Dis-location 3 (Gawal Mandi Chowk)

Playing with notions of Gestalt, Rashid Rana's images reveal multiple worldviews both formally and conceptually. "Rana presents a portrait of urban, post-colonial life which simultaneously transcends both Western media stigmas and patriotic narratives. In one frame there may be a traditional fruit vendor, while in the next frame is a delivery truck from a multinational corporation. Visually these images mirror the chaos and disorder of city life, while portraying simple everyday moments, a reality which is difficult to accurately depict." (M. Hilsman, Lahore, 2008) According to Rana, the Dis-location series addresses the relationship between conventional two-dimensional image-making and time-based arts. "In particular, this work is also meant to evoke the feel of a charcoal drawing when seen from distance and the large image is not as defined as it is in other works." (correspondence with the artist).&R &R Rana charts a new course with this particular body of work by using one location photographed over a duration of twenty four hours to create the large composite image of the same location. However while the 'pixel' or still images demonstrate the hustle of contemporary Lahore's busy streetlife, the whole image retains an old-fashioned charm conveying the look of a historical photograph which in turn provides the viewer with a disorienting sense of another time and place.