Hala Kaiksow’s journey as a designer begins with the human hand and its ability to imbue objects with a sense of soul. A 21st century artisan, her thoughtful approach to craft extends to custom hand woven fabrics, natural dying techniques and hand sculpted fibers. Inspired by the beauty found in everyday objects and a utilitarian approach to making, the designer deconstructs from the past and present to create pieces infused with feminine strength. A trained artist and sculptor, her creative process is driven by experimentation and exploring the endless possibilities of construction. From her loom, she weaves materials such as raw linen, silk and hemp into otherworldly patterns and textures, further embellishing them with fragments of metal, wood, paper and mother of pearl to bring her vision to life. It is a reflection of Hala’s artisanal approach to thoughtful creation, one informed by her passion for transforming unexpected materials through age-old craft traditions.
Hala Kaiksow
Crafts and Textile Designer | Bahrain
Hala Kaiksow. Image Courtesy of the Designer
The Interview
What inspired you to pursue a career in design?
My interest in creating and making started as a young child I was drawn to the tactility of materials and transforming them beyond their original intention. This carried over as I progressed and pushed me to constantly question and create with intention.
What is your design philosophy or approach to creative problem-solving?
I like to create a world around every work I create in which I explore materiality and tactility in a sculptural and constructive way. I research and experiment with fibers and techniques to attempt to give new life and a new approach to what ends up being the final work. To look at and answer the question I pose with thoughtfulness and care.
Describe a project you're most proud of and why it's meaningful to you.
I created a work after I had my first son in which I explored my family's maternal history to see how far back I could trace the linage and honor the women that came before me. It was interesting and challenging because although our maternal history is the only physically confirmed one it unfortunately in much less documented then the paternal one, so it was an interesting exercise in tracing personal histories.
What role do you think design plays in shaping communities and culture in the MENASA region?
I think design with mindfulness and intention is imperative in building and creating our worlds. We must take from the crafts and traditions of our ancestors and use the knowledge to inform how we design and solve the construction of our lives today.
Works
Hala Kaiksow. Image Courtesy of the Designer
Hala Kaiksow. Image Courtesy of the Designer