On the magic on streets & more

Toss // Spent my Saturday evening at this really cute smol pizza place operating out of a home at Westridge. They experiment with flavors and only serve on the weekends. I’m mostly okay with all kinds of food, because I can’t really tell the difference between good food and bad food (unless it’s REALLY bad food), so it’s always about the atmosphere for me. And this one was great.

Laid // This show follows a woman who discovers everyone she’s hooked up with is dying in seemingly completely unrelated incidents. Only watched 2 episodes so far so don’t know where it’ll go, but it’s a light, fun watch that doesn’t require a brain and a half to follow.

Parachinar Protests // This is the only mainstream news piece I’ve seen that centers the protests for Parachinar, and it’s the bare minimum. We need a lot more feature pieces centering the devastated families, especially ones who’ve joined the sit-in within Parachinar, as the death toll of children due to the siege has risen to 128.

Fundraiser for a rural recording studio // Urooj Fatima, a rapper from Fazal Muhammad Kapri in Sindh, is fundraising to set up a recording studio for women in her village. She’s previously also worked with Mahwari Justice to make music on the theme of periods to fight against menstrual taboos.

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Lipstick // Stacy Greene has been photographing closeups of used lipsticks of people after being struck by the unusual shape of the one her friend was using. This is such a cool compilation of those photos that reveal so much about the otherwise assumed monotone behavior of putting on lipstick.

Magic Mapping // This project pinned the everyday magic you see on the streets on a map of Karachi. I’m a sucker for public art projects, and then add mapping to the mix? Obviously love this one.

Collective Sketchbook // Faraz Khan, a visual artist from Lahore, has taken out sketched pages from multiple sketchbooks going back several years, put each into a separate envelope, and kept them at a coffee shop for people to take away. Another public art project I adore.

Reimagining Rainbow Park by A Playful City // In partnership with Dublin's local community residing around Sheriff Street Park, A Playful City has put out a report on how people would like to see the space transformed into one that's more inclusive and happening. It’s a wonderful showcase on the process of co-creating streetscapes and open spaces.

Earliest use of color // This article explores which color was the very first pigment humans wanted to use, what for, and how that evolved and has contributed to our associations of color today.

This is the last issue of the year. I hope you have a very happy 2025, filled with lots of love and light. And that when I write the last one for next year, we’ve hit 2000 subscribers.

See you on the other side of the sun. Shaam bakhair 🌅🤍

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