I have been selected as one of three artists for the Shubbak Festival Seed Commissions - a programme designed to hold space for imagination before production, for ideas that are unfinished, unruly, and untamed.
Shubbak's call asked: "the present we practice is a portal; the future we dream, irresistible" and it felt like a conversation I have been living inside for over a year.
Over the next six weeks, I will be developing an idea rooted in my research into Iraqi date palm ash as a ceramic glaze material - exploring what it means to practice materials science as a form of cultural recovery, and what it looks like to bring that work into public form.
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The commission includes mentorship from Shubbak's Artistic Director & CEO, support to shape the idea into a fundable proposal, and the possibility of presenting at Shubbak Festival 2027, London's largest biennial of contemporary Arab culture.
Three artists were selected from an open call to the Arab & SWANA creative community across the UK, Europe, and the region. I am grateful to be in that company 🙏🏽 .
To everyone who has encouraged this research, thank you. It feels like a massive step forward!
