Tell us a little bit about yourself and what you do.
Well, I wake up every morning to watch the sunrise as I hop on my mini trampoline and do my lymphatic taps. I smoke a ciggy with my coffee, pray and do whatever I am required of the day. I’m an artist, designer and fabricator of the physical and metaphysical world. I really like furniture, wood and fire !
Top 3 favorite or most visited websites and why?
www.radioalhara.net is a Palestinian web radio broadcasting out of Bethlehem. I pretty much tune in everyday. The Sonic Liberation Front.
www.youtube.com is where I watch Mecca Live cam HD and Full Body Healing Frequencies, 528Hz + 174Hz, Miracle Frequency, Pain Relief, Healing Meditation. Also an everyday thing…
NTS. More web radio. Get off of Spotify.
What is it like living and working in Chicago?
It’s very ok. Like it’s cool that I can get by with being a clown one week and helping someone move the next. It’s affordable for an artist for sure. Sometimes I do feel like it’s a bit small and chill so that’s a pro and a con depending on the day.
What kinds of things are influencing your work right now?
Learning how to rest, my friends, On Protracted War, the shepherd, the sheep, the desert, Gorillaz’s self-titled album.
What are some recent, upcoming or current projects you are working on?
I’m currently working on devising a puppet show with a demon marionette. It was cast out of aluminum on Halloween. It’s all in the fashion of 30s Harlem jazz, rubber hose and alchemy.
How do you think your work operates in different spaces?
Most of my work is multi-functional in some way. You can put it on a pedestal, or you can use it in your kitchen.
How did your interest in your work begin?
I mean the work is always changing, so it never really begins or ends in some type of way. I will say I am always inspired by design and architecture, so that naturally led me to furniture. The work is somewhat of a response to being frustrated with living among a neo-capitalist design world. Some years ago, I was trying to buy furniture but everything that was affordable was the same. Same material, same manufacture, different label, etc.. I didn’t like what I felt like I had to choose from, so I just started making what I needed.
Who would you ideally like to collaborate with?
A fellow Arab who knows CAD, or just another designer or writer. I physically work like an artist, but mentally I’m a designer, so to team up with someone to separate those frames of thought would be nice and probably more productive.
How do you think of your furniture existing in the world?
It’s like Ikea for pharaohs or something. When I make most of my furniture, I’m like, “What would a modern ancient Egyptian have? How would they make this?” So I just channel that craftsman. It’s worldbuilding. Sometimes I think of them as art pieces because of the form my process takes. Like a one of one type deal, but it’s most certainly meant to be used at the end of the day.
What do you want someone to walk away with after experiencing your work?
In my design work I want people to walk away with the bug of “I should be making the things I need to.” For my other work I’m just speaking within the Arab diaspora.
Do you have a typical process for conceptualizing?
I see or hear something and I’ll think about it, like a lot, then I make the worst sketch you have ever seen, then I’ll make a slightly better one with measurements.
Then I get tired of the 2D and send it into the material realm. I don’t like overworking the planning phase or I’ll lose interest.
What are you really excited about right now?
gta6
Are there any areas that you’re interested in exploring further in your work?
I’m getting more into fibers, so weaving and rug making. It’s fascinating to me how much narrative threads can tell. Softness is an important area that I’m just recently exploring.
Are there any influences that are core to your work?
My ancestry, my politics, my religion, yes — but honestly, Pee-Wee’s Playhouse and the Muppet Show. Everything is just play and then you die, so like, don’t take it too seriously when you can have a fun and silly time. Also 1940s doo-wop.
Can you share one of the best or worst reactions you have gotten as a result of your work?
I can’t think of a best or worst situation, but I do enjoy people’s reactions when they sit on these Kamel Saddle Stools I made. They rock back and forth and people are always like WoAH at first.
