Naqsh Collective Founded in 2009 – Amman, Jordan is a multidisciplinary art and design studio established by sisters Nisreen and Nermeen Abudail. Based in Amman, Jordan, the collective explores a rich tapestry of Arab cultural heritage through a contemporary lens. The name Naqsh, meaning “engrave” in Arabic, reflects the collective’s core philosophy—engraving memory, identity, and tradition into lasting forms of art. Merging traditional craft techniques with modern design sensibilities, Naqsh Collective creates a dialogue between age-old practices and minimalist aesthetics. Their work bridges the poetic nuances of Middle Eastern art, architecture, and oral heritage with refined, contemporary design, resulting in sculptural works that are both delicate and deeply rooted in cultural narrative. Each piece is a composition of hand-crafted precision and hand operated machine finishing—embodying a new visual language that speaks to memory, place, and belonging. Through materiality and form, their creations become vessels of storytelling, reinterpreting motifs of their region in meaningful and modern ways. Naqsh Collective’s works have been exhibited in prominent national and international institutions, including the Victoria and Albert Museum (London), Jameel Arts Centre (Dubai), Dar El-Nimer for Arts and Culture (Beirut), Sharjah Museum of Islamic Civilization, and in cultural centers across Jerusalem, Ramallah, and Amman. Their studio was shortlisted as a finalist for the prestigious Jameel Prize 5 by the Victoria and Albert Museum, recognizing their contributions to contemporary Islamic art and design. The collective has also participated in leading global design and art platforms, such as Arab Design Now, the main exhibition at the inaugural Design Doha biennial, 2024, Milan Design Week, Abu Dhabi Art, Dubai Design Week, Amman Design Week, and exhibitions at the Sharjah Islamic Art Museum. Their work continues to shape conversations around cultural preservation, modernity, and the evolving identity of Arab design on the international stage.
Naqsh collective
Carfts and Furniture Designer | Dubai - Amman
Naqsh collective. Image courtesy of the Designer
The Interview
What inspired you to pursue a career in design?
It was less a calculated career choice and more an intuitive journey for us as sisters. As descendants of women who carried and created the rich language of Palestinian embroidery, we grew up surrounded by patterns, stories, and symbolism that lived naturally within our daily lives. Our mother’s instinctive craftsmanship and our father’s wood factory exposed us early to material knowledge, how things are built, carved, assembled, and respected. This deep cultural inheritance, combined with hands-on familiarity with materials, shaped our path organically. Naqsh emerged not as a decision, but as a continuation, translating the heritage we were raised with into a contemporary design practice.
How does your cultural or regional context influence your design work?
Our practice has always been shaped by our surroundings, culturally, politically, and materially. Growing up in a region layered with history, ornament, poetry, and craft meant that design was never abstract to us; it was lived. We began working with Islamic geometric patterns and Arabic poetry through silk printing and early artworks, deeply influenced by the visual and literary language that surrounded us. But during the Arab Spring, something shifted. We felt an urgent need to contribute something personal, to move beyond aesthetics and express our own narrative through art and craft. Storytelling became central. We realized that heritage is not preserved through repetition, but through reinterpretation. This led us to look inward, into the embroidery traditions of our Palestinian roots, into the hands of the women who came before us and the coded language embedded in their patterns. What began as exploration became deep research, material experimentation, and ultimately a redefinition of our practice. Naqsh Collective became the vessel through which we translate memory into matter, transforming embroidery into stone, poetry into engraving, and identity into enduring form. Our regional context did not simply influence us; it compelled us to respond, to preserve, and to evolve the narratives we inherited so they continue to live and speak beyond us.
What is your design philosophy or approach to creative problem-solving?
For us, design is an act of preservation and evolution. Each piece begins with research into symbols, rituals, and inherited narratives, then moves through a meticulous process of engraving, inlay, carving, and assembly. Through this dialogue between hand, machine, and material, we explore themes of unity (Wihdeh), diaspora, bridal ritual (Jhazek Ya Shams), geography, and belonging. Naqsh stands at the intersection of craft and monumentality. We do not replicate tradition but we translate it. By shifting embroidery from fabric to stone, from garment to architectural object, we affirm that cultural memory is not fragile; it is foundational. Our work is both intimate and architectural, personal and collective as an ongoing act of safeguarding heritage while shaping its contemporary future.
Describe a project you're most proud of and why it's meaningful to you.
A particularly meaningful project is the Unit and Diaspora sundials installation. Scattered across a field in Jordan, over 180 unique sundials mark time with polished brass gnomons casting shadows over limestone bases. Unlike traditional sundials, these are all oriented north, with each patch holding a different angle— evoking the dispersion of the Palestinian diaspora across the world in 1948. The limestone bases chip and weather when moved, much like the experiences of those forced to leave their land. For this installation, we translated the cross-stitch patterns of Palestinian embroidery—traditionally stitched on pliable textiles—into hand-carved, inlaid, and painted gnomons. Each gnomon bears a unique motif, such as the “Road to Damascus” or the “Road to Egypt,” with added elements to indicate routes of displacement and exile. These sundials reflect a deep awareness of time in the diaspora. Every Palestinian living away from their land counts how many years they have been displaced. At the same time, everybody dreams of returning. The multitude of sundials attempts to synchronize Palestinians metaphysically across continents—from South America to Africa—reconnecting them, despite distance or generational gaps, to their homeland.
Works
Naqsh collective. Image courtesy of the Designer
Jassim AlNashmi. Image courtesy of the Designer