This ongoing body of work explores performative gender roles using the Agal, a headband worn by men in Saudi Arabia to keep their headscarf in place. As a symbolic performative object, meanings change in different communities. Wearing the Agal at a tilted angle or placing it on the floor/chair communicates different emotions, some communities dismiss it as a frivolous accessory, while in others women of certain tribes wore it as a status symbol. Navigating the maze of limited documentation and research surrounding the Agal, she was inspired by the oral history that led to a fertile playground for questioning ingrained gender associations of this artefact.
For progress updates and research outcomes, please check her Instagram page.
