Tumbling Peppers:
Sketchbook Entry:
Mark, Edge, Space:
Sketchbook:
Final Still Life:
The objects depicted in my “Sense of Place” piece are a kettle, a lipstick, and a hairpin. The kettle is a traditional Kuwaiti pantry essential, also fundamental to the strong female communities that exist in secrecy within Arab society. Despite living in such a flawed system, Arab women have found solace within each other through gathering. The most intimate and authentic interactions between women in Arab society take place over tea. As the kettle is passed around, women shed the composure socially required of them in public spaces. Gossip is jubilantly exchanged, and the cheeky, humorous facet of these identities surface. The lipstick incorporated in the piece also function to represent this playful facet of the female Arab identity.
The hairpin included in the piece is a more personal object. While it fuses well with the theme of femininity captured within the piece, it is more representative of my personal journey through female adolescence and transition into a new place. The hairpin is by the brand Vfiles, which also happens to be the first show I attended this season at New York Fashion Week. I have hustled to attend shows at London Fashion Week since I was fourteen, and the experiences fashion week have provided me have been transformative to my art and identity. This hairpin symbolizes my transition to America, and the growth I am ready to undergo in this new place.
