Women in Revolt:
radical acts, contemporary resonances conference

“And So They Laughed…” ’

Sehr Jalil (Goldsmiths, University of London / National College of Arts, Lahore, Pakistan)
Colonial, religious, or nationalist movements have instigated revolts in women, particularly in the aftermath and colossal absorption of slow violence and voluntary silences for aeons. The Women’s Action Forum (WAF) revolted and responded to a dictatorship (1979) where misogynistic versions of Shariah law were crafted for/towards women. The Women Artists/Activists of Lahore, Pakistan, burnt their dupattas (veils/shawls) in a public square, wrote a manifesto to assert and establish basic human rights for women in Pakistan using satire and humour when interjecting in various forms of media. One of the core members /activists of this movement, Dr Salima Hashmi, has outlined how ‘Humour was crucial. In some way, we had to play a story similar to the “Emperor’s New Clothes”, we pretended and almost believed that the powerful were invisible, imagining that, made laughter instrumental.’ 

As a woman artist and researcher from Lahore, Pakistan, working on and pursuing my PhD in London, I enter this revolt to initiate a dialogue, a continuation of the satire and humour used in works by women artists from the 1970s and 1980s to now. My presentation, a form of video essay, aims to engage in performative and critical dialogue using archives/excerpts from the ASR Resource Centre, clips from Hashmi’s satirical performances, aired on Pakistan Television during the 1970s and 80s, along images and extracts from works by contemporary artists from Pakistan. 

This Video Essay was presented with a
Live narration of the words you hear in the Video, at The Tate Britain
Women in Revolt:
radical acts, contemporary resonances conference
at
The Clore Auditorium on Friday 22 and Saturday 23 March 2024 (10.00-18.00), following an opening reception at Chelsea Space, University of the Arts, London on Thursday 21 March 2024 (18.00-20.30).
The conference Was in response to the Women in Revolt Exhibition at The Tate Britain, (8 November 2023 – 7 April 2024),

I presented in the panel :

Performance activating protest

Examining different contexts in which performance has been used to explore the politics and power structures of gender, the papers in this panel each examine how action can prompt, create, and enact alternative dialogues along with the effects and influences artists and actions have on one another.
Sehr Jalil | Paula Parente Pinto & Vera Carmo | Alexandra Kokoli | Ceren Özpınar | Chair: Hilary Robinson
A huge thank you to my fellow panelists and the conference organisers
for creating this enigmatic space of revolt, courage, laughter, conviction and trust.
This conference brought together papers in response to Women in Revolt, a major survey of feminist 1970s and 1980s art practices in the UK at the Tate Britain (8 November 2023 – 7 April 2024), this multi-day conference, explores the live and performance-based arts, sound and moving image practices that were an integral part of feminist creative and campaigning activities of the 1970s and 1980s.
This conference was hosted at Tate Britain and organised and funded by CREAM (Centre for Research and Education in Arts and Media) with additional support from Chelsea Space (University of the Arts London) and the Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art.
Coordinated by Dr Lucy Reynolds (CREAM), with research and organisation by Dr Claire M. Holdsworth (Central Saint Martins, University of the Arts London), and organisation assistance from Lauren Houlton (Techne/(CREAM) in consultation with an advisory panel including: Professor Rachel Garfield (Royal College of Art), Dr Catherine Grant (Courtauld Institute), Dr Onyeka Igwe (London College of Communication, UAL) Dr Irene Revel (Royal College of Art) and Professor Rosie Thomas (CREAM).

A Special Thanks to
 
Dr Salima Hashmi,

WAF (Women’s Action Forum)

And 

ASR Resource Centre 

for providing the resources and archives.