Portfolio of Work
PROJECTS
سم ر - UNVEILING THE PATTERN
PROJECT STATEMENT
I was driven to my “Samar ( سمر )” project by my religious beliefs.
The journey started by researching the generic patterns of typical Islamic motifs such as calligraphy, flower
symbols, and geometric patterns within Persian art. The images and symbols within the Iranian flag inspired my
“unique patterns” project concept. I discerned a shared colour palette between the Islamic countries of Iran and Bangladesh, which are red, green, black, and white. These colours regularly appear in Islamic crafts.
By investigating the position/role of women in various Islamic countries I became aware that there existed many
misconceptions around the understanding and wearing of the hijab. Thus, I directed my research to the importance of moral concepts in wearing the hijab and not just as a piece of clothing. Exploring the hijab’s diverse types and hearing about real-life experiences, I extracted my inspiration from many valuable Islamic women such as Samar. Her name itself is significant and influential, as it’s a Quranic name indicating the traditional Arabic nights of the desert.
GESTURE PROJECT
PROJECT STATEMENT
With my interaction, the theme I wanted to go towards with the gesture project is Bollywood dance, as it is an integral part of Indian culture. It is unique in its ability to tell a story through bodily movements. Bollywood dance is full of colour, showing a perfect combination between music, dance, storytelling, and costumes. The body takes up the melody, hands explain the meaning, feet beat the rhythm, and the eyes express the emotion. The celebration rituals like traditional festivals and occasions bring my family closer when interacting, which motivates me. It has the reflection showcased in my artwork by linking the meaning behind the work to cultural influences. I wanted to display this culture and explore and understand this dance and what sort of history there is to Indian and Bangladesh dance culture. This project is also helping me learn more about dancing and how effective it can be. The artists who most inspired me in this project were Jackson Pollock, Helen Frankenthaler, Katharina Grosse, and Damien Hirst.
PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE: CUT-UP CULTURE PROJECT
PROJECT STATEMENT
Growing up, the energy from the TV sports channels was gratifying and fulfilling for my family. This propelled my parents to send me into a diverse world of competitive sports. My favourite emotions from participating in a sports competition are the happiness and the belief that I, as a woman, can challenge myself and achieve and, most importantly, be able to make my family proud. The portraits from this book are of the women that inspired me and are recreated using a mixture of geometry, memories, and stills from the finishing line.
I have chosen this colour scheme as this represents the country; I support in a sport which is Great Britain. The meaning of each colour of the flag is: white represents peace and honesty; red symbolizes bravery, strength, and courage, while blue represents vigilance, justice, loyalty, and perseverance. The most valuable artist I discovered while researching for this project is Nigel Grimmer, Julie Cockburn, Alma Haser, Annegret Soltau, and Melissa Zexter.