One of the biggest culture shocks I have experienced while moving to America from the Middle East is the widespread ignorance towards Israeli colonialism and the occupation of Palestine. Coming from a country like Kuwait, where allyship with Palestinians is held to the utmost importance, this is still difficult to fully grasp and leaves me yearning to amplify awareness.
I found the fabric pictured at Fabscrap. It features a specific houndstooth woven pattern that is commonly worn across the Middle East as traditional wear, yet also doubles as a symbol of Palestinian pride and liberation. I was disheartened to see a textile that holds so much power and symbolism abandoned. That abandonment is how I identified the textile with the word “trash.” Its previous owner no longer saw value or use in it, and deemed it disposable. My goal for this project was to return the fabric’s power back to it because it deserves no less, and in that power would come beauty.
The second article I found is a piece of scrap paper from the recycling bin by the UC printers. I was intrigued by the element of destruction it possesses, and the history of that process that it has likely gone through, however, I scrapped this from the final piece to maintain accessibility.
I wanted to create a piece that could contribute and awaken dialogue surrounding Palestine in the current social and political climate of the US and beyond. I designed a wearable sleeve accessory, to adorn a raised fist in the revolution to free Palestine. In my design process, I wanted to create a piece that is easy to recreate and customize so that it can be accessible to all Palestinians and allies. It is a zero waste design, that simply uses 5 slits on each side of a square of fabric, that can then be knotted to create a dramatic, fringed sleeve. The knots line up along the arm, with the exception of the last one tied around the neck for security. I prioritized simplicity and accessibility in order to allow this piece to become a recognizable, iconic garment in this fight, similar to what the pink hat is to the #MeToo movement or the yellow workers’ vests in France. I also spray-painted the Arabic word for “freedom” along the inside of the sleeve so that it can be seen when the fist is raised. I chose spray paint in order to maintain a customizable, personal element while also maintaining the spirit of Arab protest, which deeply values graffiti art.
