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Drawing on themes of transformation, evolution and metamorphosis, 'Between Flesh & Sprit, The Nafs Awakens' explore the body’s profound relationship with repetition and time. Pushing the body physically through dance based movements, my body becomes a manifestation of endurance to achieve a heightened state of self (nafs). Through these transcendental states that emerge from this out of body experience, I seek to surrender and submit.

 

Thinking through the spiritual nature of Sufi transcendence, in this multi channel video installation, the shadow acts as a gateway between these dimensions. The oscillation of the shadow forces a confrontation between the real and the abstract. Whereas, the oscillation of the nafs is a cyclical journey between these states, often manifesting as a dance—between desire and restraint, shadow and light. Aligning the body and the breath with the rhythmic inhalation and exhalation, the body becomes a vessel for synergy, connection, and desire. In this communion of breath and motion, the body is celebrated as a sacred vessel—a portal between the nafs and the unknown.