Compiled by Mehvash Amin
“Some of us are truly insatiable trailblazers whose thoughts are as lofty as the mountains that tower over us, those who feel with the lush green heart of a forest as they search for that shy, elemental creature called the soul. Farhad did that and more—his quest for excellence is as much an act of revolt against injustice, bigotry, hypocrisy, and the trappings accompanying that terrible word, status, as much as it is an act of absolute reverence for man and nature as the basis of true knowledge” - Navid Shahzad, Author, Thespian, Chairperson | Farhad Humayun Foundation, Farhad Humayun’s mother.
Shaped like a pristine vertical stroke and with a numerical value of 1, Alif is the first of the letters used to spell Allah and stands in splendid isolation as it cannot be connected to any letter following it. The Greek alphabet also begins with the letter ‘alpha’ while in Hebrew, Alif is not only the first letter but also translates as ‘master.’ In Jewish mysticism, Alif represents the oneness of God while in modern standard Arabic, the word literally means ‘familiar’ or ‘tamed.’ It is in Urdu however, that the word/letter ‘alif’ denotes a ‘beginning’ or ‘commencement’.
Shorn of historical linguistic overtones, Alif is the inaugural sound and art project envisioned by the Farhad Humayun Foundation [FHF], established by his family in 2023. The project not only coincides with the 20th anniversary of OVERLOAD, the artist / musician’s path breaking instrumental band and its namesake award-winning debut album, but is also a celebration of the infinite ways in which art continues to enhance human life. For members of the Foundation especially, the word carries a special, poignant meaning as Sultan Bahoo’s Alif Allah – chambe di booty is the kaafi Farhad is known to have sung at his last real-life performance.
A shapeshifter, disruptor, spectacular dreamer, and sonic daredevil, Farhad Humayun blazes a visionary path; championing aesthetic, social and cultural freedom, while celebrating diversity as a strategy for forging powerful solidarity. A revivalist, Farhad’s music and his band OVERLOAD continue to be influential vessels for crossing boundaries of genre and class in Pakistani music, which in view of his complexity as a multi-disciplinary artist also mandates that any critical engagement with his work and the projects of FHF must be interdisciplinary in nature.
The Farhad Humayun Foundation’s efforts to promote cultural sustainability, which is specifically relevant to Lahore’s historical and cultural ethos has translated itself into Alif -a unique project that not only archives but also visualizes sound through experimental art practices. Learning from the fact that sound and image have been used to spectacular sensory effect in opera, Kabuki, Noh and Sanskrit theatre, the Foundation’s initial concept rapidly morphed itself into the possibility of a collaboration between the singer/musician and the enormous fraternity of artists that Farhad belongs to as peer, colleague and friend. The end result is both unique and extraordinary as Project Alif has emerged in the shape of a limited-edition box print portfolio comprising the work of 12 artists inspired by Farhad Humayun’s music.
To further appreciate the porosity that exists between the mediums of sound, the written word and the visual, Alif’s symphony of print and sound may be viewed as a series of diptychs with the lyrics of the songs having been printed digitally via the first ‘intelligent’ Urdu script keyboard, Matnsaz, using Mehr Nastaliq, a beautiful typeface rooted in the hand-painted calligraphy of Lahore built by the local foundry MehrType. In turn, each artist has responded individually to a specific song from the Farhad Humayun Archives with an exclusive print. The final twelve diptychs comprising Alif may therefore, be seen as sections of a unique symphony in which the written word plays companion to the image and a delicate watermark embedded with a QR code, allows access to each song digitally.
Farhad Humayun’s work must be seen as against the backdrop of his beloved city – Lahore, whose sights and sounds he explored with an indefatigable ferocity. Mastering both rhythm and the frenetic beat of the drum from the whirling dervishes at Shah Jamal’s mausoleum, learning to pen lyrics and sing with the raw abandonment of Thar’s desert winds, Farhad created innovative soundscapes as composer, producer, percussionist, singer, and lyricist. Admirable as his repertoire is, Farhad’s body of work showcases its debt to the sights and sounds of Lahore and training at his alma mater - the National College of Arts. It is in this context, that Farhad’s growing maturity as a musician appears most striking as it dictates the order in which each song and print has been presented in the box set. The line-up traces Farhad’s gradual, seismic shift from youthful rock to reflective Sufi, from recent pop to historic folk, from barren city to green desert, all of which signify the thinking man’s journey towards his final destination. Like Farhad, the artists contributing to Alif share a deep, abiding love of Lahore as much as they value their time spent at the National College of Arts.
It is in this context, that FHF actively seeks to build on Farhad’s legacy by developing projects constituting experimental sound archiving, performance and research while lending support to students studying the Humanities and Arts through long term grants, scholarships, fellowships and residencies to continue their journey. All proceeds from the Foundation’s projects are therefore, geared towards supporting this two fold vision. And now to Alif …… The Aleph Review presents, in three sections, 12 of Farhad’s selected songs and their accompanying artist prints
Part I: Farazeh Syed |Suleman Aqeel Khilji | Sajid Khan | Naazish Ata-Ullah
Farazeh Syed is no stranger to readers of The Aleph Review since she designed the cover for the publication’s Volume 6. Farazeh is a multi-disciplinary visual artist working across the mediums of painting, printmaking, mixed media and textile art. Her art practice is heavily informed by personal history, as Farazeh challenges the historical narrative surrounding women’s bodies and prescribed notions of gender and sexuality. As a trained classical singer, Farazeh’s deep connection with music also lends her work a certain lyricism and rhythm as it displays an acute understanding of the human form resulting in a refinement of her own visual and conceptual vocabulary.
Suleman Aqeel Khilji, whose work has also graced the cover of The Aleph Review, was awarded a Distinction in Painting from the National College of Arts, Lahore, after having spent time at the Ecole des Beaux Arts in Paris as an exchange programme student. Suleman has been honored with the prestigious Edna Rose Weiss Award at The Royal Academy, London, where he is presently attending a three-year artist programme. In addition to that he has participated in both the Vasl Single Artist Residency and the Mansion Artist Residency. Born in Quetta, Balochistan, Khilji presently resides and works in London. For his trans-medium interpretation, he used the song Vichar Gaye, which he titles Take Off .
Sajid Khan's response to the song Ankahi is titled Reza Reza (Shattered Dreams). The artist majored in Miniature Painting from the National College of Arts, Lahore and completed his post-graduate studies in Art Education from SVAD, Beaconhouse National University, Lahore in 2019. Khan has been engaged in a variety of artistic endeavors which include working as Assistant Artist to the celebrated Pakistani artist Imran Qureshi for creating art work for the National Cathedral at Washington DC in 2018. Born in Malakand, Khyber Pakhtoonkha (KP), Khan has made Lahore his home as he teaches at the National College of Arts while maintaining his own artistic practice which reflects ominous land and skyscapes. Ankahi
Naazish Ata-Ullah is an artist, educator, writer, curator, human rights activist and an active member of the Women’s Action Forum, Pakistan. In a career spanning four decades, Professor Ata-Ullah is best known as the founder of the Printmaking specialization at the National College of Arts from where she retired as Principal in 2010. Among the many distinctions she has received is the title of Chevalier des Arts et des Letters by the Government of France in 2010. Widely published, Ata-Ullah is currently Co-Chair of the Lahore Biennale Foundation; a member of the Council of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan as well as the Higher Education Commission’s representative to the Indus Valley School, Karachi. She lives and works in Lahore. Jeet
The second section features the works of the next four artists of this extraordinary project: Risham Syed, Afshar Malik, Usman Saeed and Ayesha Jatoi. The Alif exhibit runs November 6 - December 30, 2024, open to the public daily, 1-6pm (except Sundays) at Riot Studios, Lahore.
Alif is a limited edition boxset portfolio of which Boxsets No. 1-11 are available for sale to support the Foundation’s projects. Contact : director@farhadhumayunfoundation.org
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