World Heritage Day: Monuments and public art
Who defines a nation’s cultural heritage? The state or its citizens? To commemorate World Heritage Day, Dawn.com assembled a collage of state-sponsored monuments and public art – by the people, for the people – around Karachi. What emerges is a juxtaposition of the martial and natural, masculine and colourful, celebratory and tongue-in-cheek. Which best defines us? While we may never be able to answer that question, the provocation serves as a good reminder of the diversity of monuments, sites and artistic expressions that have been displayed in an effort to articulate the Pakistani experience.
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Karachi’s famous Mukka Chowk has drawn many to the Azizabad chowrangi.
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From New York to Karachi, certain symbols resonate globally. This graffiti, the brainchild of Suma Project V: Loving Karachi has plastered the walls of Karachi giving the city all the love it needs.
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Pakistan Air Force – ‘a symbol of pride for the nation’. This vintage fighter jet in North Nazimabad is a reminder of the might and resources of our armed forces.
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In a cityscape, beauty can be found in the most unlikely places. Here, a painted peacock, evoking the loftiest traditions of Islamic art and architecture, adorns a wall near Abdullah Shah Ghazi’s mausoleum.
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This state-sponsored monument is a throwback to our cultural heritage in Mughal India. Located at the Bahadurabad chowrangi, this ‘char minar’ is a replica of same in Hyderabad, India.
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Graffiti has long been considered the most raw and honest form of public expression in the urban context. In Pakistan, graffiti is used to organize, advertise, agitate, motivate, and even police the public. As we see here, however, the message isn’t always heeded.
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The conflation of Pakistan’s morality with its military might is perfectly encapsulated by this iconic monument. The famous Teen Talwar (Three Swords) in Clifton was commissioned by Pakistan’s former president and prime minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and is inscribed with Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah’s motto, ‘Unity, Faith, Discipline’.
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They say he who laughs, lasts. And in these trying times, our police officials can certainly do with a sense of humour. Here, Karachi-based artist Asim Butt has turned a police sign on a mobile near I.I. Chundrigar Road into a platform for public expression and critique.
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The choice of artwork to display in public spaces such as roundabouts is always contentious. Who decides what’s appropriate and attractive? The Gul-e-Bahar chowk near Alamgir Society in Bahadurabad was commissioned by Town Nazim Mohammed Wasim Jalil for the improvement and rehabilitation of Alamgir Road.
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On Karachi’s Sunset Boulevard, a homage to iconic western paintings by Yousuf Shah.
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Some government officials prefer to trace our cultural heritage back to prehistoric times. A dinosaur commissioned by the City District Government Karachi draws attention to an island in Liaquatabad, Lalukhait No. 3.
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The next generation contributes to this city’s sights and colours. These drawings, completed by students of the D.H.A School, adorn the walls near Zamzama Boulevard. Photo/Noor Fareed.
**To celebrate the world herritage day, please share the pictures taken by you of monuments and public art in your cities or the cities you have visited. **