A Timeless Journey: Reflections on the Crafts Heritage of Pakistan

Abstract

Despite an immensely rich craft legacy that stretches back more than 7,000 years, Pakistan is losing many of its precious craft traditions to the modern world. As an artist, designer and educator, Noorjehan Bilgrami has spent the best part of five decades working with craftsmen in an effort to document, revive and sustain these traditions. The journey that began with a chance visit to an old block-printing workshop in her home town Karachi in the 1970s has since taken many turns. This article is a personal reflection of her experiences, including building local and international markets for Pakistani crafts, teaming up with a group of visionaries to establish one of Pakistan’s leading art and architecture schools and her interventions in public spaces. Her reflections provide an insight into the challenges and opportunities of championing Pakistan’s craft traditions and the urgent need to support them on a national scale.