EST & UTC + 5

FOMMA Trust
Karachi, 2018



EST & UTC + 5 : Ten Collaborative Projects by Twenty Artists.
This project and exhibition was co-curated by Terrill Warrenburg and Fiza Khatri.

Named after the technical time zones where the artists are located, EST & UTC +5 brings together 10 artists from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and 10 artists from Karachi, Pakistan, in an effort to connect across time and space through the universal language of art.  The result was 10 distinct collaborative works of art, created by the 10 pairs, exhibited simultaneously in Philadelphia and Karachi (at Little Berlin and at FOMMA Trust, respectively), as well as a zine published to mark the completion of the projects. The artwork shown ranges in medium and form, including interactive performance, extensive and intimate photographic and written documentation of daily life, site specific installation, and others. Throughout their conversations and creative partnerships, each artist learned more about the other’s culture, artistic practice, and personality. In EST & UTC +5 art is a bridge to connect citizens from political opposites on the world stage, a catalyst for real friendships and empathy in an increasingly divided world.
Alyssa Kreilick and Veera Rustomji:

“Our correspondence began with asking about what the neighborhoods we live in are like; how to describe our landscape, both natural and made by humans; what is the climate like? This exchange expanded to sending photographs documenting aspects of our daily lives. We discussed public spaces and pedestrian access to the cities we live in, Philadelphia and Karachi. We both sent photographs of benches. These physical symbols of a human’s need for repose in their environment are reflected in the works produced through our collaboration.”

Mediums: Wooden Benches and AstroTurf