_{Six machines hum quietly, the lights flashing, as the screens relay data upon the state of the water. The river is partitioned, divided, and doled out according to need, as mediated by the Dams that have been installed as the arbitrators of life for the land.}

_{The first of a series of research based projects by the Pak Khawateen Painting Club, formed by invitation to create a commission for the Lahore Biennale 02. The work investigates the role of the Dams on the River Indus, the hierarchy of the division and distribution of resources. Under the title of ‘Pak Khawateen Painting Club’ (Pure/Pakistani Women Painting Club), a group of female artists question the role and need of these architectural interventions guarded behind a masculine power play, the positioning of authority set by colonial traditions which pitch modernity and technological advancement against indigenous knowledge of the subaltern communities. Donning uniforms inspired by Pierre Cardin’s uniforms for PIA in the 60s and the regimental form of the Girl Guides, the Collective intervenes in these spaces through their presence, as observers of the subversion of power principals and gender roles which can potentially be brought about through the presence of the militaresque garb.}

_{The Pak Khawateen: Saulat Ajmal, Saba Khan, Amna Hashmi, Malika Abbas, Emaan Sheikh, and Natasha Malik.}