Spaced out, spaced in.

KARACHI -- The basis of Einstein's theory of relativity is that space and time are relative, relying on the motion of their observer. Amin Gulgee is one of Pakistan's eminent artists. He is a sculptor of proven credentials, so he knows the value of space... and time. But the remarkable performance art show title Jagah Hai that he put up at his gallery on Friday evening sought to achieve something else, something beyond the scientific understanding of things.

Before going into that, the magnitude of the show could be gauged from the fact that no fewer than 57 artists took part in it. This is no mean feat in itself - almost five dozen creative individuals in motion or immersed in acts that aimed to move the viewer. To make it all look plausible and eye-catching, the gallery was divided into the following areas in which artists were placed or their places were marked: driveway, foyer, big gallery, small gallery, courtyard, first landing, mezzanine, second landing, third landing, fourth landing, office, first roof, barsaati room, second roof, eye, third roof and the itinerants.

Talking to Dawn about the objective of opting for such a mammoth exercise, Amin Gulgee said, 'The show is called Jagah Hai which is both a question and a statement. If there's space, there isa space. It's a show in which over 50 performances are happening at the same time. It's curated by me, Sara Vaqar Pagganwala and Adam Fahy-Majeed. The idea is to bring forth new ideas and challenge conventions.'

When asked what kind of conventions the event was supposed to challenge, he replied, 'It's all about space in our country, Pakistan; space for...