On a glorious winter evening, creative geniuses hailing from various programs offered at Habib University came together to enthrall the audience and visitors with their mind-blowing projects. Hosted within the premises of HU, the Open Studio 2016 had been organized at one of the most remarkable spaces available called the ‘Design Studio’.
Presenting a diverse line-up of project displays including still models, working models and research-based visual representations, the Open Studio saw participation by droves of young enthusiastic students, faculty and staff who came together for a transdisciplinary experience coupled with entertainment and excitement.
“It’s a party inside Sheesh Mahal!” exclaimed Zoha Jabbar, a Social Development & Policy (SDP) Junior at HU. And she was absolutely right! Drawing inspiration from an old animation device called a Zoetrope, as well as Shah Jahan’s historic monument, the miniature Sheesh Mahal being created by her group, as part of the HU course called DIY City Karachi – Manchester, was a treat to watch.
Another exciting display that had captivated the curiosity of the visitors was Sitaron Ki Sair (Ride to the stars) – an in-house planetarium that could be controlled with one’s hand movements.
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Roaming around the streets of Burns Gardens in a polluted environment, the group had conceived this idea not only to utilize a beautiful place that was abandoned but also to revive the experience of star gazing in a city blanketed with smoke clouds.
‘Piezo Tile’ was another interesting project being based on the concept of converting mechanical energy into electricity by walking. “We took piezoelectric transducers from speakers and put them in a tile with parallel connections and rectifiers thus producing electricity,” says Nadia Zubair, a Computer Science (CS) student at HU, while explaining about its working.
Some other notable exhibits included projects like ‘Solar LED Street’, and visual communication depicting the dynamics of ‘Habib Space Network’ and ‘Network Analysis of Bomb Blasts in Pakistan’.
The success of HU Open Studio 2016 was defined by the nature of feedback it had received from the faculty and the visitors. Speaking at the occasion, Dr. Umair Azfar Khan, Assistant Professor of CS at HU said, “The students have created amazing projects and they have worked really hard during the past one and a half months. I personally believe that there is no institute in Pakistan, which is creating such high quality projects at this level.”
Chris Hunt, The British Council’s Director for Sindh and Balochistan, also appreciated the students’ efforts involved in designing projects for the Open Studio. “I am delighted to be here exploring these fabulous projects. These projects encourage one to engage with communities and outdoor spaces, helping to make Karachi a better place to live,” he expressed.
