Eadah
a collection of Tools Celebrating Qatari Wellness Rituals
Eadah is a series of six objects that are used to perform a Friday ritual. The objects are varied, consisting of a mabkhara, a riha, a vessel, a spaturla, a massager, and a jar.
Eadah reflects on Qatari wellness through the exploration of local wisdom, shared knowlegde, and readily available tools. Each tool serves a specific purpose in the Friday ritual and is designed to explore the three balanced elements of touch, cultural preservation, and meditative making. All the tools are used to harmonize energy and guide the user through a journey of self-healing through self-care. By performing the Friday ritual, the user will experience an enjoyable escape from the stresses of everyday life.
The Friday Ritual
Every Friday, my father would wake me up for the Friday noon-prayer. The prayer was usually around 11 or 12 pm. He would usually wake me up around an hour prior to the prayer so I would shower and get dressed. Over-time, this ritual evolved from a simple regimen to more dynamic grooming and hygiene practices .The Friday ritual became an essential part of my self-care routine even when I started becoming more independent.
As the case study for this research, below are the steps of a Friday ritual that I regularly performed for this research. During this ritual, I’m demonstrating the steps to make a “pomegranate face scrub” inspired by my grandmother.
The pomegranate face scrub, allows new skin to emerge by getting rid of old dead skin. The pomegranate powder firms up the skin by encouraging collagen production lost with age. The pomegranate oil, followed by the powder, improves skin elasticity and helps fade out scars. The potent vitamin C found in the pomegranate oil helps brighten the skin.
Exhibited in
Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts in Qatar in 2022
Yuz Museum Shanghai in 2023