Tentative Collective | Karachi

The 'Tentative Collective' is a nomadic collective of people who share resources to create critical works of art in public places. These works of art aim to excite the public imagination and create new spaces for social engagement. Our projects strive to be collaborative, site sensitive, and inclusive to different strata of society. We value free public space, engage in the reclaiming of what should be collective property, and strive to make something special out of makeshift, tentative and mundane opportunities in everyday life.

Based in Karachi, Pakistan and Albany, New York, the 'Tentative Collective' wants to create conceptually rich experiences to engage with and explore the cities we inhabit.

New leaders can propose and coordinate projects, using the collective as a support network that can be mobilized to get projects executed quickly. All works made as part of the collective will be co-owned by the project leader and the collective. In this way the group will be flexible and open to new ideas and new members to promote an infectious creativity that can cross boundaries.

More Info on: http://tentativecollective.com/

The Music Project : Zeb and Haniya via Tehelka

Shigar Fort | Hidden Paradise Of Rajahs

Shigar Fort was once home to Mongol princes, today it welcomes visitors to one of the most remote and dramatic parts of Pakistan while helping transform the lives of the local community.

Shigar Fort has been the centre of this community since the early 17th century, when it was built by the Mongol dynasty that ruled the stark Shigar valley until its overthrow in 1840. Even after its fall the dynasty retained influence through landholdings in the valley and its rajahs, the rulers, continued living in the stone and clay building.

Seventy years ago, as the fort crumbled with neglect, the royals took the seemingly drastic decision of moving to what had once been their cowshed, and then to an outbuilding next door as even the shed began to collapse. Then, in 1999, the Aga Khan Development Network, aiming at cultural and economic development, offered to restore the fort and build the rajah a new home, on one condition: the fort became a public trust.

The rajah agreed and the foundation spent $1.4m rebuilding the fort and converting it into an up-market, 20-room resort. The finished product was handed over to the luxury Serena hotel chain last year, with the organisation training the Shigar employees at its other hotels across Pakistan.



Image courtesy: EE.Jay