The Remains of Hajar is a small series of monotype prints that center on the narrative of Hajar and the significance of the hills of Marwa and Safa in Mecca. The story goes that Hajar was separated from her husband Abraham and was alone, running through the desert landscapes of Mecca, with the hills located in the area she was at, in search of water for her baby. The narrative spoke to me as this empowering view of strength as a woman but it was never an emphasized part of my upbringing of what I was taught as a Muslim. With Muslims having to circumambulate around the hills as part of the rituals of pilgrimage, I imagined this experience would take place outside. To my lack of awareness, I found images of the hills present day — resembling boulders — were incorporated and barricaded within the architecture of Masjid al-Haram. Responded with shock, it made me think about the landscape before the rise of modern expansion and how much was lost vs. How much is preserved. Since images of the landscape from this historical event do not exist, I envisioned the landscape of the hills more steep and played with the colors and the sense of movement to reflect the time of day and night and incorporated the architectural pattern to the natural environment.
