The new assistant drops by

a little promo photo of Haider Ali's latest.

Some days are slower than others. There's still a lot of work being done, but there's less to share in terms of stories. I've been waking up around 5am and getting in a good days work before breakfast. I shot some interviews with some of the Phool Patti team, that I'm editing, bit by bit. I've been refining the "Risalo" animatic, and continuing my research.

Fatima doing what she does from Adnan Hussain on Vimeo.

While I was editing, this little sweetheart came to visit. She waddled over to me while I was editing interviews. I picked her up and plopped her on the chair next to me. It was a fun morning seeing what silliness she's up to. The mornings are so quiet, and it's a great time to do some work and play with an unexpected assistant. Little Fatima is already picking up her father Haider's paint brushes. The kids have a way of taking me out of that rigid focus on work, and reminding me to sit back a bit and enjoy a silly moment.

phool patti artists at work

phool patti artists at work

Afterwards, Haider and Mumtaz took me to visit another group of Phool Patti artists. People are incredibly gracious. Everywhere you go, as always people offer you tea, or a soda, often both. The truck workshops are very rough around the edges, but the excellence in artistry shines through. This isn't work that people are just knocking out. There is so much care and pride put into every brushstroke.From there, we rode three on the motorcycle, with me in the back trailing a heavy backpack. I'm proud to say that I managed to stick to the seat with every muscle in my body over every bump and through each turn and every exciting near death experience. It's actually pretty exhilarating and incredible.We ended up at the Culture Tourism and Antiquities Department Government of Sindh to see my friend Fatah Daud Poto. He has been among a group of cherished friends who have made it possible for me to see these ideas of projects through. He was the one who initially connected me to the Girnari Jogi Group in the past, and once again, I find myself reaching out to this same group of friends, with a few additions each time, without whom none of what I do here would be possible. In return, I try to honor this gift by giving everything I can to create meaningful projects with this culture and to support and promote the practitioners of it, who graciously allow me to collaborate with them.

Yusuf Ghot Phool Patti

I went with Haider Ali and Mumtaz Ahmad to a place called Yusuf Ghot. A talented phool patti artist named Gulraiz Affridi who had apprenticed with Haider Ali was working on a tanker truck. Mumtaz bhai and a few other artists joined in to lend a hand. I got to watch and learn more about the process. Besides that, I came up with some concepts for one of the sequences for "Risalo" that I'll be exploring further.

Gulraiz Affridi at work

pretending to paint

back of truck

It was a quiet day, just listening to the artists and taking mental notes. We rode past a long line of beautifully decorated trucks. It was like walking into a giant art gallery. Haider had me pose with the brush, though I wouldn't dare mess with their paint jobs. These guys do amazing things. Double and triple loading the brush, they can create beautiful flowers with a sweep of the hand. Even with such quick skills, it takes a team of artists painstaking days baking in the sun to create these masterpieces. They make it look easy because they are able to do such fine work almost entirely freehand. I love watching the process, as rich lines and color flow across these hulking trucks.I'm working out some details for the next step in this process.

Afterwards, we head back and I got to spend some quality time with Haider's sweet children. The two little ones are twins, and just about the most quiet, innocent kids you'll find. They look around innocently, waddling around, poking their paws into things they should not. The little girl is constantly giggling and climbing on things. The little boy just looks bewildered, while his older brother asks a lot of cute questions and walks around making sure they don't tumble down the stairs. Such a sweet older brother. I love how the little boy has a shirt that says dangerous across it under that vest. Can't ask for better company on this leg of the trip.

Maripur Hawk's Bay Rd Phool Patti

Spending time with Haider Ali and Ali Salman Anchan has been really great. While I am certainly here to work on my puppet film "Risalo", there are a lot of interesting side excursions that are integral to my growth as well as the project at hand. I can't really do the work without immersing myself into being here and following these sort of side stories along the way. I'm still jet lagged and my sleep timings are all over the place, but I manage to stay awake through the day. As I write about things I am doing, there are a lot of other "Risalo" related developments that will be shared more so when something more substantial comes together.

tiger on the back of a truck

peacock and fish

Shaukat Ali artist

I took a ride with Ali Salman Anchal and visited Haider Ali and the rest of the Phool Patti team at the Quaid-e-Azam International Truck Stand, Karachi. I got to see more of the process behind the work, which was really exciting for me. From purchasing paints and custom made brushes, to seeing a bit of the division of labor from undercoat to phool patti (which is the actual name of this art form people have termed truck art).

Mumtaz Ahmed Creative Director of Phool Patti with custom brushes he cobbled together.

Enamel paints for body paint.

synthetic enamel paints used for pool patti

spray color

We're not far from Baluchistan here in Hawk's Bay, but still within Sindh. It has been really fascinating to meet Mumtaz Bhai, the creative director of Phool Patti (the company) and several other artists on the team. I was photographing one of their beautiful finished trucks from Baluchistan, when the proud owner of the vehicle came by and asked me to photograph him with it. I'm so glad that he did. People don't often realize the care and attention to detail that goes into this work. As an artist, it's quite clear to me, but often the general public thinks that like many "services", it is just a matter of throwing a bit of money at some people to get the job done for a pittance.

proud truck owner who clearly appreciates the artistry behind the masterpiece

chammak patti (bright colored sticker paper) cur into fine designs.

more chammak patti. Each piece is hand cut and expertly placed

What they do not realize is the level of commitment, artistry and expertise that goes into creating these rich works of art. These are true masterpieces and I hope to do my part in getting the general public to see them as such. They are master artists, who rather than being hindered by some paltry college art education, live and breathe this stuff, and pour their souls into every piece they lay their brush upon.

Here's a little time-lapse of Haider Ali doing what he does. Note, this isn't a finished piece at the end of the clip.

Haider Ali partial timelaps from Adnan Hussain on Vimeo.

First Day in Karachi

My first day in Karachi was a good one. We started the day with some Halwa Puri, then Ali Salman Anchan took me to Frere Hall, where we had both wanted to see the famous ceiling mural by the incredible Sadquain. It was every bit as incredible I had hoped.

Frere Hall, Karachi

Frere Hall, Sadquain ceiling

After that, we head over to a fair where Phool Patti had a booth. I reconnected with my friend Haider Ali, an excellent truck artist I met when he was in Los Angeles, showcasing his work. Haider and Ali Salman formed Phool Patti to showcase the beauty of Pakistani truck art to the world, and to help create opportunities for fellow artists. I will be sharing more about their work soon.

artwork on a rickshaw Phool Patti

truck art tissue boxes by Phool Patti

with the Phool Patti founders

Phool Patti banner

truck art mirror by Phool Patti

truck art tins by Phool Patti

truck art coaster

I also met a group called Multan Lok Raqs Party (meaning Multan Folk Dance Party) who put on beautiful dancing horse and camel performances using large wearable puppets. They are based out of Multan, and travel the country to showcase their art. They use instruments such as Shehnai, dhol and chapri. I spoke to The deputy in charge of the group Ijaz Hussain, though the group is lead by Muhammad Sharif who was not in attendance. These are great performers, musicians and artists and as always, I would be happy to directly connect anyone that may like to hire them to perform.

Horse Dance

Multan Lok Raqs Party

Sindhi musicians

Camel Dance

Here's a short promo video I just created for the group:

Multan Lok Raqs Party from Adnan Hussain on Vimeo.

There was even a puppet show at the fair, run by a group of student volunteers part of a group called Thespianz Theater. They were very friendly and I enjoyed photographing the puppets. The event itself did not create the kind of atmosphere that groups like the Multan Lok Raqa Party deserve. It would also have been great if the organizers had hired some professional puppeteers to really showcase what they can do.

setting the puppet stage

volunteer puppeteer

kids at puppet show

puppets on stage

puppet with Sindhi ajrak

dancing puppet

dancing puppet

Still, it was great to meet the Raqs party. I am a step closer to reaching some puppeteers.

I rode with Haider on his motorcycle, through some nutty traffic.

motorcycle ride in Karachi from Adnan Hussain on Vimeo.

During the event, we received news of an attack on a Shia place of worship in Peshawar. The people of this country are what make it such an incredible place. There is a great deal of pain here, and huge challenges for people just going about their daily lives, but I see these artists and regular everyday people caught in the middle, just trying to earn enough to get by, trying to raise their kids, and give them the kind of joy they had in their childhoods.

Artists have a great deal to contribute to the cause of nurturing communities and showing them what we were and could be in the future. With more care, an event like this could really enrich these kids that deserve so much more from us. The artists are clearly ready to do their part.

Later, I got to see a phool patti (truck art) workshop with some trucks in the process of being decorated into pieces of mobile art.

Karachi

in progress truck art

in progress truck art

truck art on a rickshaw

Descending into Karachi

After months of working out logistics, waiting, wondering and struggling, I arrived in Karachi, Pakistan.

Abu Dhabi marina

Heritage Village woodwork.

Heritage Village glass work.

Heritage Village pottery.

 After a short jaunt around Abu Dhabi, my wife and I went our separate ways to work on our projects. I walked over to the gate for my flight to Karachi, and there were several elderly, world worn people sitting, squatting, lying down as I might see waiting for a train in Pakistan, with bundles and bags.

Sheikh Zaid Grand Mosque, Abu Dhabi

Sheikh Zaid Grand Mosque, Abu Dhabi

Sheikh Zaid Grand Mosque, Abu Dhabi

I thought about how beat down we are right now with all that's going on in Pakistan. I watched as people at an adjacent gate filed into buses to a flight to Bangalore, India.Our flight started boarding a while later, and we seemed like cattle herded into the bus to the plane. We reached the plane, yet the doors remained shut as we stared at the stairs leading to our ride home without a complaint.I fell asleep on the flight, came to in time to scarf down a meal, then watched the sunset along the wing of the plane, fade into darkness as we descend into Karachi.

sunset descent

sunset descent

descent into Karachi

Passengers scrambled off the plane. I walked down long corridors. A tiny, hunched over elderly woman winced in pain, struggling to keep up with her ragged group that was far ahead of her. I looked at her, then the standing people mover. I asked if I could hold her bag as her group moved further. I helped her fearfully step on the conveyer, with her bag in my hand. She was exhausted.I ran back up the escalator as she stood frozen crying "Man dar lagda ai" ( I'm afraid) before I coaxed her into stepping on.I left her and the bag with her group. She gasped prayers for my successes as we parted.I stood in line at immigration. An old bearded man and his incredibly aged mother, blind in one eye, barely holding on to her cane, elbowed past me to the counter. I didn't care. I waited and watched as the woman collapsed in a bundle, as paperwork was processed. As the immigration officer did his job without favoritism, but never made the poor, exhausted woman get up. He checked what he needed and sent them on their way.The immigration officer mentioned how these elderly people had just returned from that once in a lifetime opportunity to perform Umra, the off season pilgrimage to Mecca.I got my bags and strolled out past eager faces with nothing but excitement to receive their loved ones. My friend was nowhere to be seen.I stood on one side, looking at the sea of people walking past at night. Someone brought me a cart and let me use his cel phone. No answer.I tried again from the local security booth. They invited me in and helped me figure out what to do. They are very busy dealing with securing this airport. It was brutally attacked by militants not too long ago. The bus kiosk was closed. No reply on the phone. I waited some more.I saw a group of men holding flower garlands looking around, waiting for an arrival. One wore an ajrak. I asked who they were waiting for. They mentioned a friend from Iran, and looked a bit cautious. I reassured them, it was nothing negative, knowing of recent murders of Shias. I mentioned none of that, but we understood. Without missing a beat, one of them offered me a soda. I declined, but appreciated the kindness, not at all uncommon.Then I thought to connect to Wi-Fi, as my sim along with all other unverified Pakistani sims have been deactivated prior to my arrival as the nation struggles against violence.I found another number, called a friend of a friend I had not met, but trust. WiFi was weak so another stranger at a cel phone stall let me call again with his phone. My friend's friend dropped everything to fight through traffic. Not one complaint from his companion behind the wheel, who drove to pick up some random person, through a mass of cars inches from one another, honking and twisting in so much madness.A home was opened to me at a moments notice based off a mutual friendship. New friends are made. A delicious meal was shared and plans are adjusted. I'm reading about 4 or 5 hate crimes, beatings and murders of south asians and muslims on my facebook feed from the US as I sit here in Karachi waiting for the sun to come up, grateful that I'm greeted with so much kindness by people I have never met before today, knowing that this is Pakistan, and this is how it is.

Wandering with Jogis

Jamshoro, Sindh, Pakistan

Six years ago, I found myself at the side of a freeway eating food under a rickety hut in the deserts of Jamshoro, Sindh in Pakistan. The air was hot, as was the food. Drenched in sweat, I looked out past the asphalt, across sand, sprinkled in defiant bits of green. I had come there from Los Angeles seeking a group of wandering snake charmers; Jogis to add their music to my animated film "Gul". Little did I know how connected we would be in the years to come, from devastating floods to bringing Sufi poetry to the world all thanks to people joining together to do some good.

Sindhi musicians

Thanks to help from Suffi Bilal Khalid, Fatah Daudpoto, Saeed Mangi and others who made my work possible, I have a story to share. I went to pick up Ustad Amb Jogi and Jairam Jogi at the Hyderabad rail station in Sindh. We would have ridden in two auto rickshaws, but they humbly suggested that one was enough. We piled in with my friend Azam Bugti, the two musicians, their large instrument cases and the auto driver, then went to Fatah sahib's apartment.In the apartment, we met a few more local musicians, and each played a bit. I was mesmerized. It took years of grueling effort to get to this point. The musicians asked what I was looking for and I played a few recordings. They had never made music for films before. I reassured them, that what I wanted was their music, expressing the emotions of my film. After setting a date for a recording session and overcoming some other logistical challenges, I found myself with them again at the recording studio at the Institute of Sindhology in Jamshoro.With hand gestures and words, I gave them cues for timing as Ustad Amb Jogi lead them through different raags and emotional arcs of the film. Each musician added their embellishments and created a rich piece of music. I was ecstatic. All that pressure and effort came down to several hours of weaving music from their seventh and eighth generation traditions, into a nine minute piece of music. We shared a meal after the recording session, then bid farewell. I came back to Los Angeles, with the recordings which I mixed and edited. I finished the rest of my film and "Gul" was born.The Jogis came with me through their music to festivals around the world. My film had no words, but the emotions of their music and sound design by my friend Brian Stroner. I put together a section devoted to them on my website, to let the world know them. The following year, I returned to Sindh, to give thanks to friends and share the finished film. The Jogis met in the lawn of a local radio station. I was overjoyed to see them again. They told me that it was not a particularly large project that we had worked on, but when I called them about meeting, they came because they appreciated my respect for them. I felt the same way. We sat and talked for a while. I told them how people around the world loved their music at festivals I went to. I gave them DVDs for each member of the group. I learned more about the challenges they face as musicians, such as never receiving copies of their recordings, never being showcased in their own album, and certainly not receiving the financial rewards for their art that they should. They were known as being among the best at each of their instruments, yet being illiterate and of simple means, promotion was not something they could manage. Yet these were not complaints. They shared with me, only after some pushing, out of a sense of trust.My project was funded out of pocket. They sat with me and gave it all the care and skill they had. In turn, I tried to give them the utmost respect as fellow artists as well as paying them for their hard work. These are sweet, humble people. I wanted to do more. I asked them to get recordings of their work, and have them sent via a friend at the University to me in Los Angeles, that I might cobble something together to promote them further. They agreed and we parted ways.I came back to Los Angeles, after that summer and got busy in trying to earn a living again to keep bills paid. I called Ustad Amb Jogi in November the next year, only to learn that he and the rest of the Jogis had lost their homes to devastating floods. Ashamed that I had not thought to check in sooner, I began to think about what I could do. I took video from our recording session and put it together. Based on that, I created a small campaign selling that one piece of music and sharing their story. It took a few months of personally emailing, calling and speaking to as many people as possible, but we raised $1,200 which I transferred to Ustad Amb Jogi. My friends at Sindhology came through to support once again. They provided recording services, then sent me the footage to edit and mix with funds going to the musicians and minimal recording costs.

Girnari Jogi Group album sessions.

Out of that project came a DVD and CD of the Jogis, with their names on it, short bios, photos and introductions with subtitles as a fledgling vehicle to promote and support their livelihoods. I told everyone about the project, shared the Jogi's story and music online for free and in person everywhere I went. People bought the album and at a very grass roots level it has been able to help the Jogis by raising more funds. Their videos have received thousands of views online, and where once there was no trace of them to the outside world, now people from every corner of the world can know them and their music in their own words. This project did not take millions of dollars to create. It took care, trust and a lot of love. They gave me what I could never create, and I in turn applied my skills and resources to try and share what I could.In the end, I feel empowered by what can happen with an idea and the many people who help to make it a reality. At the moment, I am planning a new project with the Jogis, assorted other musicians and puppeteers, to dig deeper and share more of the rich culture there as well as benefit more artists. We are creating a traditional puppetry film based on sufi poetry by Shah Abdul Latif Bhitai which will bring together Sindhi folk musicians and Rajasthani puppeteers in the form of a film that crosses a border that has kept families apart for almost 70 years. Once again, it started with an idea, and is steadily growing, thanks to the power of people coming together to try and do some good.Learn more about the puppet film; "Risalo".

Smithfield Bargain at the Hotel Cafe

I got to enjoy the music of Smithfield Bargain at the Hotel Cafe. Here are a few quick sharpie sketches of them.

Extemporary Elites at the Blue Whale

Went to see Extemporary Elites at the Blue Whale. Here are some sketches made during the show.

LA 4 Gaza at the Echoplex Sketches

Went out to support an event called "LA 4 Gaza" which took place at the Echoplex. Some good friends (Discostan and Radio Sombra) put it together with fantastic music to raise funds for Palestine Children's Relief Fund, who do fantastic humanitarian aid work in the region.Great to see people like Omar Offendum, Ana Tijoux, Kadhja Bonet, Awesome Tapes from Africa, NGUZUNGUZU with my favorite DJs from Discostan, Arshia and Jeremy and hosted by Nizar Wattad.Here are some sketches I drew in the dark.

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LA India Ensemble at Calarts Watercolor Sketches

I went to see my friend Neelamjit Dhillon perform along with Raginder "Violinder" Momi, Rajib Karmakar and Vineet Vyas as the LA India Ensemble at Calarts. Great show! Here are some sketches I made during the show.

Hari Kondabolu at the Troubadour

I went to see comedian Hari Kondabolu at the Troubadour. Great show, with some really good comics such as Solomon Georgio, Elicia Sanchez. Here are some sketches I made during the show.

Young Workers Rising Block Party

Congratulations to my friend Shukry and all the people that came together to make the first annual Young Workers Rising Block Party a success. I managed a few sketches of Maya Jupiter and her band with a guest cameo by Omar Offendum. What a set. Wow. I can't wait to hear more. They were followed by ever fantastic band Quetzal. Here are a few sketches and some youtube videos below that to give you a taste.

Urdu Markaz Los Angeles 2014 Mushaira

I took my parents to a mushaira (Urdu poetry recital) featuring Pakistani and Indian poets. There was a lot of beautiful poetry with commentary on social issues in both serious and humorous tones. I took my iPad with me and made these sketches in an app called Procreate. You can also see a video of each sketch being drawn thanks to a feature in the app.

Here's the full piece of Iqbal Ashhar performing his poetry that I included in the video above.

MPV Youth Open Mic at Levantine Cultural Center

I went to the MPV Youth Open Mic at Levantine Cultural Center and saw a lot of talent sharing pieces, close to their hearts. Here are a few pencil sketches I managed during the night.

Sheila Govindarajan and friends at Downstairs at 57

Exhausted from work, I went over to see my friend Sheila Govindarajan with other great musicians play at Downstairs at 57 in downtown LA. I managed to grab some markers and a small sketchbook on my way out the door and made these sketches during the show in all my sleeplessness.So much talent on that little stage. Thanks.

An Evening of Ramadan Poetry - DTLAB - Writ Large Press

I want to Ramadan Poetry, a night of poetry that came out of my friend Taz's "Poetry a Day for Ramadan" project for people to create poetry every day as during the month. This was the outcome of that wonderful project, in Union Station thanks to DTLAB, Writ Large Press and Traxx Bar for generously hosting.

Here's a video of the process behind these sketches thanks to Procreate, an app on the iPad that I used to create the sketches.

ramadan poetry sketches from Adnan Hussain on Vimeo.

The Lions at Grand Performances

I went to see the Lions (on Stone Throw Records), a really fun reggae band at Grand Performances. Here's a sketch from the show.Check out some of their music:

Post Natyam Collective's "Super Ruwaxi: Origins" Sketches

I've been working with Post Natyam Collective on their dance theater production entitled "Super Ruwaxi: Origins" this whole month. We're a few days away from the Los Angeles preview, so I thought I'd share some artwork from my contributions to the process. I've been painting countless backgrounds, creating animations and doing a bunch of green screen compositing to help flesh out the world of Super Ruwaxi. A lot of the animation techniques I'm using are ones I also taught at some of my recent classes. It's been really interesting to use an iPad as a production tool. I've been painting using Procreate and created some 2D animation using Animation Creator HD, both apps for the iPad.You can see some sketches and paintings above, and animation below to give you a taste of some of my contributions to the piece.

1. Bar
2. super_ruwaxi_post_natyam_animation01

Angelique Kidjo at Grand Performances

I went to see Angelique Kidjo at Grand Performances. What an amazing show. The place was packed, the music was great and I managed to do some sketches during the show.

Angelique Kidjo

The band and opening act

Audience member who shared snacks with us.

beautiful sketch by my pal Eduardo Sanchez

Brittani Sonnenberg reading of Home Leave at Skylight Books

In celebration of my friend Nasia's birthday  a bunch of us met at Skylight Books for a reading by Brittani Sonnenberg from her book "Home Leave". Here is a sketch I created during the reading.