The Dynamic Hijab: A Veil that Uncovers Identity and Difference

The Dynamic Hijab: A Veil that Uncovers Identity and Difference

Safar, which means travel or journey in Arabic, is a photographic project with the hijab, the head cover worn by Muslim women, as the main subject. The project consists of printed photographs of different pieces of hijab, video projections representing the process of the tying of hijab, and a musical track using the Oud as its sole instrument playing in the background. This paper discusses how the subject matter in this artwork, the hijab, is used to represent and connect the concepts of identity and belonging, difference and sharing, and cultural roots and self development. This is done by exploring the multidimensions of the hijab, and employing an understanding of a dynamic concept for the hijab in an artistic self expression. These broader concepts of identity, difference, and self development are better understood and connected through a lense of intersectionality, as it is explained in this new context.