0
- 0
0
Routes by Shagufta Iqbal (2022) is a poetic response to Autograph's commission She Fights in the Fields by Laura El-Tantawy
For Autograph’s commissioning project Critical Times: Dialogues in Contemporary Photograph, artist Laura El-Tantawy created She Fights in the Fields, a new series of photographs examining the effects of Brexit and Covid-19 on the mental health of the UK's farming communities and specifically the experience of women farmers and the challenges they face today.
Inspired by a shared appreciation and understanding of land and labour, Shagufta Iqbal draws from El-Tantawy’s evocative imagery, penning a thought provoking poem that considers the need to nurture and respect the natural space around us, to preserve these traditions for future generations.
4.
The seasons matter here.
Pickles and preserves
to honour the winter months.
The scattering of seeds.
The bright burst of life.
The long stretch of shadow.
Autumn’s carpet,
leaves outstretched like palms.
A soft crunch
against the sole of a foot.
The seasons matter here.
The distinction matters here.
3.
Balance matters here.
Sunlight,
the soil,
the gift of water.
I am learning
this is women’s work too.
My grandmother is the land,
I see her sat squat,
Her weight on her heels,
holding the earth between her toes.
Behind her the sun dries chillies
heaped like graves.
These routines
are a precarious magic.
They require a particular strength.
Early morning milk.
The warm flesh.
The soft excitement of shell.
The last drop of frost.
2.
There are only two ways
to understand the land.
You either give to it,
Let breathe,
the lavender tendrils,
Mustard beams,
cornstalks like the camels eyelash.
Or you just take from it.
Blink and you’ll miss a whole season.
Feast and you’d kill a whole continent.
Take and a sea will turn to desert.
Rootless soil is nothing but a flood set running free.
We are eating a land and a sea, that tastes of what we have done
1.
Instead I want to consume
that first light so badly.
Some truths take time to root.
What do they say,
about planting a garden,
is believing in a tomorrow.
Co-founder of Kiota Bristol and the Yoniverse Collective, Shagufta K Iqbal is an award-winning writer, workshop facilitator and Tedx Speaker. One of Asiana Magazine's favourite British Asian poets, she has been described by gal-dem as a poet whose work ‘leaves you validated but aching – her narratives are important, heart-wrenching and relatable.’ Her poetry collection Jam Is For Girls, Girls Get Jam has been recommended by Nikesh Shukla as ‘a social political masterclass.’ Her poetry film Borders has won several awards, and has been screened across international film festivals, including London Short Film Festival, Glasgow Short Film Festival, Athena Film Festival. She is currently writing her second poetry collection and debut novel.
A new commissioning project working with three mid-career artists responding to critical geopolitics of our time through photography.
Find out more Supported by the Bagri Foundation and Autograph
Banner image: from the series She Fights in the Fields [detail] by Laura El-Tantawy, commissioned by Autograph for Critical Times: Dialogues in Contemporary Photography (2022), supported by the Bagri Foundation.
All images from the series She Fights in the Fields by Laura El-Tantawy, commissioned by Autograph for Critical Times: Dialogues in Contemporary Photography (2022), supported by the Bagri Foundation.
Other images on page: 1) Courtesy Shagufta Iqbal. 2) From the series “The suitcase is a little bit rotten”, by Sim Chi Yin commissioned by Autograph for Critical Times: Dialogues in Contemporary Photography (2022), supported by the Bagri Foundation. 3-4) From the series She Fights in the Fields by Laura El-Tantawy, commissioned by Autograph for Critical Times: Dialogues in Contemporary Photography (2022), supported by the Bagri Foundation. 5) Ingrid Polard, The Valentines Day (2017), commissioned by Autograph.
Autograph is a place to see things differently. Since 1988, we have championed photography that explores issues of race, identity, representation, human rights and social justice, sharing how photographs reflect lived experiences and shape our understanding of ourselves and others.
Donate
Join our mailing list
