NEELA ASMAAN
A Multidisciplinary Residency of Ideas
Based on the historic Road to K2 in Pakistan's Shigar Valley, Neela Asmaan is a multidisciplinary residency of ideas exploring the intersections of art, craft, climate, culture, technology and the future.
Founded in 2023, by Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, Neela Asmaan brings together artists, craftspeople, researchers, technologists, climate scientists, environmental thinkers, and cultural practitioners to develop new work and engage in focused inquiry. Set within one of the world's most environmentally challenged mountain regions, the residency is surrounded by retreating glaciers, changing ecosystems and communities experiencing the impacts of climate change firsthand, creating an environment where creative practice and research respond directly to the realities of the landscape.
Neela Asmaan currently operates from its residential Field Station in Shigar, which serves as the base for its residencies and research programmes. The Field Station is the first step towards a larger campus in nearby Hashupi, where future public spaces and community partnerships will expand the organisation's work.
Through residencies, mentorship programmes, research initiatives, and public engagement, Neela Asmaan encourages meaningful exchange between local knowledge and international practice. While contemporary art and traditional craft remain at the centre of its work, the residency also welcomes practitioners from architecture, filmmaking, textiles, culinary arts, climate science, writing, design and interdisciplinary research. Each residency is organised around a central theme, from climate change and sustainable agriculture to food systems, cultural heritage and technological futures.
The organisation is currently developing its flagship Climate Futures Residency, bringing together climate scientists, environmental researchers and local community experts. Through field research, community engagement and collaborative practice, participants explore retreating glaciers, water systems, biodiversity, tourism and mountain livelihoods, generating new research, creative work and public dialogue around climate futures.
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To date, Neela Asmaan has hosted 27 emerging and mid-career practitioners across 14 residency cycles. In 2025, the residency expanded its international engagement through exchange programmes with partner organisations, welcoming participants from Spain and Nepal and strengthening opportunities for international collaboration and knowledge exchange.
Beyond individual projects, residents contribute to the cultural life of Shigar through school workshops, public programmes and community initiatives. These engagements have reached more than 300 students across the region through sculpture, animation, poetry, filmmaking, weaving and visual storytelling, ensuring that research and creative practice remain connected to the communities where they take place.
COMMUNITY OUTREACH
In 2024, Neela Asmaan formally introduced its community outreach programme, through which resident artists began conducting sessions in schools to share knowledge and create meaningful impact. Schools tucked away between mountains, surrounded by history and traditions, presented a meaningful opportunity for Neela Asmaan to tap into the creative potential of students who have had limited access to artistic exploration.
In Shigar, where schools lack access to art education and creative disciplines, the residency aims to bridge this gap by making art more accessible to students.
ANIMATION WORKSHOP
Led by animator Iza Rizwan, students discovered the fundamentals of animation by creating handmade flipbooks. For many, it was their first experience understanding how moving images are created, transforming cartoons from something they watched into something they could make themselves.
FOOD AS A CREATIVE PRACTICE
Chef and food marketer Asif Mughal introduced students to sustainable culinary arts through a hands-on cooking and bake sale workshop. By exploring plating, presentation, and storytelling through food, students began to see everyday cooking as a creative discipline with artistic potential.
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POETRY & LANGUAGE
During the Spring Residency 2025, poet and classical singer Sophia Bano guided students through poetry, introducing them to both literary appreciation and the fundamentals of poetic expression. The sessions encouraged students to explore language as a medium for reflection and storytelling.
ART FROM THE LANDSCAPE
Artist Hamza Bin Faisal led relief-based workshops using stones, leaves, tree bark, and other found materials gathered from the surrounding landscape. Inspired by the region's ancient rock carvings, students explored ideas of home while discovering that creativity can emerge from the materials and histories already embedded in their environment.
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CREATIVE LEARNING FOR CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL NEEDS
In Summer 2026, artist and educator Nurayah Nabi conducted adaptive workshops at one of Shigar's few schools dedicated to children with special needs. Moving away from a one-size-fits-all approach, the workshop created a supportive environment where students could explore creativity through sensory and adaptive methods.
At the end of each workshop students are encouraged to present their work to peers, teachers, and resident artists, creating a space for dialogue. Our intention is to expand students’ understanding of art beyond preconceived notions through creative dialogue and practice, while also allowing artists to connect more deeply with Shigar’s surroundings and its people.
CLIMATE FUTURES RESIDENCY
The future of Shigar will be determined by decisions made today.
How do we welcome more visitors while protecting the qualities that make the valley special, while responding to changing environmental conditions and supporting local livelihoods?
The Neela Asmaan Climate Futures Residency creates space for these conversations, bringing together practitioners, communities and local stakeholders to think collectively about the future of the valley.
Over the course of two months, Neela Asmaan will host two connected residencies exploring the relationship between climate, tourism, agriculture and town planning in Shigar.
MEET THE TEAM
Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy
Founder
Sultan Mehmood
On-Site Coordinator
Raania Durrani
Program Director
Muhammad Zaman
Residency Keeper
Adan Shaikh
Arts & Culture Programs Lead
Fida Hussain
Transportation & Mobility Support
