Alchemy
2000
Karachi

Alchemy was a catwalk-based presentation of Amin Gulgee’s jewelry and sculpture that took place at the former Karachi Sheraton and later at the Moghul-era Lahore Fort. Sonya Battla designed the clothes for the show; Pomme Amina Afzal was its producer; Ustaaz created original music for it. Alchemy was divided into three sections: Bronze, Silver and Gold. Each was introduced by a performance work. In the first, Amin, covered in mud, appeared on the runway with a bronze, Janus-like mask hinged to his head as Shakila Khorasani sang a morning raga offstage. The artist briefly danced, released a powerful scream then ran backstage. In the second section, sculptor Syed Munawar Ali repeatedly fell on his face before somersaulting off the end of the catwalk. In the third, an architecture student strode down the runway with a large gold-plated copper disc strapped to his back, rattling it with outstretched arms. The three main parts of the show were no less performative. In Bronze, female fashion models carried or wore copper sculptural pieces that Amin had created. These objects appeared organic, almost soft. In Silver, the women were dressed in his copper bustiers and other geometric objects plated in nickel, all of which had a cold, linear feel. In Gold, they were adorned with Amin’s gold-plated copper jewelry including his bold, unconventional earrings, pendants and necklaces. Alchemy was ostensibly a fashion show, but was much more than that. His engagement with art jewelry, and the rebellious fashion scene of the time, took advantage of the heady atmosphere of the 1990s when democracy had been restored in Pakistan after a decade of religiously conservative military rule. Creatives in various fields pushed the envelope to test boundaries. Alchemy was not only a testament to Amin’s generation’s aspirations, but sowed the seeds for what would prove to be his deepening engagement with performance art.