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Qatari designer, photographer join hands to explore jewellery-human body link

Published: 06 Mar 2021 - 08:49 am | Last Updated: 03 Nov 2021 - 11:33 am
Some of the photos on display at “Extensions” exhibition featuring works by Ghada Al Buainain and Ghada Nasser at AlHosh Gallery at The Gate Mall.  PIC: RAYNALD C RIVERA/THE PENINSULA

Some of the photos on display at “Extensions” exhibition featuring works by Ghada Al Buainain and Ghada Nasser at AlHosh Gallery at The Gate Mall. PIC: RAYNALD C RIVERA/THE PENINSULA

By Raynald C Rivera | The Peninsula

Doha: Qatari jewellery designer Ghada Al Buainain and still and product photographer Ghada Nasser have joined hands in a unique art project billed “extensions” which explores the relationship between jewellery and the human body.

What resulted from this months-long collaboration is a photography exhibition currently on show at AlHosh Gallery at The Gate Mall and a coffee table book.

“We came up with ‘extensions’ to find out how humans are extension of each other, how different objects can also be extension of each other, how the jewellery complements the body and the body complements the jewellery, and how beauty can come in many different forms,” Ghada Nasser told The Peninsula.

The exhibition showcases around 50 photos in diverse forms “which explore jewellery in a very artistic way in a journey, which took three months continuously photo-shooting jewellery as a product and on human body as well.”

One of the interesting images on exhibit are those produced using a scanner showing hands and jewellery among other images presented raw and no edit applied.

“People use scanners to just scan documents. At first, we just wanted to archive jewellery using a regular scanner and we were impressed by the quality of images it gave us so we thought it was fun and enjoyable to just play around it,” explained the young photographer, who was thrilled at the varied responses of those who have seen the photos.

Nasser started photography as a hobby when she was 14 for the purpose of archiving memories. While taking up her Bachelors and Masters in the UK, she took her passion for photography along enrolling in several photography courses. She turned her penchant for still and product photography into freelance work doing commissions starting in 2019 for different brands in Qatar.

She said this is her first exhibition as well as collaboration with Al Buainain.

“Ghada Al Buanain as a jewellery designer is interested in and inspired by the human body — the hand, the ears, the eyes — as well elements such as texture and colours,” said Nasser.

Al Buainain stressed she had always wanted to show people what real beauty is and the project was a great chance to showcase it. The exhibition displays Al Buainain’s “vision of the relationship between the body as a physical subject and the jewellery as a physical object; the jewellery as another layer to the body and the body as a mold to the jewellery.”

“Extensions is about the adaption of the skin and the material, at the same time it’s about the human not the object, or the object without the human to celebrate the oddness of Ghada Al Buainain’s jewellery, and the diversity in the human form.”

Al Buainain started designing jewellery at the age of 20. Inspired by mechanical parts, she named her first collection of four pieces “Pipe in Gold”, honing her craft by reading, taking courses, and tirelessly practising. She believes in the power of jewellery and its ability to change the look and feel of any outfit, and she began by designing small custom jewellery pieces before launching her “Digital Garden” collection.  Her namesake Ghada Albuainain Jewellery brand features authentic urban jewellery designs inspired by the region.

The exhibition is open for public viewing until Tuesday and the coffee table book is available for pre-order.