Shanzay and Lauren’s friendship began over Whatsapp audio exchanges over the course of a year and a half as part of British Council Wales’ funded program Llif. / Flow - a project that brought together 5 Pakistani and 5 Welsh artists. Their works are a testament to that friendship.
They successfully applied to exhibit their collaborative work at WOW Festival Pakistan, made possible with funding from British Council Wales.
Lauren Heckler | Shanzay Subzwari
Shanzay Subzwari and Lauren Heckler explore collaborative audio experience, fostering a discourse on shared interests in socio political themes, borders, currency and/or consumer culture of Pakistan and Wales.’
Their collaborative audio piece They Send Each Other Love is a 50-minute audio exchange between them on WhatsApp. Both sat in places of natural beauty (in Karachi, Pakistan and Abergavenny, Wales), and moved through a wide variety of topics ranging from their individual experiences, surroundings, cultures and similarities. This piece, with an accompanying audio description text, was first showcased at Mission Gallery, Swansea in January 2023.
Having mostly collaborated digitally, Lauren and Shanzay were able to meet in July 2023 in Wales.
About the WOW Foundation
The WOW (Women of the World) Foundation exists to build, convene and sustain a global movement that believes a gender equal world is desirable, possible and urgently required.
WOW - Women of the World was founded by Jude Kelly in 2010, when the first WOW Festival took place at Southbank Centre. Since then, WOW Festivals celebrating women and girls, and taking a frank look at the obstacles they face, have taken place across the globe, reaching five million people to date.
Through festivals, events, schools programmes and more, WOW challenges the belief that gender equity has already been achieved – and hopes to join the dots between people, movements and ideas to change the world.
To date, WOW has staged over 100 festivals and events across six continents, reaching more than five million people.
To find out more, please click here
