The Theatre of Domesticity

Description

Utilizing gender as a sieve, my work sifts through the blend of space, objects, and society — forces entangled in the hushed choreography of daily life at home, often sidelining critical analysis. Raised in Pakistan, I witnessed how traditions like dowry preparation predetermined a woman’s path. What hidden meanings lie within this custom or collection? My work scrapes the core determinants that reveal why women’s grounding in my society is the way it is, revealing how material and nonmaterial aspects of culture are bound — how physical objects carry invisible meanings that enforce societal expectations. These domestic items, through design, function, and embedded rituals, transcend their form. They become potent symbols — not just tools, but instruments of conditioning, extensions of the body. By decoding their symbolic weight, I reframe the domestic sphere as a charged site of power, where resistance can be formed and where the silent scripts of gender can be challenged and reimagined.