VISUAL DIALOGUES:
Pakistani truck art ‘a metaphoric literacy’
1: Introduction:
Iconographic symbolism; Visual
metaphors as ‘Context specific
visual language’ in the Pakistani
truck art:
Pakistani highways are open galleries
for the magnificently painted
‘Pakistani truck’. In the recent years
previously under- appreciated
Pakistani tradition of truck painting
has gained recognition as an
indigenous Pakistani art form.
This study recognizes the indigenous
art of truck painting as a mobile
visual expression of iconic
symbolism; a visual metaphor that
travels through Pakistan as
border-less mobile communication.
2: Claim:
This research claims that
indigenous arts can provide an
effective visual communication
design approach in low literacy
contexts.
‘Indigenous ways of thinking are
based on oral culture that tends
to use visual metaphors’ (St.Clair)
Hence this study investigates the
iconism and materiality of the
Pakistani truck art as 3RD visual
communication,within graphic
communication design context,
based on a metaphoric visual-
literacy that is context dependent.
Icons representing religious,mythical,
folk themes and subjective preferences
Religious icons
painted on top as
a sign of respect
according to the
Pakistani culture
The interior and the
exterior of the
driver’s cabin is
exquisitely painted,
corresponding to
the driver’s
perception of this
Eyes painted on the space as home. It
trucks usually also reflects his
resonate with the subjective
myth that it keeps spirituality, as the
the evil eye (bad decorations reflect
omen) away from the the practice of
truck and its driver decorating shrines;
religious spaces
intricately to show
devotion in
Pakistan.
Aknowledgments: Images generously provided by Peter Grant
Hena Ali
Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design
University of the Arts London
3: Research questions: 5: The practice:
Exploration of the potential A poster on hygienic garbage disposal designed
significance of the grammar of in collaboration with the Pakistani truck artists
Pakistani Truck art questions:
Rhetorical Frame work: Analytical Lens
How can the visual grammar
operating within the design of Rhetorical Tropes
Generating imagery
with consciousness
Intertextuality
Reading of a text
depends upon
Syntagmatic Structures
The conventions or ‘rules
of combination’
Pakistani truck art narrates
over and above any
literal meaning
(Literacy through
metaphor of
relating elements in a
structure drawing
references from the
underlying the production
and interpretation of texts
(Design and composition
external ‘world’ principles)
meanings through the iconographic
resonance)
imagery?
CONTEXT 6: The practice explores:
Rhetorical Tropes
CONTENT
Can design and culture reflectively
Design signifiers Cultural signifiers
generate a metaphoric graphic Can the design principles employed in the
VISUAL ALLEGORY ( METAPHOR)
Dimension Dimension
literacy of images and explicit visual (3D dimension, Huge Size) (Size connected to power and grandeur)
composition and construction process of
communication of ideas? Space Space
Pakistani truck art be identified and
Intertextuality
(Equally distributed panels) (A mobile space of viewing )
How does this ‘metaphoric’ literacy Informal grid Spatial position isolated
PAKISTANI TRUCK ART (Linear sections and frames)
(Relation to socio cultural denotations)
affect the design and consumption Colours Colours
schematically?
of indigenous imagery in Pakistan?
(As design elements) (As Vernacular aesthetics )
Can the technique and treatment be
Emphasis
Syntagmatic Structures
Emphasis
(Frames , Sequences) (Frames , Sequences) identified as a methodological process
Typography
(Driver’s subjective choice)
Iconography
(Metaphors) that can adapted else where (advocacy
Textures
(Patterns, Colours, Materials)
communication)?
4: Method 7: Analysis of the
The method involved literature
review, interviews and a
collaborative project:
collaborative practice based The poster was semi-successful within
project with the indigenous truck communication context when tested
artists in Pakistan: qualitatively with low-literacy participants.
The project resulted in a poster The message was comprehended by three
designed with the objective to out of five, attributed to the difference
explore how social messages can from the typical truck art approach; the
be developed by employing an ‘direct illustrative’ approach dichotomous
indigenous visual grammar, also to to the traditional truck art ‘metaphoric
explore whether the message will approach’.
be explicit in the context it draws
from and evolves in. Additionally, the novelty of ‘design brief’; a
social message as a focus was challenging
for the artist as he had to expand his visual
vocabulary to include unchartered
territory i.e. a direct message targeting an
audinece
8: Conclusion
The qualitative interpretation of meanings that people
ascribe to the painted symbols, based on the interviews
and the collaborative project, confirms visual narrative in
the Pakistani truck art as a two-way discourse between the
artist, artifact and the audience.
Painted metaphors Icons, as representations, generating visual narratives are
reflecting indigenous identified ‘metaphorically’ as a ‘visual dialogue’ that draws
on and reflects existing
knowledge and visual literacy of its context.
world views The model suggest:
A simultaneous interactive engagement of sociocultural
and design signifiers towards generating a visual narrative.
The practice project suggests:
Collaborations between artisans and graphic designers/
communication designers (with equivalent contribution) to
develop sustainable context specific design principles. This
can be beneficiary especially when designing graphic
communications targeting a low literacy target audience.
A visual metaphor dependent on
metaphoric literacy for production and consumption
ARTISTS ARTIFACT AUDIENCE
The back of the truck is painted
according to the driver’s
subjective choice. It can be Iconography
anything from a mythical
character, favourite star, Cultural Lexicon
favourite political figure or any
fantasy based visual etc
Metaphoric Visual Literacy
PAKISTANI TRUCK ART AS
METAPHORIC
COMMUNICATION
Visual communication As Visual Narratives
Truck Artist (collaborative project) Pervaiz Akhtar Giudance from my supervisory team Conrad Taylor and Rob Waller for technical support