Interviews / Youlin Magazine
Midnight Doorways: Usman T. Malik on Pakistani folklore, fables and horror tales
Author Usman T. Malik discusses his new book, the nature of strange fiction, and the importance of finding new stories. Malik sees himself somewhere on the ‘darker’ side as a Horror writer as he more often than not writes dark fiction, and wants this genre to become popular across South Asia.
Archiving Fashion: In conversation with the author and photographer of ‘Pakistan: A Fashionable History’
A discussion with the creators of a visually striking coffee table book on Pakistan’s fashion history. It’s full of interviews with designers, models, make-up artists and more. It documents fashion in all its forms from post-Partition to 2000. The book encourages people to record their society’s culture across time and create archives where there are none for generations to come. It’s a brave initiative, waiting to sit on your coffee table.
Unsung Heroes: A conversation with the creators of ‘Fearless: Stories of Amazing Women from Pakistan’
To fill the gap for South Asian representation in international literature, the recently published book ‘Fearless: Stories of Amazing Women from Pakistan’ (2020) tells us stories of Pakistanis we should know of. This book represents 50 Pakistani women who’ve led inspirational lives as leaders, innovators, activists, entrepreneurs, change-makers and much more. Some may have more divisive personalities than others, but all have had long-lasting impact on their respective communities, yet lack the global recognition they deserve.
Artwork of female Pakistani idols by Aziza Ahmad
“A significant takeaway for the reader is realising that all women are different, “some make melodies, some make noise.” Readers don’t necessarily have to agree with what these women have done to acknowledge the far-reaching impact they’ve had on society.”
Art in Dialogue: Zahra Khan on her ‘Art Divvy Conversation Series’
Every week on Instagram live, Zahra interviews contemporary artists from Pakistan and South Asia. Zahra confessed that she had been wanting to do something like this for a long time. But it always seemed like an enormous undertaking that involved the right kind of funding, equipment, team, the right kind of everything. When the pandemic began, she thought of grabbing the opportunity of escaping minuscule technicalities and going online - it was finally time to do artist interviews.
Lahore Digital Arts Festival: Digitalising art and culture in 2021
The Lahore Digital Arts Festival (LDF) is launched in March 2021. It is an online festival that bypasses traditional understandings of art curation. It brings together a community of artists and audiences who can explore the many intersections of art, technology and everything in-between. In this interview with LDF’s Founding Curator, Najam-Ul Assar, we explore the festival’s innumerable themes, activities and overarching cultural purpose in a globalised world that may still feel disconnected.
Summer 2021's Best Releases: New Sounds in Your Playlist
Music has served as an escape from lockdown and a strategy to work better from home. The Pakistani independent music scene never seems to surprise, with new singles and albums releasing. It involves both emerging and established artists – playing an equally important role. Some encompass totally contemporary sounds, whereas others mash with traditional tunes and beats. Here is a roundup of Summer 2021’s best music releases that need to be immediately added to your playlist.