TEDxLahore - Saima Zaidi - Reading visual culture in Pakistan

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• published: 31 Aug 2010
• views: 52000

In this visually rich talk, Saima Zaidi constructs the visual identity of Pakistan through images explored in her book, Mazaar Bazaar. Celebrating diversity, Zaidi believes, these images connect our past and present. About the speaker Saima Zaidi is a lecturer on design and typography at the Indus Valley School of Art and Architecture. She studied at the National College of Arts, Lahore and the Pratt Institute, New York and has recently authored 'Mazaar, Bazaar' -- an exhaustive review of Pakistan's visual culture. Her work brings Pakistani design to the global stage as she collaborates with an international community of design experts to depict the intricacies of Pakistani design. She attempts to give Pakistani art forms such as truck art and iconography the appreciation they deserve. Zaidi's work focuses on communication design and through this medium she manages to discuss several aspects of the Pakistani society such as nationalism, trade and cultural heritage. About TEDx, x = independently organized event In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized. (Subject to certain rules and regulations.) About TED TED is a nonprofit organization devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading. Started as a four-day conference in California 25 years ago, TED has grown to support those world-changing ideas with multiple initiatives. The annual TED Conference invites the world's leading thinkers and doers to speak for 18 minutes. Their talks are then made available, free, at TED.com. TED speakers have included Bill Gates, Al Gore, Jane Goodall, Elizabeth Gilbert, Sir Richard Branson, Nandan Nilekani,Philippe Starck, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Isabel Allende and UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown. The annual TED Conference takes place in Long Beach, California, with simulcast in Palm Springs; TEDGlobal is held each year in Oxford, UK. TED's media initiatives include TED.com, where new TEDTalks are posted daily, and the Open Translation Project, which provides subtitles and interactive transcripts as well as the ability for any TEDTalk to be translated by volunteers worldwide. TED has established the annual TED Prize, where exceptional individuals with a wish to change the world are given the opportunity to put their wishes into action; TEDx, which offers individuals or groups a way to host local, self-organized events around the world, and the TEDFellows program, helping world-changing innovators from around the globe to become part of the TED community and, with its help, amplify the impact of their remarkable projects and activities.