Muzna Malik was born in 1972. She has studied architecture and currently lives and works in Hamburg, Germany. Her ancestral roots are from Srinagar,Kashmir, which were uprooted at the time of the subcontinent division.
Living in Europe since a decade and experiencing foreign culture, she has indulged herself into defining transitional spaces and identity. She works with metaphorical knitting/crochet; to bring her own memories to life.
Her constant occupation in search of her identity made her reconnect with Kashmir. Back in Kashmir, her great grandfather had owned a Shikara(traditional kashmiri boat) in Srinagar on Dal lake. For this event, Muzna has tried to revive her involuntary memories and make it tangible through metaphorical crochet and a soundscape(based on repository of localised urban sounds). Sufism further strengthens this allegorical creation with the phenomena of loss and gain.
The irregularities in the craftsmanship of the boat (shikara) depicts feelings of detachment yet a hope as well. It has been depicted as a symbol of haven; for protection and refuge from atrocities and hardships. Likewise in Hafiz versus:
ای دل ار سیل فنا بنیاد هستی بر کند
چون تو را نوح است کشتیبان ز طوفان غم مخور
Oh heart, should a flood of destruction engulf the world
If Noah is at your helm, do not grieve.
Nuqta | Copyright 2023