towns in 2012, Cultural Roots of Art & Architecture of the Punjab in 2013, Culture, Art & Architecture of the Marginalised & the Poor in 2014, People’s History of Pakistan in 2015 to People and the City this year, THAAP has played a pivotal role in improving the state of education along with promoting socio-economic and cultural development in Pakistan. She thanked the guests for their active participation in the conference.
She explained that THAAP is an open forum with a number of activities taking place under its umbrella. THAAP Talks are organised on monthly basis culminating into conference at the end of each year. THAAP publications with an editorial board that works on peer reviewed articles taken out in the form of THAAP journal at the end of each year and THAAP crafts that bring livelihood to rural population and the poor.
Prof Pervaiz Vandal, an architect, educationist and the conference convener was the keynote speaker of the event. He explained the conference theme in detail. He said, “Without people a city or town would be a soulless mass of debris. People make a city happen; they bring it forth, give it character, endow it with art and culture, fulfill aspirations and suffer frustrations. City changes with its people.” He added “Huge metropolises – mega cities – carry social turmoil in their wake. Nevertheless, agglomeration of humans, from small town to the large metropolis, is an opportunity, a necessary step towards the future – it is entirely up to us to think about and design a better future“.
Government College University Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Hassan Amir Shah was the chief guest of the event. He congratulated THAAP on consistently organising successful conferences since 2010. This brought the inaugural session to its conclusion.
First Session after tea break was chaired by IA Rehman, Journalist and Human Rights Activist. First paper of the conference was presented by Michal Glikson, a PhD student at School of Art, College of Arts and Social Sciences at The Australian National University, Canberra, Australia. Her paper titled “Art and Immersion: Notes from a Painter (Re)imagining the City” explored how art reflected live experiences of travelling in its form and content, whilst yielding insights into the relationships between people and places in different environments across Australia, India and Pakistan. It also offered insight into immersive methods helpful in resistance of totalising touristic representation of cities. Rehana Lafont, an author, translator, traveller and entrepreneur, presented the second paper of the day titled, “Seventeen Years in Lahore: A Frenchman’s Life in the Punjabi Capital”.
The second session was chaired by Prof Dr Anis Siddiqui an Architect and Educationist. Prof Dr Shuxi Yin, a professor of sociology at Hefei University in China, presented the 5th paper of the day on, “Spirituality in Beijing and Shanghai”. The paper examined the dynamics of spirituality among the middle classes in Beijing and Shanghai, the two biggest cities of China with distinct regulatory environments, historical and social backgrounds. Her examination had a special focus on Christianity. The sixth paper was presented by Saniya Jafri, an architect and teaching fellow at the University of Culture and Art (forthcoming), titled “The Ambiguity of Sacredness: Offerings, Images and Symbols Exploring the Mazaar of Bibi Pak Daaman, Lahore”. The paper explored the concept of a mazaar in the subcontinent, while exploring sacredness and socio-narratology in the stories inhabiting its spaces. The seventh paper was presented by Khola Cheema, a PhD student at Department of History, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad. She presented a paper on, “Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa, Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh: Nankana and the Sikh yatree” that explored the relationship of city and its people while focusing on Sikh community in Nankana city. It also attempted to evaluate the standing of the state with regard to minority religious communities and their various needs and concerns.
This was followed by a question & answer session. The delegates then moved to IT University, Arfa Technology Park for THAAP Film Screening 2016 followed by dinner. The conference paper reading sessions will continue until Sunday with the THAAP Photography Conference on 14th of November 2016 in Lahore.
