An Artist’s View – The Auspicious Journey
By Mahtab Hussain
I have been the lead artist for Black Country Voyages 2016, converting Ikon’s canal boat into a studio for The Auspicious Journey, a story, that tells the impact of the Mangla Dam across the Jhelum River in Kashmir Pakistan. The Mangla Dam began construction in 1961 and released in 1967, over 280 towns and villages of Mirpur and Dadyal were submerged resulting in over 110,000 people being displaced. Many emigrated to the UK, finding work in the then thriving industry and canals of the Black Country.
For me this was a wonderful opportunity to be able to use a narrow boat as a studio space; I was able to convert part of the boat into a mobile darkroom, similar to darkroom carriages of the past. I created tin-type portraits, a wet plate process where you have a very limited time to create an image, so it was very fitting to use a 17th century process as you needed a darkroom very close by.
Travelling across the canal system throughout the Black Country we were able to target audiences who would never have engaged with Ikon directly and it was a real pleasure for me to make that connection with a project that specifically related to their past.
Spending time in Kashmir, allowed the project to expand and develop in a variety of ways. I was able to make work around the Mangla Dam and see how traditional Kashmiri homes look and feel. The residency is now in its final phase, and I am tremendously excited to be able to create an installation piece of a traditional Kashmiri home titled Mitti Ka Ghar, which will be open to the public at Ikon from 25 October to 6 November. Small clay houses which have been made by people I have met through the on-board workshops throughout the summer will be shown inside the house. I hope that all those participants who have been involved with the project will come along to celebrate our collaborative efforts during the summer.