Ecology Archives - AliZaidiArts

The Boy and his Buffalos

As a little boy in Lahore, I saw buffalos for the first time. They were strange animals, neither cow nor goat. To me they were like elephants without trunks. I was fascinated by them. I loved watching them wade in the water for hours. I would watch the young farmers accompany them, pamper them and clean them. The buffalos were the farmer’s pets, friends that they could whisper to. At times farmer and buffalo would swim together and the farmer’s wet clothes would cling to their bodies. I loved the buffalo and their young farmers. Continue reading The Boy and his Buffalos

Frozen tracks in eternity

A crisp februrary morning walk after a sub zero night was refreshing to say the least. It awakened the senses from a rested state. As the fruit smoothie fuelled my body, I wanted to go for a brisk walk at my local country park. It was a beautiful meditation observing frozen puddles of water, the shapes and forms and textures, rich light and unleashed wonderment.

We are all but tracks in time… the shoes and paws and tyres, a palimpsest of imprints and moments captured and marked in the eternity of time. And gone in a wink! Thanks to the small mercies of charged batteries of our handheld toys these days!! So here I am… sharing them. Enjoy. Continue reading Frozen tracks in eternity

Nomadi

“To see a world in a grain of sand
And a heaven in a wild flower,
Hold infinity in the palm of your hand,
And eternity in an hour.”

William Blake

On the invitation to create an interactive art installation through residency/workshop with Officine Sintetiche Lab (OS Lab) in Turin, my starting point was, surprise surprise, food! Conceptually I wanted to use everyday food ingredients as a prism. I called it NOMADI. A portrait of coffee, rice and wheat, Nomadi, is an homage to migration and culture. I wanted gallery audiences to explore multiple narratives nestled within the grains. To trace journeys and hear stories of people distinct from each other yet connected by three humble seeds. Continue reading Nomadi

Food4Thought ~ experience Lower Marsh

Damiano Razzolli from MultiWalks partner organisation Mondinsieme has written a series of guest posts following his interview with myself. Here’s the first morsel – enjoy! (thanks to Karin De Giorgi for the translation)

I created a walk that leads to the discovery of life stories and favourite recipes of the merchants of one of the oldest and most popular street markets in London. Continue reading Food4Thought ~ experience Lower Marsh

Casa Ali July dates & Food4Thought

This month of june has been very exciting indeed. Concocting july menu for my supperclub Casa Ali, developing content for Food4Thought and my birthday according to the Arabic lunar calendar.

Fifty years ago in Bombay, on the eve of 12 January, 15 Shaban Shab-e-Barat (the birthday of 12th Imam Mehdi whom I am named after) as well as the brightest moon of the year celebrated by the hindus – I was born! Lunar calendar days begin at dusk… so my second birthday of this year was technically the evening the super moon graced our skies!