This is it! In my thesis and new project I embark on a journey to discover the Kafiye of today. Starting from the assumption that the Kafiye is the strongest symbol to come out of the Arab world, I uncover the elements that have made it what it is today. By touching on issues like identity and appropriation, I make a powerful discovery filled with original research and never before exposed findings.

al-Kafiye: A Potent Symbol Uncovered is a project that traces back the origins and narrates the path of a design that is synonymous with one of the foremost global political issues, the Palestinian dilemma, and yet has managed to infiltrate high fashion and street wear all around the globe. Arab at its core, the Kafiye manages to be a multitude of things at the same time—traditional, ethnic, practical, stylish, trendy, scary, and revolutionary. Adopted by various fashion designers, commercialized and cheaply produced in China, one would expect the Kafiye of today to have lost any meaning or depth. That is far from the case, as this extraordinary item is still reinventing itself. Keeping the power of this symbol alive depends on the spread of information and the expansion of discourse.

Through a process of analysis and understanding, the story of the Kafiye is uncovered from Ancient Mesopotamia until contemporary times through a novel study of design, identity and material culture opening up the discourse on design in the Arab World. For further information, please log on to www.kafiyelab.org (online soon), a new organic platform, to learn more and promote the social design debate on the Arab World through interaction, dialogue and exchange.

I will be presenting my research findings in the first Design Criticism Conference - Crossing the Line, this Friday April 30, 2010 in NYC. More information here.

Everyone is invited! Please RSVP at dcrit@sva.com to attend. Hope to see you there.