Photos by Eric Hester
Honoring Dissent/Descent
In November 2009, Sehba Sarwar conceptualized and directed Honoring Dissent/Descent, a Living Room Art production that honored her father, Pakistani activist Dr. Mohammad Sarwar, and Houston activist Daniel Bustamante.
The production, held in Sarwar’s East Houston residence, shed light on Dr. Sarwar who led Pakistan 1950’s student movement. The show also focused on accomplishments of Daniel Bustamante, the founder of Houston’s Festival Chicano, who was involved with the United Farm Workers, and La Raza Unida. The evening drew more than 400 audience members including Sissy Farenthold, Pakistani Consul General Aqil Nadeem, Alice Valdez and many more. Over the course of the night, audience members experienced performance, open mic, installations, video screenings, and a collaborative altar, and people left Sarwar’s home with new insights about her father, the student movement in Pakistan and the Chicano struggle.
Watch this video to learn how Honoring Dissent/Descent led Sarwar to kick off new stream of VBB projects!
This show was supported in part by The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Simmons Foundation, and the Consulate of Pakistan, Houston.
Additionally, it was co-sponsored by KPFT Pacifica Radio 90.1 FM, Houston Institute for Culture, The Orange Show Center for the Visual Arts and Geo TV. Part of Sehba Sarwar’s Pakistan Live Broadcast productions, the project aimed to shed an alternative light on Pakistan and to recognize neighborhoods where shows are installed.
Photos by Eric Hester and Ben DeSoto
