Mourning I

Kibisu combed silk, hand-dyed with indigo, stitched on paper, 55x55 cm.

One in a series of pieces stitched with studio-dyed indigo thread, historically used to signal mourning in the Middle East.

A stylised form of the word حداد (Ḥidād, Mourning) is here repeated 324 times – or 325, once you notice that they assemble to create a larger version of themselves. For a while now I’ve been feeling like the seemingly endless, daily feed of losses is adding up to a huge background of grieving that is always there, regardless of the joy of individual moments.

The series was a response to the endless bad news and heartbreak of the past year in particular, acknowledging the grief caused by every loss of life or cultural heritage. But the point of it isn’t to underscore the bleakness of this moment in history. It’s that mourning is essential. We mourn because we love, and because we know the value of what is lost. That is itself a light in the darkness. Meanwhile those with no empathy, no human feeling, are incapable of mourning.

More info & photos: https://majnouna.com/portfolio/veilsofmourning/