Manchar Lake Art Residency is offering an opportunity for four emerging artists working in any medium; and one for mid-career practitioner or collective of upto three people, for a site specific installation. If you are a visual practitioner interested in indigenous communities, climate activism, and heritage, this is your chance to participate in this funded opportunity. Heritage Cell-Department of Architecture and Planning NED University (HC-DAPNED) started the documentation of the Mohanna houseboats through Endangered
Wooden Architecture Programme funding in 2022. The project further grew with the support from Cultural Protection Fund–UK for restoration of 44 galiyo (houseboats), and also respond to wider concerns of ecology, environment, culture, and heritage. The art residency builds on this work, offering artists a platform to engage with these interconnected themes.
The Mohannas
Mohannas of Manchar Lake are one of the oldest communities of Indus River. They are not just houseboat dwellers, but skilled fishermen, wood carvers, and clever bird-fowlers. Women of the community also possess artistry in ralli (patchwork and quilt making) art and crochet. Once abundant with marine life, the largest freshwater Lake of Pakistan sustained the Mohanna community. Today, pollution from the Right Bank Outfall Drain (RBOD) and climate uncertainties has disrupted its ecology, reducing yield and threatening livelihoods. Despite all the challenges, the community adapts to changing circumstances, proving their resilience. This residency aims to explore the complex yet intriguing relationship between the Lake's ecology and the Mohanna community, highlighting their stories of resilience, culture and everyday struggle.
