Matrescence
260x100 cm, Silk organza, cotton, synthetic fabric, scrim, jute yarn, VICRYL sutures, polyester thread, wooden dowel. 2024
Matrescence represents the emotional, mental and physical transformation I went through during the first few months of becoming a mother. The piece combines fabrics from previous projects as a symbol of what was, and new textiles such as the silk organza which was dyed using an iron bath created with rusty irons from my home in Dubai, the home where I became a mother. One of the “old” cotton fabrics I used was dyed using sumac berries harvested from my hometown in south Lebanon as a nod to my ancestry. I used VICRYL sutures in some of the stitching to reference the difficult birth I went through, these sutures that were meant to help me heal were creating more damage, turns out I have a hypersensitivity to the material. Braids and knotting are common elements that I use in my pieces as a form of protection from the evil eye.