25 Oct, 2013

getting ready to kick off borderlines…

25 Oct, 2013

We are just a few days away from VBB kickoff production for our Borderlines production series with Marking History, an art and potluck gathering at Moody Park in Houston, Texas. 24 Oct 2013 · 03:22:05 PM

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16 Oct, 2013

eid in houston…

Sehba Sarwar
16 Oct, 2013

As part of the Eid celebration, Minal decides to learn the skill of applying mehndi / henna on her own feet and her friend’s palm.

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26 Aug, 2013

striking down “reclaiming home”…

Sheba Sarwar
26 Aug, 2013

Clump of burned visas with shadows of a spice string. Today’s the strike down for Coming Through the Gap on a Mountain on an Elephant, a production curated by Robert Pruitt. For the group show, I burned copies of visas, created a string of cardamom, cinnamon and bay leaves,...

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25 Aug, 2013

comfort food…

Sehba Sarwar
25 Aug, 2013

Paratha and sugar / cheeni – Minal’s comfort food.

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21 Aug, 2013

fallen aspen logs…

21 Aug, 2013

Fallen aspen logs at Lake George, Colorado.

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12 Aug, 2013

istanbul airport – again…

Sehba Sarwar
12 Aug, 2013

Minal and I experience a five-time security checking in Istanbul airport before we board our flight to Houston. Nonetheless, we are grateful that Turkish Airlines is now flying directly from Houston to Istanbul and it’s a flight we’ll be taking many times over the coming years – especially since...

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09 Aug, 2013

end of ramzaan…

Sehba Sarwar
09 Aug, 2013

Even though the city continues to experience violence – especially after yesterday’s bomb-blast that killed at least seven people including young children in Lyari – there is a frenzy in the air; tomorrow could be Eid-ul-Fitr. We head out to Uzma Arcade to purchase bangles for Minal so she...

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07 Aug, 2013

creating art…

Sehba Sarwar
07 Aug, 2013

Minal creating art with found objects. Above: a toothpick to create a design in her ice-cream; below: flowers in a dried leaf.

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a busy day…

Today’s a packed day: in the afternoon, a group of artists gather in the house, and I share updates about Bangladesh as well as details about Borderlines production project. At night, with friends, we head over to Ocean Mall, where Mideast Hospital once was, and there’s a celebration to...

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05 Aug, 2013

after the rain…

Sehba Sarwar
05 Aug, 2013

Seashells laid out on sand by Minal We take a spontaneous trip to the beach. Rainwater clogs the streets, but once we reach Hawksbay, we are rewarded by an empty beach. The high-tide from the day before has washed up plastic, bottles and other trash. Alongside trash, amidst piles...

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04 Aug, 2013

monsoon rains…

04 Aug, 2013

Monsoon rains descend today. All plans get cancelled, and we stay at home to enjoy alloo-puri – with electricity, to my surprise. But at night, the lights fade away for a few hours. This summer, “load-shedding” has been considerably less. One of our friends who manages Karachi’s controversial electricity...

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28 Jul, 2013

music in karachi…

Sehba Sarwar
28 Jul, 2013

I land in Karachi by late afternoon and by night, our family is at a dinner at Khalid and Lali Mahmood’s house. Lali, a photographer, wants to learn more about my Bangladesh experience. She’s working with Bengali refugee women in Karachi and is interested in participating in Borderlines production...

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I was inspired to begin my blog when I visited the library at my alma mater, Mount Holyoke College, and saw a framed photograph of my friends and me calling for divestment of funds from South Africa.

In 2007,  I began a blog when I visited my alma mater and saw a framed photograph of my friends and me calling for divestment of funds from South Africa. I use the blog to document my movement between spaces, Houston, Karachi, Delhi, Dhaka, Los Angeles and elsewhere, recording observations, images and conversations. Here, I document the multiple realities that I inhabit – writer, artist, mother, activist, educator, and transnational. Interviews from my blog were exhibited at Houston’s Baker Ripley Community Center (2014) and at Houston Public Library in downtown (2015). My papers are archived at the University of Houston’s library.