Pakistani Truck Art Educational Resources K12 Learning, History, Visual Arts, Fine Arts Lesson Plans, Activities, Experiments, Homeschool Help

Lesson Plan - Get It!

Audio:

Have you ever heard the phrase "pimp my ride"?

It means to customize a vehicle, and some people go to the extreme!

Many people take pride in their vehicle. For some, however, a vehicle is a way to get from one point to another or to transport goods from place to place.

In what ways, though, could a vehicle be considered a work of art?
What is the most artistic vehicle you have ever seen?

Many people spend money on keeping their vehicles extra clean, waxing them, and even getting fancy paint jobs like the ones shown above.

However, truck drivers in Pakistan have taken this concern with appearances to a whole other level!

Even though they make little money, they sometimes spend thousands of dollars transforming their ride into a work of art on wheels. The results are sometimes astonishing.

Discover more about this authentic folk art form and feast your eyes on some examples of these richly decorated trucks.

Read Pakistan's art on wheels and watch the video below before answering the questions that follow.

Now, reflect on the following questions.

Why did drivers begin decorating their trucks and buses?
Why would someone spend so much money to decorate their truck?
What impacts the way the vehicles are decorated?
What purpose does this kind of public folk art serve? What value does it have for society?
What feelings do the decorative designs on these vehicles invoke? Why do you think so?
Based on the images you see, what materials do you think are used to decorate the vehicles?

These truck designs are so elaborate and complex that you could get lost in all the shapes, patterns, and colors.

In the Got It? section, take a closer look at some of these dazzling truck designs and capture some of your favorite design elements.