This project stems from a personal experience and a direct engagement with the complex political and geographical realities of Palestine. As a Palestinian from Jerusalem, I am subject to the laws of the Israeli state, which prohibit travel to neighboring countries in the north such as Lebanon and Syria, as they are officially classified as “enemy states.” To the south lies Gaza, which has been under blockade since 2007. This results in a nearly complete disconnection from the broader Arab coastal region.
During visits to the Mediterranean coastline in Palestine, I began collecting plastic and metal waste washed ashore — remnants of drink cans, canned food, and personal keepsakes. Many of these items bore traces of their origin, pointing clearly to Lebanon, Syria, and Gaza. Over the course of a year, I gathered only local, non-global commercial products.
These found aluminum objects were melted down and recast to produce a solid version of the iconic white plastic chair — a common fixture in seaside picnics and gatherings across the Eastern Mediterranean. The choice of this form was deliberate: the plastic chair has become an unspoken visual and cultural agreement shared by the region’s coastal communities, regardless of their political divides.
"Coastal Chair" is a work that combines design, sculpture, and political reflection. It raises questions of belonging, borders, and how material memory can embody a shared identity in spite of imposed separations.
