We all subconsciously grow up surrounded by the history of our ancestors and traditions enveloping us in an embrace that sometimes, for young people on a quest to find their own identity, can get oppressive - some try and break free, move to far away places, adopt customs more to their liking, pushing their old age traditions to the far recesses of their memories. But as they grow older, into their late thirties and beyond, something strange happens - those childhood memories, smells, sounds and traditions slip through the attic door of their brain cells and start a nostalgia of all things home. A pattern on an old fabric, a faded photograph, a whiff of cooking that reminds them of childhood - they end up reaching to the past, embracing, even devouring age old traditions and seeing their beauty afresh - all the while watching with a wry smile as history repeats itself and the younger generation turn their backs on their heritage. I have seen it happen time and again.
+Nada Debs is one such artist who grew up with a sense of her Arab heritage around her but never paid it much attention as she was too busy finding herself. Growing up in Japan, she was more aware of Japanese forms of art and calligraphy, educated in America, she was more at home with western traditions and culture, living in England, she settled into English way of life effortlessly - but she always had a passion for design, often designing and making furniture pieces for her home when she couldn't find what she wanted in shops. But it wasn't until 2002, when her marriage broke down and she went back to her homeland Lebanon for a respite, that she truly came face to face with the beauty of Arabic forms of art and crafts and Arabic calligraphy. That ignited a passion of introducing Arabic forms of design to the world - and she does it with a westerner's eye of form and functionality. Her designed pieces are thoroughly modern but pay homage to age old Arabic crafts, calligraphy, art and tradition. She has interpreted her identity through her Arabic-inspired designs and finally found her heritage and through it, herself.
These are some of her designed furniture pieces, you can view more on www.nadadebs.com
