As a part of the SADI residency program, we got to learn more about Sadu weaving; a traditional and ancient craft that originated many centuries ago amongst the Bedouins of the Arabian Peninsula. One of the most important things crafted through Sadu weaving is the tent of the desert named Bait Al Shaa’ar which translates to house of hair. Using mostly goat hair, this tent was able to adapt to the harsh environment of the region. I saw that this adaptability was essential for any community living in this region. This tent started to symbolize our culture, traditions, and transnational identity.
What started as a play of words, turned into something much larger (quite literally). Questioning the malleability of our culture and traditions, I started to envision a Bait Al Shaa’ar under construction. Developing in ways deemed unorthodox, rather than the tent growing wider, as is the tradition, the Bait Al Shaa’ar (house of hair) is elongating and morphing into a “Burj Al Shaa’ar” (tower of hair).
Giving us the ability to defy gravity for millenniums, at face value, scaffolds are temporary platforms used to elevate and support workers and materials to aid in construction. Transitory in nature and evolving over time, this object started to symbolize constant evolution and triumph over our own individual limitations.
Thus, this transformation from bait to burj (house to tower) emphasizes that our cultures, traditions, and identity are temporal and always evolving.
