A REPOSITORY OF MEMORIES
Patch
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Creator
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Suraiya
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Story
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A REPOSITORY OF MEMORIES
I have always regarded windows to be more than visual portals that connect the inside-outside domains. For me they also serve as thresholds to my subconsciousness, transporting me from the ‘present,’ to a moment in time --- portals that allow access to a repository of memories.
As I begin to contemplate the origins of my own creativity, I am compelled to travel down memory lane in search of moments that have nurtured me. My layered narrative of framed views, takes me to the window of my childhood home in Rawalpindi. Growing up, I was surrounded by women who relentlessly pursued various creative endeavours. For some it was by way of taking care of their families, and some did so to make a modest living, while for others it provided a sense of refuge from their stressful lives.
As memory frames begin to merge, I recollect my father’s prolific gardening in the hills of Changla Gali. Teaching us, my siblings and I, when to prune and replant, how to protect seedlings from frostbite and snow. Year after year those hills have continued to bloom with daisies, hydrangeas, lilies and roses. Drastically different, in terrain and climate, I too have a thriving garden in tropical Manila. My backyard is a testament to my father’s teachings on the art of gardening.
There is no shortage of these treasured memories, elements of which form part of this fabric collage. A 10x10 cm portal capturing part-recollections of deeply embedded moments, that are integral to my creative identity. Though individual in existence, my singularity is firmly rooted in the collective, creative identities, spanning generations and genders.
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Rights Holder
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Suraiya
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Rights
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All rights reserved.
