Art from what's left

Once a leaf.
Once a pod.
Now art.

Natural materials and upcycled finds. Handmade in Dubai.

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Round wall piece made of curled orchid tree seed pods and dry palm strips around a center of seeds on paper

Work

Once was. Now is.

Every piece starts as something found on the ground, or something thrown away.

Dried giant milkweed pods and stems arranged on a green board in an orange frame
Once was dry giant milkweed pods, flowers and pod parts, from plants that grow here. Now a framed piece on green.
Woven wall hanging of seed pods, branches and grass with a knotted jute fringe
Once was seed pods, branches, grass and a palm spathe. Now a woven wall hanging with a knotted jute fringe.
Wall hanging made of branches, bark, grass, seed pods and braided white fabric tied with twine
Once was branches, seed pods, grass and an old shirt. Now a woven wall hanging.
Glass vase holding dry branches, some painted white with black hand-drawn patterns
Once was dry branches. Now a vase of branches, some painted by hand with black and white patterns.
Dark, green and yellow feathers standing upright in a white cuttlebone base
Once was feathers found on the ground in the UAE, parakeet feathers among them, and a cuttlebone from the beach. Now a standing feather piece.
Canvas memory board with a dragonfly, shells, lichen, seaweed, a pine cone and a feather arranged in rows
Once was shells, lichen, seaweed and a dragonfly. Now a memory of a Finnish summer, found on walks while staying with friends.

Stories

Where it comes from

Every material has a life before it becomes art.

Narjess standing barefoot on rippled desert sand under a clear blue sky, with small green shrubs behind her

Where I look

Treasures I find

Nature leaves small gifts for anyone who looks. A pod under a tree. Driftwood on the shore. A dry branch in the sand.

Orchid tree seed pods on the tree, dry ones twisted open with brown seeds inside and a green one still closed

Material story

The orchid tree pod

An orchid tree pod bursts open as it dries, then twists into a spiral. The longer it stays in the sun, the tighter it curls. Put it in water and it loosens again.

Narjess in a car beside a pile of cut date palm fronds and a dry fruit stalk, collected from a park

Where I find

The palm cuttings

Date palms in the parks are trimmed, and the cuttings are left to be thrown away. Fronds and fruit stalks, still full of shape. I carry them home and use them often in my work.

Giant milkweed shrub with pale green leaves, small purple flowers and a round green pod

Material story

The giant milkweed

Giant milkweed grows wild in the UAE, and it is very common. When its pod bursts, the seeds fly away on silky tufts.

An open moringa pod lying on gravel, with a row of round brown seeds inside

Material story

The moringa pod

Moringa seeds are round and brown, with thin, papery wings. They grow inside a long, three-sided pod. The trees are often found in parks in the UAE.

A round arrangement of small white and pink shells on pale beach sand

A piece I left behind

Left on the beach

I made this circle from shells on the beach and left it on the sand. The tide will take it back. Beauty does not have to last to be worth making.

About

Hello, I'm Narjess

I make art from what nature lets go.

Most of my materials are found here in the UAE. When I travel, I bring back small finds from the landscape too. Each one becomes art that remembers its place.

Others see waste. I see shape, and a second life.

And I see what once was...

Narjess holding a round nest-shaped piece made of dry leaf strips

Find me here

Follow along for new pieces and the making of them.

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