Art from what's left

Once a leaf.
Once a pod.
Now art.

Natural materials and upcycled finds. Handmade in Dubai.

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Round wall piece made of curled orchid tree seed pods and dry palm strips around a center of seeds on paper

Work

Once was. Now is.

Every piece starts as something found on the ground, or something thrown away.

Dried giant milkweed pods and stems arranged on a green board in an orange frame — **Once was** dry giant milkweed pods, flowers and pod parts, from plants that grow here. **Now** a framed piece on green.

Woven wall hanging of seed pods, branches and grass with a knotted jute fringe — **Once was** seed pods, branches, grass and a palm spathe. **Now** a woven wall hanging with a knotted jute fringe.

Wall hanging made of branches, bark, grass, seed pods and braided white fabric tied with twine — **Once was** branches, seed pods, grass and an old shirt. **Now** a woven wall hanging.

Green glass bottles holding dry seed pods and branches, with an avocado seed sprouting — **Once was** glass bottles and palm seed pods. **Now** small vase pieces, with an avocado seed starting its own story.

Glass vase holding dry branches, some painted white with black hand-drawn patterns — **Once was** dry branches. **Now** a vase of branches, some painted by hand with black and white patterns.

Dark, green and yellow feathers standing upright in a white cuttlebone base — **Once was** feathers found on the ground in the UAE, parakeet feathers among them, and a cuttlebone from the beach. **Now** a standing feather piece.

Canvas memory board with a dragonfly, shells, lichen, seaweed, a pine cone and a feather arranged in rows — **Once was** shells, lichen, seaweed and a dragonfly. **Now** a memory of a Finnish summer, found on walks while staying with friends.

Stories

Where it comes from

Every material has a life before it becomes art.

Three views from my walks: a desert shrub on red sand, a cuttlebone among shells on a beach, and seed pods hanging on an orchid tree

Where I look

The places I walk

Wherever I walk: my neighborhood, parks, the desert, and forests when I travel. I look down and pick up what has already fallen.

Orchid tree seed pods on the tree, dry ones twisted open with brown seeds inside and a green one still closed

Material story

The orchid tree pod

The pod dries on the tree and twists into a corkscrew. Then it bursts open with a clack and throws its seeds. What I pick up is the empty, curled shell. I use these a lot.

Giant milkweed shrub with pale green leaves, small purple flowers and a round green pod

Material story

The giant milkweed

Each seed carries a tuft of silky down, so the wind can take it far. The plant grows on disturbed ground, often near building sites. I use it now and then.

A white cuttlebone lying among small shells on a beach

Material story

The cuttlebone

A cuttlefish carries its shell inside its body. When the animal dies, the bone stays behind and often washes up on the beach.

About

Hello, I'm Narjess

I make art from what nature lets go. I walk, look down, and pick up what has fallen. Sometimes I collect things at the end of their season, with care.

When I travel, I bring a few pieces home and make something that remembers the place.

Where others see waste, I see a shape and a second life.

Narjess holding a round nest-shaped piece made of dry leaf strips

Once a leaf.Once a pod.Now art.

Once was. Now is.

Where it comes from

The places I walk

The orchid tree pod

The giant milkweed

The cuttlebone

Hello, I'm Narjess

Find me here

Once a leaf.
Once a pod.
Now art.