The Urban Repository Archive (URA) was selected to be part of a 10-month long online workshop, Assembling Art Archives: Workshops for South Asia, organized by Art South Asia Project (ASAP) and Asia Art Archive, India (AAA-I).

Last week, it was such a privilege to finally meet the amazing cohort in person during a week-long symposium in Kathmandu, Nepal! It was incredible to connect with fellow participants from Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Nepal, and dive deep into some brilliant discussions on art, archives, and cultural preservation.

Each participant presented their case study, followed by engaging and thought-provoking discussions. Seher Naveed presented the Urban Repository Archive, sharing insights on student and institutional archives and their connections to Karachi. Her presentation was titled “How to Archive a City That Won’t Stay Still”.

Alongside the symposium, the cohort visited different archival initiatives such as the @rnjoshi.museum @nepalpiclibrary @nepalmusicarchive @taragaonnext @kalaxkulo. We also got a detailed walk-through of @photoktm at the Nepal Arts Council! These visits pushed us to consider the expanded role and dire importance of archives.