Project Lead (HandSpun)
Faryal’s background is in design, culture and literature. She holds an MA in Visual Cultures from Durham University, UK. and a Bachelors in Textile Design from Dept of Visual Studies, KU. During her MA, she worked at the Bowes Museum as a curatorial intern. She is a researcher of cultural heritage, local crafts, and textiles of Pakistan and likes to experiment with new media to archive and curate Various art forms. Her documentary Food and Crafts: Practices of the Neelum Valley was showcased at the Pakistan Calling Film Festival. During the Covid-19 lockdown, Faryal co-curated an online art exhibition COVENT19, in an attempt to capture primary creative responses to the pandemic. The exhibition displayed 42 artworks from across 15 countries. Faryal has a teaching portfolio spanning over 10 years and has taught design at Karachi University (Dept of Visual Studies), Indus Valley School of Arts and architecture and most recently at the National College of Arts. As a faculty she has been actively involved with student-led activities and founded Vscd – Visual Studies Society for Community Development, involving students with volunteer work and Art-led community projects. As a recipient of the Global Citizen Scholarship at Ustinov College, Durham University, she led creative workshops, community projects and co-planned Ustinov College Annual Conference and Objects of Belonging art exhibition.