A Shared Stillness

5mm film photograph
Amman, Jordan
December 2019

In collaboration with Michelle Nash, this still life piece serves as a tribute to both of our identities and our shared experience working in art direction. Inspired by Caravaggio’s iconic still life paintings, we adopted his style to honor Michelle’s Italian heritage, while the ingredients in the composition reflect my Palestinian heritage, and foraged plants are local to Amman, where we were inspired to create the piece. The tablescape features foods and ingredients central to both cultures, symbolizing the universal act of breaking bread together. Despite our cultural differences, this piece reveals how our identities are more interconnected than they seem. Here, food serves as a cross-cultural unifier, reminding us that our shared experiences around the table transcend cultural boundaries.