Ring of Fire

Of Mountains and Seas: Lahore Biennale 03
5 October, 2024 - 8 November, 2024
Shalimar Gardens, Lahore, Pakistan

Installation view, Of Mountains and Seas: Lahore Biennale 03, Shalimar Gardens, Lahore, Pakistan, 2024
Photo: Muaz Asim

Spring Sailors – Six Synecologies Aloft responds to both experiences in the city by installing six sets of paper sculptures inspired by Lahori kite designs in the Aiwan or grand hall at the Shalimar Gardens. The kites’ geometry and arrangement harmonize with the Gardens’ precise symmetries, while their sails flutter to the breeze of the air current wafting through the hall’s open architecture, which overlooks hundreds of fountains and the grounds, which originally hosted an abundance of flowers and fruit trees meant to provide a cooling respite from the intense summer heat. In this way, the work draws attention to the celebration of geometry that is a touchstone of Islamic aesthetics, but also to vernacular and local adaptations to the environment, including garden designs and water features that provide forms of passive cooling.

Exhibited Works

Spring Sailors – Six Synecologies Aloft, 2024

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