Disorient(al) is a handmade rug that reimagines the rich tradition of Palestinian embroidery (tatreez) to reflect the disorientation caused by the architecture of occupation in Palestine. Drawing on the visual language of tatreez, a centuries-old craft that has long served as a symbol of identity and resistance, the rug transforms familiar patterns into a commentary on the impact of militarized architecture in the Palestinian landscape today.

The title of the rug, Disorient(al), plays on the intersection of two ideas: (orientalism), a term that historically refers to the Western exoticization and distortion of Eastern cultures, and (disorientation) which in this context speaks to the physical, emotional, and psychological dislocation experienced by Palestinians under occupation. The rug’s design uses this duality to critique the way architecture has been strategically weaponized to fragment, control, and disorient Palestinian communities.

Rather than traditional floral or geometric motifs, the rug reinterprets patterns to represent the invasive structures of occupation: the stark, oppressive lines of the apartheid wall, the maze-like configurations of checkpoints, the geometric sprawl of illegal settlements, and the broken paths of segregated roads. These motifs are not only visually jarring but are placed in ways that disrupt the natural flow of the design, creating a sense of fragmentation and unease. The viewer’s eye is pulled in multiple, often conflicting directions, mirroring the disorienting and unsettling experience of navigating a landscape where borders and boundaries are constantly shifting, controlled by a foreign power.

The rug’s color palette is similarly charged, blending the earth tones of the landscape with the muted grays of concrete barriers, the cold hues of surveillance, and the stark reds of illegal settlements. There is a deliberate contrast between the warmth of the landscape and the sterile, militarized structrures.

Disorient(al) challenges viewers to consider how architecture, far from being a neutral backdrop, can serve as an instrument of control and dislocation. The rug becomes a metaphor for the constant state of disorientation faced by Palestinians living in a landscape defined by violence, displacement, and restriction. In this work, art becomes both a means of resistance and a call for awareness, urging us to see architecture not just as built space, but as an active force that shapes lives, identities, and histories.

When Palestinians were exiled in 1948 during the Nakba (the catastrophe), they took their house keys, hoping to return in a few days or weeks. Throughout 75 years of ongoing dispossession, Palestinians have carried scents of their land in their collective memory and consciousness.

1948 weaves a story of resilience, identity, and connection to the land. A series of six candles merge motifs of pain and hope, longing and resistance. They carry scents and colors from the Palestinian landscape and the diaspora, evoking memories and emotions associated with the homeland. Consumable and transient, the candles symbolize renewed hope. 

The candle holder resembles the Palestinian key - a symbol of Palestinians’ right of return - and takes its material inspiration from the concrete of the demolished villages and houses.

The scents in the 1948 collection are olive, thyme, sage, orange, fig, and jasmine.

1948 is currently displayed for sale (in limited quantities) at Studio 7 Design Concept Store in Qatar.

The hammock, an object we associate with comfort, becomes menacing. Made of barbed wire instead of rope, the familiar is alienated, and the hammock holds a new meaning. It is used as an analogy for displacement and feelings of alienation on both an individual/ personal and a larger political scale.

‘Exile is more than a geographical concept. You can be an exile in your homeland, in your own house, in a room’ – Darwish

An interactive metal cage reflects the contrasting emotions of liberation and confinement that humans face due to the transitory nature of political barriers. It explores the notion of a border/barrier/wall as a physical and psychological construct. ‘Mohasir-Mohasar’, which translates as ‘Besieger-Besieged’ can be interpreted in many ways. The cage is a metaphor for a two-way siege, with the bars of the cage forming a seat while protruding both outward and inward, inviting the besieger and the besieged to swap positions, have a seated conversation, and experience together a new perception of space.

In order to juxtapose the feeling of confinement with one of independence, an opening on the roof of the confined is designed to indicate that though one can be geographically confined, that person could be enjoying freedom of thought.

This project is a reflection on the checkpoints, apartheid wall, roads and other architectural elements of segregation and control used by Israel in the Occupied Palestinian territories.

Using threads and dissolvable fabric, ‘Takkayof’ draws on the ever-changing notion of borders in both a geographical and poetic sense. The installation’s ephemeral quality – it is affected by water, movement, light – reflects on the fragility and transience of borders.

The threads, uprooted from their original environment (the fabric), remain intact and adapt to their new environment (the air), creating an analogy for displacement and adaptation.

Aida fabric (an open, even-weave mesh traditionally used for Palestinian cross-stitch embroidery) gradually frays, emblematic of the concept of smooth and striated space and notions of barriers/ borders.

Full thesis publication can be downloaded through this link: https://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/etd/5868/

Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestine and oppression of the Palestinian people has manifested itself in countless ways. The built environment, fueled by spatial theory, has been transformed into an instrument of war that serves a military agenda. In this context, the physical environment is not simply the arena of conflict, but a weapon wielded by occupying forces. This research investigates spatial control through seemingly mundane architecture and military practices, which are deployed deliberately to strangulate Palestinian livelihood and prosperity. Derived from Deleuze and Guittari’s delineation of smooth and striated space, with an emphasis on walls and barriers, this thesis subverts the spatial weaponization by envisioning design as both a retaliatory and reparative force. In doing so, it critiques and protests against the status quo. 

Full thesis publication can be downloaded through this link: https://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/etd/5868/

Balance bench is an interactive public artwork that reflects on the notion of borders in both a physical and a metaphorical sense. Backrests divide the spherical form into four seats that face away from one another. Users activate the bench as they interact verbally and can only balance it through collective effort. The bench’s divided form and instability are emblematic of ever-changing political, social and emotional barriers, specifically during the coronavirus pandemic.

These digital artworks manipulate Israel’s physical structures of power and control in Palestine’s urban landscape to imagine and speculate an alternative future. The depiction of architectural instruments of war (the apartheid wall, watch towers, checkpoints, etc.) in a utopian, surrealist manner allows us to start a discussion about the role urban architecture plays in shaping human behavior and activity in places of oppression and apartheid.

Flawbulous captures and solidifies the fleeting moment of blowing air into molten glass. Irregular deformations are designed on what is commonly a symmetrical surface and are highlighted through the illumination of light. The imperfect quality of the lantern is further emphasized by the unpredictable nature of the process; inevitable quirks that arise during the production– such as trapped air bubbles, accidental color spots, and subtle seam marks –all left unrefined, shifting our perspective from one that pursues perfection to one that embraces and celebrates what is.

10 x 10 x 17cm, 2018

Photographs by Raviv Cohen

Neonatal umbilical sepsis and other umbilical cord complications account for as much as 10% of newborn fatalities in humanitarian settings and emergencies.  A typical clinic needs more than 100 umbilical cord clamps a month. Currently these needs are met by donations of clamps from First World Countries, however that means that the supply is costly and can be easily disrupted. There have been cases where local string from shoelaces have been used instead of clamps, however these increase the likelihood of sepsis and can also jeopardize the health of newborns if the cord is not closed properly. LATRA Innovation Lab suggests the use of 3D printers to produce as many as 200 umbilical cords a day, using high-quality medically specified filament, providing hygienic and inexpensive solution to a major problem in emergencies.

Design and Installation by Majdulin Nasrallah and Sultana Jesmine

2018

(وَوَجَدَكَ ضَالًّا فَهَدَىٰ (٧

Scattered triangles gradually find a direction in this prayer rug; a reminder that solace and strength can be found in Allah (SWT) by seeking guidance through prayer. The rug is inspired by the Quranic verse “And He found you lost and guided you” [93:7].

Felted wool and camel hair, 2017