Once Upon an Orange / 2022
Once upon an orange is a series of 5 objects, inspired by Ghassan Kanafani's short story "The Land of Sad Oranges", a short story I read during covid lockdown. The story’s intriguing title made me wonder what a sad orange could look like and what else do the oranges feel? With the frustration of the country being on lockdown and having to continue my studies online for multiple months, I managed to create this project with no resources other than what I could get my hands on around me, at home and in the outdoors with no access to any workshop.
The oranges go through 5 stages, each one revealing a unique state of being that once reached becomes a possibility for the next.
Collage of how I perceive my culture, starting point of the project.
Sketches trying to find the most accurate design that describes best the feeling of each individual orange feeling: Targeted, Contaminated, Overlooked, Self Nourished, Flourishing
Targeted Orange:
the orange feels stuck and suffocated by being targeted by debilitating forces.
Contaminated Orange:
the orange lost its sense of wellness by being subject to the contaminating environment that has infiltrated it.
Overlooked Orange: the orange is present yet it feels unseen and neglected.
Self-nourished Orange: the orange chooses to reach within for internal resources to re-nurture itself.
Flourishing Orange: The orange’s capacity for self-nourishment enables it to flourish.