The most surrealist part of the Magnum Party ’16 was that it happened. Sometimes, in fact most times in Pakistan, fact is stranger than fiction and for an event of this magnitude to happen at a time of crises was the actual surrealism. We have to be thankful for people who have imagination and aren’t afraid to express it because the event, juxtaposing art and fashion, inspired conversations between the correlations between the two mediums of expression
Nilofer Shahid’s depictions of Salvador Dali’s work was quite literal and splendid in its portrayal of a life ravaged by war.
The Magnum Party ’16 brought fashion under the umbrella of art, inspired by Salvador Dali’s surrealism and expressed in shades of chocolate by four designers.
Karachi : The most surrealist part of the Magnum Party ’16 was that it happened. Sometimes, in fact most times in Pakistan, fact is stranger than fiction and for an event of this magnitude to happen at a time of crises was the actual surrealism. We have to be thankful for people who have imagination and aren’t afraid to express it because the event, juxtaposing art and fashion, inspired conversations between the correlations between the two mediums of expression. And who better as centerpiece than Salvador Dali? He would have approved of the conflict between two faces of destruction, one an apparently ravaged exterior and the other a smooth, subliminal stream of serenity, much like melted chocolate. It is, after all, about dreams and nightmares that we live.
The Magnum Party began with an art arena curated by Canvas Gallery owner Sameera Raja; it put up on display various art works depicting surrealism including human installations that also attempted to tie in the binding element of the evening: chocolate. The melting man in the tub of chocolate (or was it the man in the tub of melting chocolate) may have been an awkward and distasteful welcome post but thankfully things got better inside. Most people in the audience, gleefully unaware of Dali or the theme, found their Melting Watch in the delicious dessert table organized by RAK Associates.
Shamaeel devoted her collection to romance and the fact that we indulge in chocolate when in love and during heartbreak.
Moving on to the fashion presentation, four designers were selected for the task: Shamaeel, Ali Xeeshan, Faraz Manan and Nilofer Shahid (in order of appearance). Shamaeel chose to portray the relationship between love and chocolate (Dali would have pondered on sex but one understands the societal restrictions) with the fact that chocolate was comfort for love as well as heart break. It was bitter sweet; part ebullient and part melancholic and Shamaeel’s understanding of the theme combined with her control on the craft was very impressive.
Ali Xeeshan is renowned for his theatrics but he himself was the best Metamorphosis of Narcissus that the designer could have hoped to portray. He was the most surrealistic part of his capsule, which even the appearance of an uncharacteristically somber Mawra Hocane could not lift into a moment of fantasy. She did look beautiful, though.
Faraz Manan chose to show pretty, wearable clothes that committed more to chocolate and shades of sinful indulgence than surrealism. Sadly, the designer was not in attendance. And last of all, Nilofer Shahid’s tribute to Dali may have been too literal in its interpretation but then that very explanation was needed at a show attended by a mass of people who appeared to have never heard of the eccentric surrealist. One found the Face of War impeccable, splendid in its ravaged glory that is far from glamorous in reality but was spectacular when interpreted as fashion. Nadia Hussain has never looked better. And then at the other side of the spectrum, the Meditative Rose, again was literal in its portrayal of blue clouds and an oversized symbol of hope but it was a beautiful sight to see unravel. It’s when surrealism blends into expressionism.
Ali Zafar swapped his guitar for a paintbrush as he dipped it in chocolate and painted man as a two-faced creature.
The dance performances were interesting and where one enjoyed Joshinder Chaggar’s expressionism, the last act – after Nilofer Shahid’s finale – was unnecessary and went unwatched as people jumped out of their seats to catch a selfie with the designer as well as the celebrities before they left.
And that was one out of two problems with the evening.
The first problem was the tempo, which was too slow to qualify as party pace. One remembers last year’s Magnum Party as a more upbeat affair that had a youthful and upbeat party vibe, which was missing this year. You could blame the theme, which undoubtedly did mellow things down, but then a Magnum Party must be a party where people can eventually let their hair down and have fun. The second problem was the guest list, which exceeded the number of seats available, to the effect that people (mostly celebrities and media working the red carpet outside) coming in later could not find their delegated seats. Also, there were no delegated seats; again, not a great idea when you have an audience that has no sense of prioritization. The logistics of the event could have been better.
But to end things on a deservingly high note, the presence of television stars and starlets made up for the unnecessarily long guest list. Ali Zafar was quite the beau of the ball as he not only created an interesting art installation on stage but then painted with chocolate, depicting man’s double face or alter ego. The proof is in the pie and the fact that by the end of the evening people were rushing to the chocolate bar for a bar of Magnum. This was, undoubtedly, the purpose of the event but then it served a higher purpose – of keeping art and artistic expression alive by weaving it into a daily narrative. And one shall think of the surrealistic meaning of chocolate when biting into a crackling layer of Belgian chocolate.
