PAARAS ABBAS x KHANABADOSH BAITHAK
NATURAL COLOURS
RESIDENCY
23rd ~ 29th May 2026
Gojal, Gilgit Baltistan, Pakistan
Khanabadosh Baithak and Paaras Abbas bring you a residency rooted in the land, where we slow down and make art in collaboration with our surroundings.
Through guided explorations and taught workshops, you will learn the features of this remote and rich terrain: its plants and soil, and their multiple uses.
You will be taught how to make natural dyes, watercolour paints from rocks, prints with local flowers and seeds; all the while reflecting on your journey through walks, shared meals, and discussions.
The residency centres the voices of communities across Gojal. We see this as essential and part of a wider commitment to nurturing exchange that is reciprocal, situated, and led by the land itself.
We will be a small group, working intimately with our surroundings. We aim to tread lightly, listen deeply, and uphold a practice rooted in respect and responsibility. If this speaks to you, come join us.
Residency Agenda
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Day 1
3pm 𖤓 5pm
Guest Arrival & Set Up5pm 𖤓 6pm
An Introduction to the land & site
with Baneen Mirza of Khanabadosh Baithak6pm 𖤓 Dinner
7pm 𖤓 8pm
Introduction to the programme
with Paaras Abbas -
Day 2
7.30am 𖤓 8.30am
Morning hot drinks9am 𖤓 12pm
Local seeds, local knowledge
with Wazir Aman
A morning walk exploring the terrain, with breakfast at a local botanical practitioner’s home4pm 𖤓 5pm
Introduction to Natural Colour
with Paaras
We will cover the basics of natural dye: how to select and prepare fabrics6pm 𖤓 Dinner
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Day 3
8am 𖤓 9:30am
Breakfast10am 𖤓 12.30pm
Traditional embroidery workshop
with local women1pm 𖤓 2pm
Lunch2pm 𖤓 4pm
Independent making
You continue working independently on the embroidery pieces started in the morning4pm 𖤓 6pm
Basics of Natural Dye II
with Paaras
We will move onto the next step in natural dyeing, selecting and preparing mordants to treat our fabrics with7pm 𖤓 Dinner
with Music -
Day 4
8am 𖤓 9.30am
Breakfast10am 𖤓 12.30pm
Basics of Natural Dye III
with Paaras
We will learn how to prepare dyes from barks, petals, and food waste. We will prepare a dye vat, and create patterns on fabric using needles, thread, and beans.1pm 𖤓 2pm
Lunch3pm 𖤓 6pm
Natural Dyes & Local Plants
with Azeeza and Shameem
You learn about traditional natural dye sources and techniques from local artisans ~ women from Korgah carpet centre in the neighbouring village of Gulmit7pm 𖤓 Dinner
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Day 5
8am 𖤓 9.30am
Breakfast10am 𖤓 12.30pm
Pigment making
with Paaras
We will make pigment from rocks to create our own non-toxic watercolour paints. We will also process our leftover natural dyes into lake pigments.1pm 𖤓 2pm
Lunch2.30pm 𖤓 5pm
Reading circle
with Ahmed Hassan Khan7pm 𖤓 Dinner
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Day 6
8am 𖤓 9:30am
Breakfast10am 𖤓 1pm
Independent Foraging1pm 𖤓 2pm
Lunch2pm 𖤓 4pm
Eco printing workshop
with Paaras
We will make impressions of on silk and wool using bundle dye and hammer print methods.4pm 𖤓 6pm
Residency Reflections6pm 𖤓 Dinner
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Day 7
8am 𖤓 9:30am
Breakfast10am 𖤓 1pm
Checkout and Departure
KHANABADOSH BAITHAK
Residency Location
Residency Hosts
Baneen Mirza
Baneen is a photographer and co-founder of Khanabadosh Baithak, a communal space in Gilgit-Baltistan and a lived inquiry into the relationship between travel, sustainability, and indigenous wisdoms. With a focus on food, ecological practices, and the kitchen as a site of knowledge, she extends this inquiry through visual and edible mediums to explore what it means to live and learn in relation to land and its people.
Paaras Abbas
Paaras is a Karachi-born London-based artist. She conducts ethnographic research with craft communities in Sindh and beyond, documenting traditional practices like natural dyeing, block printing and embroidery. In her practice, Paaras explores the potential for colour in her surroundings and the limits of the materials she encounters. Flowers used for eco-printing are repurposed in paper made from recyclables, dyes from food waste are further processed into pigment for inks and paint.
Facilitators:
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Wazir Aman
A seabuckthorn farmer and botanical practitioner from Ghulkin, Wazir Aman has deep knowledge of the nutritional and medicinal properties of local flora. He grows a range of nutrient-rich plants on his farm, and advocates for their potential to improve local livelihoods
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Ahmed Hassan Khan
A photographer, writer, and field recordist from Sahiwal, living between Punjab and the Hunza Valley. Ahmed’s work centers on wandering and listening, shaping his series of essays, Darya Panth, which follows the Sindhu (River Indus) through stories of memory, myth, and survival. His travels led him to Bhit Shah, where the raag inspired the Khanabadosh Sound Archive and later Amrit Pyala, a project preserving folk voices and devotional music.
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Azeeza
Weaving & Natural Dye Practitioner at Korgah Carpet Centre
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Embroidery practitioners
A small intergenerational group of women from the villages of Moorkhun and Ghulkin with expertise in embroidery techniques ranging from a locally-specific version of back-stitch used in floral patterns to cross-stitching nature-inspired motifs (as seen on commercially available '“Hunza caps”)
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Shameem
Weaving and Natural Dye Practitioner at Korgah Carpet Centre
Khanabadosh Baithak
Khanabadosh Baithak is a camp-site, and residents will be staying in spacious and comfortable private tents, which are fully insulated and fitted with warm rugs, mattresses, pillows and duvets.
There are three shared bathroom cubicles on-site, fitted with toilets, sinks, and taps with buckets for showers.
We will share a resource list for participants ahead of time with details of what to expect and what to pack. We are also happy to advise on alternative accommodation should you wish to extend your stay in the area either side of the residency.
Once participants are confirmed, we will add you to a whatsapp group to coordinate logistics ahead of travel.
Materials
All workshop materials will be provided, but you are welcome to bring your own sketchbooks and materials for journaling.
Please contact if you want to chat about this.
FULL BOARD RESIDENCY
£500 International
£300 SAARC*
Rs. 94,400 Pakistani
INCLUDES:
ALL SESSIONS + MATERIALS
ACCOMMODATION + BREAKFAST
AT KHANABADOSH BAITHAK
FOR THE DURATION OF THE RESIDENCY
DAY TIME RESIDENCY
£400 International
£200 SAARC*
Rs. 57,000 Pakistani
INCLUDES:
ALL SESSIONS + MATERIALS
The Day Time option is for those who want to participate but prefer not to stay in tents. We can recommend alternative accommodation close to Khanabadosh Baithak where you can book a room.
Application Information
There are a total of twelve places available:
six full board and six day time
*SAARC: Travellers from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, and Sri Lanka.
There are is one full scholarship available for residents of Gilgit-Baltistan.
Payment plans are available upon discussion. We will always support anyone that would like to join us and work out a way to make that possible.
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Participants will be selected on an assessment of the submission criteria. If we are not able to accept your submission on this occasion we will keep in touch for our next programme.
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If your application is successful, we will send you an email with an invoice, which can be paid via paypal/debit/credit/bank transfer. Your place is secured on receipt of payment.
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Refunds will be given up to 1 month before the event start date. For withdrawal within 1 month of the event start date refunds are not available unless extenuating circumstances require your withdrawal.
Gojal Valley
This residency is situated in one of the most beautiful valleys in Gilgit Baltistan. You will be based in the village of Ghulkin. Should you wish to extend your stay, there is lots more to explore including the market towns of Karimabad & Aliabad, and treks to lakes and glaciers. We can point you in some incredible directions on your trip.
Discover Pakistan
International participants will fly into and out of Islamabad. Should you wish to extend your stay, we can recommend places to see in and around Islamabad, including ancient Buddhist ruins in Taxila, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, pink salt mines at Khewra, and more.
The stunning architecture of Lahore is also a short drive from Islamabad, and we can advise on how to structure your stay.