In this episode of Tarwida, we take you on a virtual tour of SILA, a collaborative exhibition, that brings together artists and artisans to explore how Tatreez (Palestinian embroidery) has evolved from a traditional craft into a powerful language of identity and resistance.
Showing at Maraya Art Centre in Sharjah from September 2025 to January 2026, SILA presents contemporary interpretations of Tatreez across a wide range of mediums, including ceramics, pottery, fashion, design, installation, and even sound.
The founder of SILA, Rula Alami, joins us to discuss how the Inaash Association has worked for decades in Palestinian refugee camps across Lebanon, preserving and evolving the heritage of Tatreez while creating sustainable livelihoods for women artisans.
The episode also features a conversation with SILA curators Cima Azzam and Noor Suhail, who share insights into the curatorial process. They reflect on the central role of women artisans in preserving collective memory, how Tatreez has transformed from village craft into a cultural language, and how the exhibition engages with themes of identity, memory, resistance, and continuity.
We close with interviews with three of the twenty-five participating artists — Zaid Farouki, Areen Hassan, and Samar Hejazi — who reflect on their individual works and creative approaches to Tatreez.
Whether you’re drawn to Palestinian culture, contemporary art, textile practices, or stories of resilience, this episode offers a rare, layered perspective on how creativity becomes a form of endurance.
Our guest host is Dana Alhanbali. The episode is produced by Tala Elissa. Our executive producer is Zina Jardaneh. Our associate producer is Zeena Shehadeh. Social media by Leen Karadsheh. Research and copywriting by Dima Sharif. Branding by Sara Sukhun. Theme music includes excerpts from Clarissa Bitar, The Popular Art Centre - مركز الفن الشعبي & Rim Banna.
These conversations were recorded in November of 2025.
Tarwida is a series of conversations that bring Palestinian arts, culture and heritage to the forefront. We hear from artists, including writers, filmmakers, musicians, architects, culinary practitioners and more about their very own Palestine.
In a nutshell, if you want to know more about (Creative) Palestine, this is the place to be.
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Relevant links and Resources:
See below to learn more about the mentioned artists and their work:
Participating SILA artists:
Amer Shomali – Abdel Rahman Katanani – Areen Hassan – Aya Haidar – Bokja – Cristiana de Marchi – Dahouk Chamsi-Pasha – Farah Behbehani – Hazem Harb – Katya Traboulsi – Joanna Barakat – Leila Jabre Jureidini – Liane Al Ghusain – Maysaloun Faraj – Nada Debs – Naima Almajdobah – Naqsh Collective – Nour Hage – Omarvis – Sama Alshaibi – Samar Hejazi – Samia Halaby – Tala Hammoud Atrouni – Steve Sabella – Zaid Farouki
Dana: [00:00:00] Hello everyone. I'm Dana Alhanbali, your guest host today on Tarwida. This episode is a special one, not only because we're recording in person with our guests here in Dubai, but also because instead of spotlighting individual artists as we usually do, we're turning our attention to an exhibition. If you were lucky enough to visit the Silla exhibition in Sharjah, join us for a deeper look into the stories and details behind it.
If
you didn't get the chance, we hope today's conversation will take you on a virtual tour through its different pieces, ideas, and textures. And if you're nearby, we hope this inspires you to visit in the next few weeks. It's going on until January 5th at the Mariah Art Center in Sharjah. The project began when ami, a lifelong supporter of Palestinian art and a board member of the in association started imagining how different artists could reinterpret Riz across diverse mediums.[00:01:00]
The idea came to life when she connected with Sima Za from Mariah Art Center and IL from 1971 Design space. Together, they selected 25 artists each creating a unique piece that incorporates Tatreez. And while we're used to seeing Riss woven into fabric, this exhibition expands its possibilities into pottery, ceramics, and even sound.
Several of the works were created in direct collaboration with Embroiders from the Inas Association, which is an organization dedicated to preserving Palestinian Riz and providing job opportunities for Palestinian refugees in Lebanon. Ola unfortunately couldn't join us in Dubai, but I was lucky to speak to her online.
We'll begin with her to learn about the origins of the project, then move on to a conversation with Nude and Sima, the curators of the exhibition. Finally, we'll sit down with three of the participating artists. Irene, Hassan, and [00:02:00] Zi,
we're starting with you. Thank you so much for taking the time to be with us. Thank you. Hi. Before we get into Sah, can you give us a little bit more background about En Rash and the work that they do in Lebanon today with Palestinian refugees?
Rula: Okay. And Ash is a, a Lebanese NGO. Actually it was founded by Huggett Kalan, uh, who's the famous artist who was, the artwork is actually just behind me.
Um, in 1969, uh, the idea was to preserve heritage, the Palestinian heritage, but also to empower women in the camps who were refugees, uh, um, and to preserve, you know, the Tori is. And this, um, and an has evaluated a lot. It started like more traditional embroidery. And it also, so it, it's where we are now. It became very contemporary fashion and even art.
Um, and meanwhile, uh, an Asian powered thousands of women and all the camps, most of the camps in Lebanon.
Zaid: [00:03:00] Can you talk to us a little bit more about the history of Riss? We all understand that it's a form of embroidery that comes from different areas in Palestine, but could you give us a little bit more context as to the kind of symbolism behind and what it represents to Palestinians?
Rula: Palestinian. Tori has a very interesting story, and it's very much connected to why I named the project Silla. So, Tori, uh, started mostly, uh, in the 19th century, even though some people, scholars trace it to the Canaanites, uh, time. But this is, uh, you know, a scholar issue. It started in the 19th century and it was based in Palestinian villages.
And it was an intimate story, you know, of, uh, women embroiders doing their, uh, uh, shias, you know, their, um, preparing for marriage and embroidering after they work in the, you know, on the land. So it was kind of an intimacy of the woman embroidering her own dress or her daughter's dress. Um, and [00:04:00] it was all influenced and, um, inspired by the flora and fauna of their villages.
And they used to use natural dice, so the dye varied from village to village, even the red. And different areas of Palestine, uh, varied. And so it started as an intimate story. Um, but then when the nakba disaster happened and the fragmentation, the displacement of Palestinian women, uh, you know, they're scattered within, uh, Palestine and Lebanon and in the region, uh, Tores took another turn, a very important turn.
It became, um, a source of income, first of all, to these women. Uh, they can no longer afford, you know, their own thoughts. It became also a symbol of resistance and persistence and, uh, attachment and recovering, you know, part of their attachment, the lost attachment to the land, but most importantly, this fragmentation of these refugees.
Uh, they unified, you know, [00:05:00] Tori was a unifying, um, aspect of, uh, for, for the Palestinian women because they. Were sitting, you know, in, in camps. And they were from various region of Palestine. And so they brought together the patterns and the motifs of Palestinian embroidery. And the embroidery emerged like you can find pieces that are from different areas of Palestine.
And this is where the transformative power of the trees started. Started by unifying those, um, those patterns. And then when, um, you know, a private initiative or NGOs started to bring those women together in the camps, this was transformed, especially through like an ash modernized and introduced new colors.
And it went into more contemporary and, and, you know, to, to attract, you know, buyers, it had to all the time. So Riz is like, um, a map, a coding system to me. It's, it's a code of all of Palestine. [00:06:00] It, it represents Palestine and it's, it's a language that, uh, that's very important because it's a living archive.
Zaid: I, I really like that framing. I like the framing of it being a living archive, because I do believe, to your point, historically, it was a means of documentation. And today because it continuously is evolving, it's kind of become a language, a language of preservation in a way that's being interpreted in so many different ways.
That's right. Which brings us to the beautiful name behind the exhibit Sila. For those of you that don't speak Arabic, Sila means roots or where to connect. So can you talk to us about that? How did you choose the name and where did the idea come from?
Rula: Okay. The idea simply came from my two passions, which are art and anti trees and Palestine, and identity, my identity as partly Palestinian.
So the idea came from this need, but it also came from a. You know what's going ongoing, you know, the genocide, and it [00:07:00] came from that. And I always keep saying that, uh, saying by Rumi that says, the wound is where light enters you. And I said it at the opening, so I, I felt I need to, to do something important and.
Circumstances led me to Mariah Art Center, but the name Sila is, has a mu multi multilayers because it start, like I said, with the woman, her silla, her connection to her body and to her own clothing and to her land and to the flora and fauna and village. And then it moved to the sula, the connection between women embroiders in the camps after the.
Terrible tragedy of the npa. And so the Sah takes another form, which is unifying, uh, you know, those women. And then Sah has another, um, meaning, which is the connection between the contemporary and the traditional, the art and the craft, the past and the present and the future. So I found this very short name has, you know, so many layers that represent that [00:08:00] one, um, concept that I wanted to, you know, formalize and to create something on the ground.
Uh, and also it's, it's a connection between, uh, between the traditional and multimedia art. Because in cell we don't only have, um, actual embroidery, we have multimedia. That is reflecting the embroidery art. What do you feel like
Zaid: you wanted this exhibition to say? Because obviously what the output is is art, but when we talk about Riz and when we talk about the artists themselves, because not all of them come from Palestinian backgrounds, their work very much speaks about identity and continuity.
Rula: I wanted to say that we are here to say that this is a resistance, that this is cultural resistance. Again, cultural genocide, which is part of the whole picture. This is what I wanted to say. And it's very important not to have only Palestinian artists in this because Palestine is connected. It's not, it's not something separate from the world.
So by, [00:09:00] by working with non Palestinian artists and medium other than actual Tatreez, you are expanding the scope of, of what Tatreez can say way, way beyond, uh, Palestine. So it, it's kind of saying that Palestine is a nation. It's not only the land that we lost as a nation, and it's there to stay.
Zaid: Why did you feel it was important for this exhibition to take place in the kli, in the Gulf region?
You know, Sharjah historically has done an incredible job of incorporating Palestinian voices through cultural initiatives, whether it's on stage or art in a variety of different mediums. But I'm curious, why do you feel like it was very important to be in the KH now?
Rula: Um, you know, it happened in the Hali kind of by chance because of my connection with Mr.
So Kami, who referred me to Mariah. Um, but it also is very important because, uh, the UAE is is [00:10:00] multinational. It's, you know, it's great exposure and the team I was working with was incredibly accommodating and professional. And so I think it was a, a good starting point, but I do hope that I can take, uh, actually the next stop is going to be Madrid in April.
So I, I would like Sila in many forms and maybe different artists to, to continue. But it was a good start to start at nal. Yes. And what do you hope
Zaid: will endure after this exhibition closes? You mentioned that your next stop is going to be Spain, but what do you hope stays
Rula: what? What has to stay is that Torys as a powerful, transformative, contemporary, uh, um.
You know, power that it's kind of preserving a language that will not go, but also transforming, you know, in a, in a way that stays with the new generations. Because if you tell somebody I want to cushion now embroider, they say, yeah, this is old fashioned. [00:11:00] But when you insert it into art and fashion, you make sure that it's going on and the new generation will see, oh, this is a piece of art.
Oh, this patterns represents this area in Palestine. So you're keeping it alive. It's very important to, to do that through contemporary, uh, fashion and design and painting everything. That's beautiful.
Zaid: Lan Just hearing about it makes me wanna revisit the exhibition. Thank you so much for your time. I really enjoyed speaking to you.
Take care. Stay safe. Thank you so much for your time. Thank you. Moving on. We have curators, Sima Za, and Sima. Zam curator at Mariah Art Center is known for her work in building dialogues between contemporary art and social history, often bridging local and regional narratives. Through exhibitions that center culture and collective memory curator at 1971.
Design Space [00:12:00] brings a background in design and material culture, exploring how craft and contemporary design intersect to tell new stories from the Arab world. Together they've reimagined Riz as more than just heritage, as an evolving act of cultural resistance and artistic innovation. Uniting two institutions for the first time to create a shared curatorial vision, rooted in connection, collaboration, and continuity.
Please join me in welcoming them to this conversation. Ladies. Hello. Welcome to TaRita. Thank you for having us. Absolutely. Thank you. I had the pleasure and privilege of visiting the exhibit in the first week that it opened, and I have to tell you, I was incredibly touched by not just the initiative, but by the artwork itself.
Um, but the place I'd like to start first is the title because it did take me aback, Sila. I understand. But all that's left to you. Left me wondering [00:13:00] why, why is that the title? Where does it
Cima: come from? Well, um, so when planning an exhibition, you really have to go through a number of titles for the exhibition.
Silla initially was supposed to be a traveling exhibition, so something that will continue to evolve where new artists and designers are sort of brought into the folds. So Nora and I had many discussions about what kind of title we wanted. We could have gone with something that was a little bit more literal.
Like for example, uh, Palestinian Riz or embroidery or like weaving heritage Exactly. Or threads of resistance. Yeah. But we wanted something more poetic. So we started really looking into, um, obviously historians, writers, Palestinian novelists, and obviously Hassan Kani made sense. He is the voice of Palestine and of resistance.
Um, his novels, um, are absolutely wonderful. So all that is left to you is actually [00:14:00] borrowed from one of his short novellas.
Zaid: Ah, I didn't know that. Yes, that's, that's quite powerful. You know, when I walked into the exhibit aki, I felt a strong source of pride, but also equally, if not a little bit more, there was pain there.
And it makes me emotional just to think about it. Now, how does one, especially in art, take. Both components of p pride and pain and balance them in a way that is expressed beautifully and you don't have one overpowering the other.
Noor: I think this is how, uh, Enes in general live their lives. It's always that balance between finding joy and then always, um, um, remembering and recalling, um, everything that has happened or still happening and questions about what's gonna happen.
Um, obviously there's, there's a lot of room for, for hope. We are people that if we didn't [00:15:00] have hope for 77 years, I don't think we would have lasted. But, uh, yes, Sima and I, we, the moment this was handed over to us, it was given to us. You know, um, you're about to curate a show, um, about pa. We knew that we needed to do more.
We needed to bring in all those things that you've mentioned, all that duality that Palestinians lived through. Um, and at the same time, we had to address what was happening on the ground. We did not want this exhibition to come across as, uh, something that's disconnected completely from reality, because that's not what curators should do.
Uh, from my perspective and definitely from CMAs. We need to be very relevant and we need to, uh, always address this urgency in, in, um, in examining everything that, all those feelings, all those, um, um, um, thoughts [00:16:00] that the audience must be going through living. For the past two years with everything that's been happening.
So once you bring them into a space that discusses anything Palestinian, not just the trees, it'll bring back all, everything that, uh, all the news, all the scenes, all, all everything, all the devastation. So we had to make it part of the show in one way or another.
Cima: Absolutely. 'cause curating is layered, right?
The whole idea of Riz is layered. This whole exhibition is layered as well. As you're saying, there are so many people that were from all, like, they're not gen necessarily Palestinian, but they're heavily rooted in the Palestinian, uh, cause let's say. But everyone who's speaking the same language, this is what made it easier for us.
Everyone was speaking riz in some shape or form with different mediums,
Zaid: I think. That diversity invites a very specific type of conversation that I believe with the different panel discussions and tours that you guys have had was intentional and very [00:17:00] much ENC encouraged by this exhibit. Um, I'm curious about what surprised you in the conversations that you had with non Palestinian artists and the way that they chose to kind of express or use as a means of expression.
Cima: I mean, we're all Arab, uh, or. Really heavily rooted in the Arab or Palestinian cause, let's say. Right? So everyone sort of came together, had their own ideas, and there was so much research, um, that they had come in with and so many narratives that they wanted to bring into their exhibition. And because of the different mediums, it really showed how extensive all of this was.
Aya Haida, for example, she does her own embroideries, but there was also that conversation between her and the embroiders, the artisans from in Ash. So that opened up the dialogue even more. You had people that lived in the US who came to us and there was works that were, that say, a dual installation with Leon Los, with the [00:18:00] Amulets and her to, um, you know, uh, Irene is, I mean, Irene is Palestinian Irene's work as well with the layering.
There is so many. Every time I think of this, it's just expanding. It's, yeah. I think the one that also
Noor: surprised us, yes. The most was,
Cima: oh my God,
Noor: yes. Who translated TIFs into sound?
Zaid: Oh my goodness. That was one of those unexpected ones where I was, yeah. That even me, because I like what you said. No, Annie. When we talk about Tatreez as a medium, it's also a language that gives us an opportunity to say the things we can't necessarily say. Can't, won't, don't feel comfortable doing or sometimes [00:19:00] just don't know what to say.
Mm-hmm. Yeah. It, it's a medium that allowed for that sort of expression. Talk to me about, um, about her choice in terms of her, her, her, her piece, because that, and what was the reception to that piece?
Cima: Um, so in our process of curating, obviously you're accumulating a lot of other artists and designers together, and we were looking for, you know, that sort of, there was a piece, I felt like there were some gaps or there was a piece missing.
So we had done a lot of research and then we came across namas profile on actually social media.
Dana: Mm.
Cima: And um, it was part of her, uh, master's program that was funded. It's called The Sound of Threads. And when I read the Sound of Thread, I'm like, no, it can't be possible. Really. I was like, you've taken a language that is usually spoken, transformed it into visual, which is, and then she gave it sounds.
So went online, did more research, and when I heard. The, the, the melodies that she put together, it was a very emotional moment, [00:20:00] um, because like how we say in a ro
Dana: mm-hmm.
Cima: She, like, she really gave them a soul, really gave them a soul, something came to life. And putting and knowing that she had done six different ones.
So each, um, so she had accumulated some, um, palace, uh, riss motifs together. Each one representative of it, different city or uh, village like Za Ram, uh, Belam, there's Yfa Yfa as well. Um, so they each have different motifs that people know, basically can tell that you are from that area. And then she put accumulated maybe six or seven motifs and they all made the sound.
And it's almost like she gave that area its own voice. Yeah, it was so, I dunno what it was. It was this emotional, it tied things together
Noor: and it became the sound of the exhibition. Yes. Yeah. So the moment you walk into the exhibition, it's what you hear[00:21:00]
Cima: something I wanted to about the reaction. There were a few musicians that attended the exhibition and a lot of them had come up to me and say, how can we build on this? Wow. Which I really loved. They wanted to bring in their own instruments. There was a drummer that came in that said, oh, can I drum this?
There was a oats player that came in and said, oh, I used to teach oats. Can I actually build on this? So it wanted, so a lot of people wanted to take that snippet and just sort of, you know, havoc. Again, the idea of connection and continuity. Mm-hmm. People wanted to build on it and make it into a full fledged, I dunno, song or something that
Zaid: continuity and evolution.
Yes. Yes. Absolutely. 'cause even now we're, we're going beyond the original medium. Yes. Which is beautiful. So incredibly beautiful. Um, what do you think, and I feel like you've, you guys have done such a good job in terms of [00:22:00] articulating it in the way you talk about the pieces, but for our listeners, when we talk about translating ris, taking RIS and the symbol that it carries, um, to Palestinians and non Palestinians, what does it mean to translate it and not replicate it?
Noor: Um, I think Riz, the, the, if you look at the single unit of it, it's the cross stitch. Mm-hmm. If you know how to do the cross stitch, then you're doing toss. If you go in lines, um, horizontal, vertical, diagonal, if you start making hearts, if you start making skulls, it's uh, it's still Riz. Mm-hmm. It is. As long as it's the X, then it is.
Um, and Tores in itself has, um, evolved as a language because we are not people that. We're living on an island. Mm-hmm. Peacefully. No, we live in the center of the world where we've got, uh, access to, uh, different continents [00:23:00] and the Mediterranean. So obviously there was a lot of cross-cultural, um, interactions, and therefore it evolved.
And then 1948 happened. Mm-hmm. Um, after post 1948, it did change because they wanted to tell the stories of what was happening. And then after the ada again, it changed, uh, za began embroidering, the Palestinian flag. Something you did not see before. Yeah. Um, we are constantly faced with being under the occupation, uh, Reza being, uh, besieged.
So obviously so many things. Will continue to happen. Uh, there's always resistance. So the, the stories are evolving, the happenings, the historic, uh, historical, uh, events and turning points. Yeah. So that will be reflected in Riz.
Cima: Um, I think, um, also with Riz, it's important to understand the actual language, [00:24:00] as you said, is visual, right?
So, and it is used to narrate something. It's a storytelling, right? And whether it's, um, stories of love, compassion, it's about, uh, weddings or breakups or even just, um, you know, the harvest season or, and of course a lot of, um. Just, there's a lot of sadness in it as well. So these artists actually took this medium and transformed it according to the story and the concept they wanted to do, they wanted to speak of or amplify,
Noor: um, a lot of the veterans in Tores when they visited the space.
Um, uh, I don't know if, um, I don't wanna say disappointed. They definitely loved it, but they had a lot of comments like, okay, not all of these works show the way we know it. Mm-hmm. But yes, the, it does not include. The actual Riz. But it's a [00:25:00] story. If you, if you know the story about this artwork, you will realize how, um, significant the tobe is to a Palestinian woman.
So that is something that we also wanted to bring into this, uh, into this exhibition. So you come in, you don't necessarily need to see the, or the threads, but it's here to tell stories about what, what the th meant to a woman. Why did she, um, stitch or embroider messages on it? Mm-hmm. And what did it mean for her to leave it behind?
Why did she leave it behind? You know, what happened with her? It must have been something so awful. So these are the questions that, uh, um, arise with, with every work. So. Yeah, this is what the exhibition is about, uh, in reality to, to ask all these questions and to know more and to [00:26:00] deliver all the messages that, uh, these artists wanted to deliver.
Zaid: I think you both articulated that very, very well. And my intention behind a question like this was to kind of highlight that sometimes when people feel called to support anything, um, there's always a good intention of wanting to use symbols without really understanding the story behind it. And the reason I ask this question because, and you guys highlighted that in both your answers, understanding where something comes from is equally as important in creating meaning.
However, that meaning is created, whatever channel, whatever medium, and I feel like honoring. Honoring a symbol is to understand its meaning. It's not necessarily you're, you're not bound to replicate it or produce it the same way it's supposed to. As with everything in life, it evolves. But understanding where it comes from, I think is, is the call.
Um, and I think what's beautiful about this exhibit is yes, [00:27:00] Riz was the choice of language, but the exhibit was Sila. All that is left to you. So what has been left to you is a language and how you choose to articulate that is what you've given the freedom for the artist to do.
Cima: Absolutely. And to add to that.
We had the Palestinian woman in there. Mm-hmm. We had this moment that we love to share. It's like the story that we love to share through our process.
Noor: Mm-hmm. I remember when I was saying the source of hope, and I think this is when we please tell, tell, share. We'll unpack that share. So,
Cima: um, you know, when you, you, you have an exhibition, you've been planning it for so long and then the works start to come in and we had the works being shipped in from all over, right.
All over the world, different continents as well. So we wanted to add a few more artists. So I, um, had contacted, has had, and I asked him if I can bring back one of his works that we so lovingly call the Palestinian Mona Lisa. Uh, we exhibited this work, which [00:28:00] is basically, um, a huge image of an enlarged image of a Palestinian woman.
And, um, the image was taken in 1883 in Bethlehem, and the woman is completely. Dressed and ado and, and Riz and this beautiful headdress as well. And then there's a neon light that sort of interrupts the work. We exhibited this in 2021 for his solo show and I really wanted her back into the exhibition. So when we opened, like we sort of, you know, uncased her, like from the um, from the packaging.
We brought her into the space. She moved around so much because we were trying to figure out where to place her. And then Nora had this moment, she's like, Sima, she is all that is left to you. It is the Palestinian woman. Without her, there is no exhibition. There is no res. Mm-hmm. So Riz is yes, the main focus as you're saying that at the end of the day, it comes from the Palestinian woman and her resilience throughout these years, [00:29:00] throughout whatever has been thrown to her, she has carried it and carried it over with grace and with love, and she's.
Passed it on to so many generations. Sorry, this makes me very emotional, but Yes. And this is why it's become, yeah. She, she's become, she is the Palestinian Mona. She's called Places in existence.
Noor: Just for the record, she, she is places in existence. Yeah. Um, yes. I mean, there's so much to say. It's, uh, I mean, it'll, it'll take us years, yeah.
Uh, to talk about the Palestinian woman. And, uh, what triggered that, uh, was when I read the essay Wafa name, the just historian whom we love so much, and she kindly visited. She came for the opening and she wrote for the, for the publication of the, of the exhibition. Um, she mentions in [00:30:00] her essay before she starts talking about each and every work, um, she mentions the absence of the woman, the woman who passed this tradition down to other generations.
And that. I don't know. I, I kind of, it made me stop for some time and I felt subconsciously that we needed to do something. Mm-hmm. But I, I couldn't, uh, you know, connect the dots. So the moment she came in, it hit me that, no, this woman needs to be at the forefront. She needs to be centered. And that's how we will fill that absence.
Because if you think about it, everyone was there. Mm-hmm. The artists, the designers, the curators, the founder, the directors, the, the writers, everyone was there. Even in spirit. But, um, the artisan was not, I mean, the artisans from, [00:31:00] they were involved in some of the pieces, not everything, but they are the ones who still to this day practice this, um, tradition.
Um, because it's a source of income, because it symbolizes their, um, their, their belonging to a homeland that they've been denied access to. And to me it's, it's, um, it. It embodies their right to return. Mm-hmm. As long as they're stitching and embroidering. This is proof that they have taken this culture and they still practice it and they're still teaching their daughters how to do it.
That means, and they know the motifs and what they mean and the technique and everything, and the alignment and you know, from A to Z. So that means that they belong there. They belonged to Palestine. And as long as we keep on saying that, we are emphasizing on their right to return, and this is what we hope [00:32:00] for.
Zaid: Yeah. And to, to, again, to showcase how this language is something that people use as a form of connection attachment. Illa was just telling me on our, uh, in our conversation that, um, when men were taken to prisons, um, they would, they, they used to actually practice Riz. So again, this medium speaks volumes to, uh, the amount of things that need to be said.
Um, and I'm very grateful that it exists because it truly, it, it has provided us with kind of a voice. Um, and I feel like with this exhibit, it's, it's kind of shown how that voice can translate in so many different ways in the spirit of echo and resonance, if you will. I do have a closing question. Um. If TaRita is about echo, what part do you hope will be heard long after you've stopped speaking?
Noor: Um, I think what I hope [00:33:00] for is, um, Palestinian women and men to learn the cross stitch, to actually learn it and practice it. And there are a lot of workshops happening. It's, uh, it's becoming a movement now. Um, and I, I hope that they stop looking at it as a decorative element. Uh, it's more than that. So, um, I know it's been commodified, but we need to take a step back.
It supports a lot of businesses and that's great. Um, but maybe let's be mindful a bit more about how to use it. Let's use it. It's an encoded language, so let's use it. Well, um, this is one thing when it comes to s uh, another thing when it comes to art and design, um, I think, um. There were a lot of questions about why do Arabs in general, hold on.
So, uh, dearly and tightly to craft. I think it's because we are always, we're accustomed to [00:34:00] facing, um, threats of erasure. Mm-hmm. Threats of, uh, culture appropriation, um, being looked at as if, um, craft means nothing. It's, it's primitive. It's, yeah. But it's a vessel for identity and we should be proud of our identity and, uh, if anything, we should teach this to other parts of the world.
And I, I think it's starting to pick up
Cima: Yes, absolutely. Carry it forward, move forward with it, accept it, and also give it value. And I think this is what we really want to do as well. And give it value, but also give it, it's, I guess what I'm trying to say is that, as we said right at the beginning, Riz is ever evolving.
So this can actually ever evolve. See it outside. What it actually is, it's not only a craft, is noticing evolve and evolve through storytelling. A verse evolves through song, through [00:35:00] stitch, through color, so the absence of color. So whatever it is, just carry it forward and educate and move forward with it.
It's, um, don't leave it behind.
Zaid: Beautifully said. Thank you so much for your time. Thank you so much for your work and your dedication and your passion to what you're doing. Sha I'm gonna go see the exhibit again because I feel like I wanna go. Yeah. One time is not, yeah, one time is not enough. And especially after this conversation, I feel like I want to go in and appreciate everything on a deeper level.
I'm, I'm so appreciative of the thought that went into this. Yeah. And, um, I look forward to your next one. Thank you so much. Thank you. It was
Noor: a, it was a labor of love. Love for Palestine, love for Tores. Yes. And love for art and design. Absolutely. So all combined, and this is what you know, it culminated in and we're so proud.
Thank, thank you.
Zaid: Now that we've heard about the exhibit as a whole, it's time to dig deep into the works of our [00:36:00] featured artists. Join me as I sit with re Hassan and welcome to the show, guys.
Dana: Thank you. Thank you.
Zaid: So glad to have you here.
Dana: Thanks for having us.
Zaid: Okay, well we're gonna jump into the first question.
So, when you first encountered the idea of Tatreez in the context of the Silla exhibit, not as a craft, but as a conversation, because the entire exhibit is built on this idea of different variations of Riz, different interpretations, what did it stir in you? What did you feel? What did you wanna say? I think our piece kind of came on later on with the exhibition when they visited the Atilla and they actually knew which piece they wanted to showcase part of it.
So, um, I remember them visiting and. There was this piece that I had created a, a couple of months before, which starting have started having a life of its own. Um, so the headpiece was actually created as a study for that point, for the Behem Shawe for [00:37:00] a Vogue, and eventually was worn by Eliana, worn by Zain and the Aleana music video and eventually showcased.
And then I, I personally didn't know what to do with it in the ET because it's become part of the archive. Like it needs, it has its own history. And there's some pieces in the Etle that we have like that, that's been worn by such iconic piece people that I don't, you can't showcase it anymore. It has a life of its own.
And when they approached me to, uh, to exhibit it, I was like, yes, this is the natural progression of the piece. It's actually. Was a study that crowned these modern, um, I would say very vocal Palestinian or allies, uh, throughout the region. Mm-hmm. It crowned them and then prospectively should go into, um, into the.
The exhibition and that I felt like that was a natural transition to it. When it comes to the [00:38:00] tores, I like the idea of it being a piece that was also featured in different stages and in different ways. Can you talk to us about the significance of this piece and why you consistently refer to it as a crown?
My, um, my full name is actually, I know I go with my label, which is, but my, my full family name is it? Oh, so with, or the word it, which means my crown is my phenomena of like having head pieces. And I think headpieces historically are of major, um, identity, uh, part of our identity throughout the region. Um, whether, um.
It is, and each country and each region and each sect or each religion had a different one, and you can identify it from each person, which is beautiful, or they actually grounded you. So some people would actually, some men would carry their, [00:39:00] um, burial fabric on their head. Mm-hmm. And it's so grounding because that means like I have my burial fabric on my head that I will always remember that I, any day I've got what I need to kind of, uh, move on.
But it's so interesting. So from, for our perspective, for that headpiece, it also doubles as, um, the, um, the bank to the family because it has all the silver coins, all the gold coins, all the details onto it. Um, and women add to it throughout their lives. So it shows not only the storytelling aspect and the powerful I, um.
Play that the woman has in our culture, but also how to preserve the family and the financial power was actually on her head the whole entire time. Um, and so headpieces is just a fascination, a fascination of mine when I deep dive into it [00:40:00] and it happens to be my part of my last name, and it just kind of rolls with it.
It's incredibly moving because that also speaks to how incredibly unique Riz is. Two different regions, you know, the the, the Crown is, but so is Riz itself and we move into this other space where Riz as a metaphor and as a medium also has a delicateness and a fragility to it. Which takes me to you, Irene, your work unweave and res stitches history.
What were the emotions that drove your process? Can you talk to us a little bit about your work?
Areen: Yeah, actually, you know, in my work. Uh, you always see the thread part and the unfolded parts of the fabric, and it's a research that I started in 2014. I wanted to show how things, when they return to their original and first form, they look like broken, um, not complete, but they are beautiful, strong, powerful, and complete, and [00:41:00] something that reflects the place that I come from as Palestinians, you know, as Palestinians, we are very connected to our land, to our community, to our people, to our culture, but it's never fully complete because we don't have a country.
Like, we have a land, but we don't
Zaid: have a country. Wow. And in terms of when we look at it as these individual threads, how do you feel like it ties into the theme of what Riz is?
Areen: You know, it's not only about the treats and my work, it's like to combine different techniques that the treats with the threads part and silk screen printing to make like the statement.
Zaid: There's something so powerful about seeing the fragility of the way that you kind of were hanging the threads themselves. And the closer you get to them, you, you start to, there's a sense of, again, I can't think of another word besides delicate, but there, there's something very. Fragile about it, but then when you take a step back and you look at them [00:42:00] side by side next to each other, there's something beautiful in the color scheme that it starts to form.
That it also speaks to this idea of when these threads come together Yeah, there's a strength in them. Samad, your suspended threads almost challenge gravity itself. What does space represent in your work, especially in your
Dana: interpretation? That series, uh, started as a questioning of, how do I describe the Palestinian identity as a diaspora?
Um, especially because it doesn't fit in these concrete definitions that we're given of what an identity is. Mm-hmm. And so I started, I always work through the material, so I feel like I start with the material and then the material explains to me how something can exist despite what you think. So, uh, when I started working with the.
With the textile, with Tatreez in this work, I wanted to see if the Tatreez can exist without the land. 'cause at the time when I was making the work, there was a lot of [00:43:00] talk. I lived in Canada of Palestine, never existing, and how can you be still Palestinian or Palestinian Canada now? So you might as well just assimilate, you know, kind of thing.
Um, so the challenge was, can I make tres exist without land? And if it can without fabric, and if it can, then it's my way of understanding how the Palestinian people can exist without land or explain it to myself. Um, and then the, and then the, and it worked. And then the, uh, and then the work taught me that it doesn't just exist.
Without land. It also exists in this three dimensional space that you can't even encapsulate. So that removes the whole definition of a boundaried space, a boundaried land, a boundaried identity def definitions, you know, kind of opened up the idea that, oh, we can just make we, we will just make our own definition because these definitions are made [00:44:00] so that we don't exist.
That's the point. Of these definitions. Yeah, but we actually exist through the movement, through the shadows, through the interaction, through your perspective. It's always shifting. That work never is never installed in the same way. Yeah. So that's,
Zaid: it's quite powerful and deep. Yeah. I think it's incredible the way that you guys talk about your own work.
And I'm curious, you all came in with your own, I don't wanna say biases, but ideas around what you would find in terms of Tori's interpretations. 'cause I find that the medium itself, Tori is a language in itself. What surprised you most about each other's work or the work that you saw? I think for the first time actually, I was surprised by the whole exhibition is for the first time I got to see because, because of my own practice, a lot of time some of the backlash comes is you deconstruct is way too much.
Like, I will take it ma, like zoom in, maximize it. Reinterpret it, use different [00:45:00] motifs and kind of play around with it. Even sometimes mismatching to kind of get an o to my maternal side and an o to my paternal side. Although both s patterns will not be found in this on the same sobe, for example. So for Merode and Os, there wouldn't be a th that would have both, but it's an ode to them.
And uh, I think for the first time walking into the exhibition, and I think everyone that viewed it, even through their phone said, we can see the natural evolution of how Riz has moved on to the next generation. Mm-hmm. And how it will live on to the future generations. Um, I think it doesn't, or it doesn't diminish from the beautiful craft and the storytelling that our previous generations that have held for hundreds, if not thousands of years, does not diminish that.
But also as we can see, we started. In the past two, three years. [00:46:00] I think what we've found out is we finally know or are able to speak our language or get our ideas through on a global scale, whether it's from the arts, whether it's fashion, whether it's musicians, whether it's poets. And I think now we are looking at it and we are like, okay, now we can actually use that craft to speak on a global language.
Because at the end of the day, we're all here and we all need to amplify the voices of the people that are there, right? Where, where diaspora. And we need to amplify what's happening there. And I think this brings in the conversation and the attention to what's happening. And uh,
Dana: also I'd like to add, when I started deconstructing and doing all of that, of course everyone in ahman lost their mind a little bit and no.
And how can you take the time to do the work and then cut the work? Interesting. Okay. You know, but for me it was like. I understand the rigidity that [00:47:00] we have around Tatreez when I was learning in Haman, because there's this like fear of loss. But if we continue to move only like this, where I felt like we were izing the craft and museum, the craft puts it in a timeline, closes the chapter, and then, and then what?
So the fact that, you know, to add on to what you were, you were saying that, um, there's an evolution. I'm very happy to see that people are now o uh, Palestinians are taking ownership of the Riz and evolving the craft and creating more language around it because it shows that the Palestinian identity is very much alive.
Zaid: And also I may add, like the exhibition is beautifully done. And we have to say there was a lot of, not only Palestinians, but also Palestinian and Palestinian allies, you know, a hundred percent. Um, and it's beautiful. A hundred percent. Our culture is all about whether, if you wanna look at Riz, it's [00:48:00] all about sharing.
It's all about storytelling. So everyone to be part of that storytelling aspect and wants to share the cause, and this is something that was so beautifully profound that we've seen, I know it's in a bad situation, but everyone that had a platform, everyone that had a craft, and everyone that had something of any sort that stood right by us, what vocalized it.
Mm-hmm. And it's also not removing the identity of who they are or the Palestinian, but they're actually been there, stood by us and actually create with us side by side.
Dana: Mm-hmm. Yeah. Torres is community. I teach Torres. And my favorite part is the what happens in the classes. Not so much the teaching. It's, you know, you get comfortable and then you start talking.
Then you're a group of people that meet every week that talk surrounding RIAs, and that's what it always was to do a craft with other women. And you're doing this meditative act and then slowly you're opening up and you [00:49:00] create this community of support.
Zaid: The collaborative aspect, the community aspect that you referenced is a beautiful nod to the name of the exhibit Silla.
Riz is that medium that connects us. And in this case, the different interpretations was the language, the language to get us speaking the language, to get us around a table like this talking, you know, I was in Beirut back in June. I keep forgetting the exhibitors, uh, names, but I will have to look it up and mention them.
So they had interviews with, uh, people that were imprisoned mm-hmm. In the south of Lebanon. Uh, and so once they were liberated in 2006, they had these interviews and they were men and women and they were actually saying the, there were two things that had, they needed essentially onto how to spend their time in these, or during the time it is actually, um, a needle and thread.
And there's aune pits. Wow. Yeah. [00:50:00] Why une pit? The, uh, the olive seed. Okay. So the, because they wouldn't give them any changes of clothes, so sometimes they would have to share with the previous, uh, people that were, uh, the leftover clothes. Yeah. So it was the first thing that they would do is trying to figure out how they can actually get, um, anything that could be metal or shape it so they can actually sew the clothes back into their side.
Or they wouldn't even be given clothes. So after months and years, their clothes would, so they can actually fix it.
Dana: Wow.
Zaid: And then they would spend their time with creating these trees and they actually had some of the pieces showcased, uh, these three small swatches on any fabric. That's fine. And, uh, the zunon pits would actually make payer beats.
Oh, wow. I love that. I love that too. That's beautiful. Right? So it tells you like how intricate and automatically [00:51:00] our first instinct, instinct is to create from these materials that we're so connected with. A hundred percent. Wow. That gave me goosebumps. The whole region is, and a needle and thread and an olive pit.
That's beautiful. Riz is a language, and I think we all agree that it is. What message do you guys send through the work that you're doing? What do you want people to take away from it?
Dana: You're gonna hate my answer. No, tell me. But I, uh, I've been doing tores for a while, or art for a while. Um, and I, I, I don't, I have no control over how people see it.
Context. People come in with their own thing. I work with Tores for myself to understand something else so that I can then talk about something else. With more clarity or more understanding. So, you know, some people see my work and they're like, oh no, it's falling apart. And I'm like, not really. That's not, but I, I can't, [00:52:00] it depends.
And especially if you look at the different periods of time when you, when people look at my work in 2018, they have a different reaction than after October 3rd. You know, uh, it's all what they have in there.
Zaid: You know, what's interesting about your piece? I'm just gonna jump in and say it since you gave us permission by telling us how the Jordanians felt.
Dana: Yeah. But,
Zaid: um, but when I saw your piece, I was quite, it was painful. It was painful to see. 'cause for me it was like, why is it withering away? But see, for me, it
Dana: wasn't painful. It was actually a way of saying like, look, we exist actually in a more beautiful way. It's kind of like your work. Yeah. Actually, like we exist in a dimension that we don't even need to try to explain, you know?
And so. I like the look of withering away, but also this idea, I was challenged with this last time, some, another time somebody asked me like, uh, why do you take it apart? Or Why do you ruin [00:53:00] them? And um, this definition of ruining is also the same. You know, it's like as subjective as beauty, you know, like why, who's deciding if it's ruined?
You know? And if you feel that way, that's, that's okay. That's for you. And, and, but that's my cha that's me challenging it. That idea. Why, why is it ruined? Yeah. Who decided? Does it have to be so perfect? What is that proving?
Zaid: Very valid point. Yeah. Absolutely. Or it could be that with everything that's removed, like we're stripped out of everything.
But yet again, there's still beauty from Yeah, absolutely. With the craft is still there. Like that the beauty is still within with their threads and all of that. So our identity still lives on even by being stripped away from everything. Hmm. That's not
Dana: stripped away, but it's
Zaid: not. But like, I mean like it could be 'cause so you that
Dana: you could see more, you know, like even taking it apart for me it's like, but look how much more there is when you make it so perfect.
It's
Zaid: I got
Dana: it. [00:54:00]
Zaid: Bye. Especially after hearing you say that even the term stripped away doesn't do justice 'cause what to what it is that you're trying to do. 'cause really what you're trying to do is challenge convention. Mm-hmm. You're challenging convention and, and, and again, you become part of the creation because your existence is more than just repeating it.
It is contributing to it. Um, and to contribute also requires you to unlearn.
Dana: Yeah.
Zaid: Detach. Exactly. Yeah. Let go
Dana: of, I'm challenging the definition that who gave me
Zaid: Mm.
Dana: Empire. The west, whoever calling somebody gave me this definition and I don't fit. Why? Mm. I won't. Forget the definition, then who are you?
That's my attitude. You know, like, ha, I'll make my own Why? So that I can always feel at a loss and always feel like I'm longing and always feel, but no. And
Zaid: that's your attitude.
Z. Talk to me about the message you're trying [00:55:00] to send with your work. I actually come from a very much like a longing kind of. Um, so a lot of the practice actually that I do or the things when I conceptualize is I was born in a house, a very storytelling household. Mm. And it's quite funny because I was raised where you walk into both grandparents' homes, you still find the photographs of their homes.
Oh. Actually in both maternal or paternal side, they're still up. Okay. Um, and I do have so many historical records and so many actually newspaper cutouts or, uh, or events that they took part of, um, whether it's during the Ottoman era, whether it's during the British mandate, and then, uh, forward. So I always, with my practice, I kind of think, and this is an exhibition that I did in October, 2024.
Dana: Mm-hmm.
Zaid: Um, I actually put in all the, [00:56:00] uh, cutouts and all the historical images and the garments. A modern interpretation of the garments of how I would wear it. Right now, if I were to go on a runway or a red carpet anywhere across the world, I want my identity to speak out loud. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Uh, but in a way that I'm still relevant yet again, not diminishing any of the cross that is out there.
And my question kind of lives on is how would have. Our traditional attire evolved if we weren't banned or outlawed or borrowed a Western carb. And because as we said, we went into a preservation mode where you can't touch this. And, um, not to quote Mc hammer, but, but also, you know what, like
Dana: now it's stuck in my head.
Yeah.
Zaid: But then again, you can't touch this at all and you are [00:57:00] kind of bound to this is how a tobe looks, or this is how a man mans and al or, or hi, anything, uh, works. And we can't touch those colors. We can't touch the fabrics yet again. Also, the craft and the people, the artisans that used to create this are no longer able to sustain themselves.
Mm. Because this is looked upon as. Something old or traditional? Dated. Dated. So no, we, we wanna look at it and like, let's revive the craft. Let's work with whatever's left with the artisans and let's create the, these pieces. Mm-hmm. And let's see how we can evolve it. And so what could have been. And that is always my question when I design and create what could have been, but also what is, because I find that what's beautiful about the work you do is that it's very current and it's something that a lot of people have embraced from celebrities to [00:58:00] everyone else on ground, you know?
Um, and it started conversations that take us back to history and where it comes from. And I think that's what's interesting about the conversation you both are having, uh, this idea of preservation or keeping it the same was very much attached to this idea of we don't wanna forget. And when we return, that is when we will make things better again.
But I think based on the, how you guys beautifully articulated it, it's, it's reframing this idea to of. We haven't gone anywhere. And even if we're exiled now, because I do consider myself a Palestinian living in exile, uh, me not being physically there does not take away one iota of my identity or who I am and how I choose to represent that.
The evolution is going to continue even outside until we go back, which actually takes me to you Aen, until you have the most, I'm almost jealous you have the most unique experience of the four of us because although [00:59:00] you're based in Dubai now, you grew up in Phin. Phin is your home. It is your home base.
It is what you see and breathe. So you bring a completely different perspective. What is your message that you wanna tell us and the rest of the world about the work that you do?
Areen: So, you know, actually I'm gonna speak about Sila exhibition work because they're like all the work inspired by Jerusalem, my homeland.
I grew up there and. I dunno how to describe that to grow up there because it's not easy actually. But like through the work I wanted to show the beauty of our culture, our people, our community, even if we are like all over the world. So the work like weaving the land back, ude, actually it shows the Palestinian relationship to the land, even across distance.
So actually it's a series of three pieces and the first piece, it shows the, it shows the Palestinian relationship to the land during nbe. Because you know, when NBE happened we thought it's a period of time and we would [01:00:00] return. We didn't know that it formed for us a new identity, a new like way, a new like form.
And even like the piece is connected by threads. And the threads, the gap is small and even the design is like a placement with a border because. We thought that we would return. And then like second piece, the gap is much longer the threat part and it shows the Palestinian relationship to the land, even across distance.
Actually the third piece, it represents the three periods, nbe after Neck Bay, and the period that we live in now. Sum
Dana: resilience. Mm-hmm. Yes.
Is there anything that you guys would like to add around your process?
Zaid: Up until now. The sourcing of the materials is so beautiful for me and because it shows how we are actually still a culture with no borders, but with borders imposed.
So the [01:01:00] SIA fabric that's used in the headpiece that's historically been used actually comes from Syria. Oh,
and
we have to go into, sadly, with what has happened or what had happened to Syria in the past decade, 11 years, we, uh. We kind of, um, lost a lot of the factory makings. So we, I actually had to go through old ba in M to actually find like, or something, I have to combine it to actually get, um, the silversmiths.
So the silversmiths still are, are there, but they're, their craft is diminishing. Wow. And for example, a lot of times if you actually want to produce something that's silver, the easiest way is actually to go to Egypt.
Mm-hmm. And,
um, yet again, a lot of, um, for me, because Jordan is closer and Jordan's also part of my identity and home, [01:02:00] um, uh, as well, um, I'm able to source certain materials that can mimic, um, historical because there's still, there's still people trying to keep that identity handy.
Craft, yeah. Alive. Um, for example, the TOS for me, I actually, uh, found or there's this family in Jordan that actually works, uh, with women in, in Hebron that actually create to tos. So like the, the piece that I've put together actually is without borders and it was actually then placed in, uh, uh, manufactured or put together in, in the UAE.
And, um, so the, it tells you like to actually kind of rebuild or celebrate our culture, we actually have to cross the whole region. And yet again to find the crossroad. It's kind of a poetic [01:03:00] moment that it still unifies us to kind of get that historical. Piece or relevancy that is so powerful. And that speaks again to this, the collaboration in this exhibit and the name.
Even in telling our own story, it requires us to also take a step back and understand that we're all part of this. We, we don't sit in isolation from each other. And I think that's beautiful.. By you. One word for Philistine.
Dana: Can I give you more than one word? You can give me a hundred.
Um, I think when I think of INE and the Palestinians, there's resilience, there's fight, there's all that. But I think for all this is gonna sound cheesy, but for all, all of that fits under this umbrella of love that we all have for each other. You know, I've had shows with Ramala or m and they treat, we treat each other and my Arabic's not very good.
And there's this like, uh, wanting to stay connected and be kind to each other and be [01:04:00] respectful and like going, uh, going out of our way to keep us whole. I don't know how it is on the ground, but that's how I feel. That is like that love is that, that love is what I think that's Palestinian. I don't, I don't, I don't see it anywhere else.
Yeah.
Areen: And for me it's community 100. I love that.
Dana: Yeah. You know, for me it's actually love as well. Mm-hmm. Love and love through community. Exactly. I wanna thank you for your dedication to your craft, for your contribution to our ongoing evolving story,
Areen: baby. Thank you
Zaid: you for having us. You.
Dana: Thank you for having us such [01:05:00] [01:06:00] [01:07:00] [01:08:00] [01:09:00] [01:10:00] [01:11:00] a.