CHATWIN : MARTIN
Residency at Beaconhouse National University
BRICKS
Posted by Peter Chatwin and Pamela Martin on 20th October 2006
20 October - Bricks
Illness has struck us both this week to the extent that it has forced us to slow our pace.
Lorry Load on Raiwind Road
However, we have made a start provided by our journeys to Tarogil. Figuratively speaking, we have been struck by bricks. Bricks are everywhere and symbolise the rush to build. Lahore seems to be expanding before our eyes: every spare space a stack of bricks; a wall half built to claim a space; a myriad of buildings half complete which appear to be precariously held up by tree branches. Walls and gates are seen as symbols of prosperity and status. Lorries are laden with bricks in an inexorable march into the city to feed the fever of building.
With the large pack of pencils we brought with us, we have started to reacquaint ourselves with drawing skills which we have recently neglected. As a starting point we are depicting the march of the lorries, which will span our space as a frieze.
A trip to a model farm and traditional craft centre in the northern region of Sindh Province 120 km south of Lahore gave us our first real glimpse of rural Pakistan. Alongside fields of wheat, rice and sugar cane, the road was frequently dotted with brick factories, with black smoke eminating from tall stacks reminiscent of our industrial revolution.
Ramadan fasting will end after this weekend which we have been told will ease the traffic congestion as everybody rushes home for 6 pm to eat and break the daily fast. Eid, which follows, is a three day festive holiday, so Tarogil will be closed. We are looking at the possibility of travelling north to explore the hills around Islamabad. Fresh air beckons.
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"ARTIST'S TALK"
Peter Chatwin and Pamela Martin talk to conference during cHAT week at Sanskriti, Delhi, India. March 2007
