Transpose, Tahawool, 2021

“Transpose” is a bilingual book in English and Arabic that explores the concept of talismanic shirts that were believed to provide protection and guidance to the carrier. The book comprises seven pamphlets shaped like shirts, each invoking a different wish. The pamphlets challenge the notion of power and privilege traditionally associated with talismanic shirts and make them more accessible to everyone. The book’s inner side of the box includes a quote by Virginia Woolf, emphasizing the notion that clothes wear us and not the other way around.

Cloth-covered box with magnet closure and cloth pull. Hand-stenciled images and inkjet-printed text on the interior of the box. Wooden dowels, linen thread, book board, museum board, acrylic colors, laser-cut handmade and Fabriano paper, seven pamphlets sewn on wooden dowels.

Box size 9.5 x 10 x 3 inches closed, 9.5 x 21 x 3 inches opened

Pamphlet size 7.5 x 7.5 inches

Edition of 40, and five proofs.