BACKGROUND: Muslim women who wear the hijab have always been on the receiving end of Islamophobia for their visible identity. These women are often seen as oppressed, conservative or religious fanatics. There are 16 countries as of January 2023 that have put a complete ban on burqa and many other countries are debating similar legislations. These acts are limiting the basic human right to freedom of expression and choice.
PROJECT GOAL: By developing the installation artwork, my aim is to provide a message that Islam and Feminism are not mutually exclusive. The project captures the voice of many such Muslim women who bravely talks about their dressing choices and questions the stigmatisation. This installation piece provides an experience for the audience to deviate from the external noises of what the media/people say about the head covering, veils, burqa etc. and step into the shoes of those who are empowered and proud to wear/not wear the hijab as a muslim. The key message I would like to give through my work is that "Covering is Empowering" for many muslim women and the diversity in choices are meant to be celebrated not stigmatised.
Prototyping — A 3D mockup designed on blender to test the idea.
A glimpse into the execution process of designing the installation piece.
Final Installation Work
