Beyond Covid

Photograph above and by Arnhel de Serra.
After starting my PhD it seems like most people I was keen to get on with life, to get on with exploring, learning, breathing, performing and travel.  My work continued throughout lockdown, the rabbit made many appearances. My front garden became a public gallery, a space for installations, a focal point for locals to head to see what was different.

And now its 2023 and we are all still catching up with ourselves, still readjusting to the effect that the pandemic has had on our lives.  As a researcher, I am seeing the world differently, and having a new focus in my life has helped a lot.  Feeling part of an inclusive research community, engaging with a humans in real time has been so important.  

Over the past few months I have managed to engage with the public through live performance and exhibitions, exploring what a practice based research looks like, as well as collaborating with many other students in taking part in an exhibition for diversity week. Where I have been collaborating with a photographer called Arnhel de Serra, who has been documenting my live actions over the past year.  This has been an amazing collaboration, which has taken us both into new ways of exploring our work.  Also we have managed to combine our collaboration in two exhibitions this years, which has been well received.  As a performer it is so difficult to document what I do, so to have someone working with me, I see what I do from another perspective and another view point.
I have no idea what the future holds and where I will be in 2025 when my research is due to end, but to be honest I am in not hurry for it to end.

This year I hope to pick up some travelling and due a trip to Serbia where I have been performing since lockdown in 2020, somehow I have managed to get over during brief moments of lockdown being lifted.  I have been working with the performance organisers of IMAF (International Multi media Art Festival) where I curate the old motel outside the village of Odzaci, where we meet up with invited international artists from many countries. 
Though I would love to return to Pakistan and travel to various other European countries and hope that other festivals reach out. Generally this year has been quite packed, full of projects, too many to mention. However I was honoured to be asked to make more of my hybrid costumes for a music video by the group called Shriekback, for one of their songs on their album called Wolfmand Whinesplane.  It was an amazing experience of being part of, and also it pushed me to my limits of my making skills.