Mood board & Ideas:

For my final project, I wanted to do something associated with an expressive form of sculpture and textiles. The first thing that came to mind were peacock feathers. Peacocks use their feathers to show off in order to attract a mate, and they are vibrant expressive feathers on their backs that really bring out the beauty of the animal. I looked for more examples on this form of expression and discovered a traditional festive day in Brazil that happens every year, called carnival. In carnival women wear incredible feather-like costumes, similar to a peacock, all made with gradients of different colors. They appear from behind their backs and wear them for the whole celebration, which sparked my idea of making a fan with expressive elements on it.

In process:

In the beginning of the process, I was able to find some stable wire, which I twisted into long sticks and formed the shape of a fan. With some leftover foam, I attached the long pieced of wire onto the foam, and made sure i had a piece of foam on the back for safety from the wire piercing the back of the person.

Later on, I unfortunately was not able to find any straps to fit into the foam, making it unable for the piece to be attached to a person’s back, so I had to think quickly on what i could do. It was also very difficult to find a patterned fabric that resembled or reminded my of my home country, but looking through various fabric stores I came across a bright yellow fabric which resembled my curtains in my room back in Jeddah and the feeling of the sun and warm desert land.

I have always had a passion for Arabic calligraphy, Arabic is my first language and ever since I was young I loved recreating poems and phrases into Arabic calligraphy. I decided to sew onto my fan “Express yourself” in Arabic with a beaded linen that I had previously bought. The words fit in perfectly and it really stood out within the piece.

 

 

 

Artist Statement:

Expression of one’s self is how each of us are unique. Every since I have moved to Parsons, I’ve met many people that can express their culture, interests, their personality in many artistic forms, and it has truly opened my eyes and inspired me to always add a part of myself into my work.

When researching about what I was going to do, I did know that I wanted to do something that showed a part of me, and that turned out to be my first language, Arabic. To me, writing in Arabic is a form of art, and I definitely wanted to incorporate that into my piece.

When working on this final project, I remembered all the little things about back home, such as the weather, the people, the familiarity of the language, and overall the environment. I thought about my portfolio for Parsons, how each one connects back to my roots and tells a story of a part of me. In this final piece, I feel like I have accomplished that, however I do wish I had more time to invest into this project. It was very hard finding materials in this process, and being able to get them on time. I hope I can work on it more, and turn it into something bigger.