Unveiled

After a disastrous start of the week with my precious computer of four whole years falling off the desk and dying after suffering a concussion and then getting used to a new one, I’ve finally gotten the drive to write something…

This week I stumbled upon the amazing Rohina Malik, a Chicago based first generation Pakistani theatre artist at her one woman show: Unveiled, here in COA.

Yesterday, I rushed to the Gates center twenty minutes before the show to seize the front row seat. The excitement in my heart started escalating to see a person from a similar,yet so differnt origin. I realized that I have never been so eager to see another South Asian here in America, that too a Muslim woman, born and raised in the west.

Her performance was so influential that it is just hard to comprehend. She started off talking about the chai but the latter story revolved around these various characters depicting real people from the Muslim community and their struggle for commonality.  She told a few of the many heart wrenching stories about the Muslim mothers, wives, lovers, daughters and sisters that occurs everyday due to the stereotyping of the Muslim community, especially after the dark hours of 9/11.

Though Malik aimed her story at the general public to diminish the misconception of Islam and women under the veil, being a Hindu, the so called rival religion of Islam, I never though of our traditions and customs to coincide in so many basis- from the love of drinking milk tea- chai to some of the wedding traditions to the common names that we have. Moreover, I never knew that Islam connected with Christianity. So closely until she referred Mother Mary in Islam.

source: rizal tahir/ flickr

Malik admitted that the roles that she gets offered is of very limited flexibility due to her hijab but her skill of diving into the characters through theatre diminished all boundaries. I would have never imagined any other person doing what she’s been doing. If there had not been the veil, those characters would have never been able to have the oomph to push the audience a bit further.

 In a nutshell, I realized that the power of  Malik’s art of theater brought people from various religion with varying thoughts together in the same level. This at least give us a hope to grow to and end the biasness that has been spreading like a plague all around the world…. one day for sure.

so came my first interview assignment

As a part of my interview assignment, I interviewed Maggie, a senior at work here in COA. She was the TA for my Human Ecology Class last term and I was always interested in knowing her.

While still undecided on whom to interview, I stumbled upon Maggie on the night bus on Saturday where I asked her to meet me for my project, and she happily agreed. As planned, I interviewed her at 9 in the morning on her dorm room floors and bonded over mortal instrument calendars and Doctor who lamps.

I instigated the conversation with one of my questions that I quickly jotted down the previous night and I was glad that we picked up a decent conversation for the assignment to move forward. I was most interested in her senior project and her experience; hence, most of my questions surrounded her time here in COA and the senior project that she is currently working on.

During the interview, I was taking the notes as well recording it, with her permission. I realized that the quicker I process my notes the more legible my notes are else; I ended up forgetting what I actually wrote. I got most of the material in my notes; however, the recorded interview helped a lot while quoting. While interviewing I was more worried about writing everything down than getting my interviewees talking and I had a difficult time concentrating. 

But I hope I will get better as I practice more skills.

Explosion of taste with colors

Art for me is something that leaves an impression of it in one’s mind even though it is not physically present. By impression, I do not mean just the aesthetic prevalence but also the meaning of the particular color combination to the contrast of colors to the placement of objects. Its interpretation is vast; hence, it has become a medium for various other fields to convey messages in more creative form.

For my very first post, I came across this wonderful colorful advertisement of Schwartz’s new product ‘Flavour Shots’ on the online magazine, Marketing. The video consists of vibrant explosions of spice bags that create this astonishing and persuasive visual imprint on its audience. Personally, it made me feel wonder if my taste buds act the same way when I am having my spicy food from home. Furthermore, the synchronization of every explosion with each piano note makes the visual much intense and dramatic than it just the visual. It is a complete mess but it does its work!

http://www.marketingmagazine.co.uk/article/1226751/schwartz-visualises-sound-taste-several-tonnes-herbs-spices