“The beauty of anthropology lies in its curiosity, its desire to understand the source of everything. And because it is a comparative study, it asks where each subject exists within the larger picture.
My approach to Baseqat began from wanting to understand how the palm tree, as a natural source, connects with communities, how this connection has fostered symbolic meanings and how these communities engage with the palm not simply as a tree, or a nakhla, but as a material presence that has long sustained life, craft, and imagination.
As an anthropologist, I approached my research process by looking at the palm tree as a living cultural system, one that shapes and reflects the values, rituals, and creative practices of the people who live with it. I wanted to connect the symbolic and the material, to explore how the palm tree’s identity extends beyond ecology into memory, spirituality, and social formation. The research evolved within the curatorial framework tracing the life of the palm through its anatomy, from roots to fronds, from structure to symbolism, revealing how deeply it is woven into both tangible and intangible heritage.”