F A T I M A H A L Y A M I
N a t u r a l M a t e r i a l s A r t w o r k s + P h o t o g r a p h y
S c u l p t u r e
D u c t T a p e A r t
A r t E x h i b i t i o n s :
M e m o r y P a l a c e
Title: A Scent of the Past
Olfactory Essences, Imagery, and Calligraphy Certain scents have the power to transport me across thousands of miles and all the years I have lived. When I smell a new scent, I immediately link it to a person, an event, a thing or even a moment. The scent of burning wood takes me to my Middle Eastern home. Other aromas cause my heart to beat faster and make my palms sweat. Scent seems to travel to my brain directly, without logical or intellectual interference.
A Scent of the Past demonstrates my belief that the sense of smell is most closely associated with memory. In this artwork, each glass bubble is filled with memories of my beginning and innocent days, worship days, passion days, painful days, adventures days, and nothingness days. When I inhale these scents, I am transported instantly to a past decade.
The repetition of beautiful glyphs and Arabic calligraphy in this work serve as documentation of the phrase “a scent of the past.” These inscriptions connect visual and olfactory experiences of the present moment with memories from the past.
H o m e E x h i b i t i o n
Title: Mom's Bread
I awoke at 6 a.m. to the smell of freshly baked bread -- but my mother's bread was nowhere to be seen.
Certain scents have the power to transport me across thousands of miles and all the years I have lived. When I smell a new scent, I immediately link it to a person, an event, a thing or even a moment. The aroma of bread takes my mind instantly to my mother’s kitchen. My Mom has always loved baking bread. I remember helping her knead the dough in a circle shape with honey and thyme topping, which would arrive golden brown from the oven and into the open, eager hands of her sixteen children and our family’s guests.
The scent of bread demonstrates my belief that the sense of smell is most closely associated with memory. In this performance, I’ll make my mother’s bread on a Blackstone as a social practice, inviting the audience to experience the sights, sounds, and aromas of this special ritual.
D A A P w o r k s E x h i b i t i o n
Title: The Rough Hands
This project is an evocative auto ethnography, which investigates my adjustment to a foreign culture and social system and my growth in academia, as well as the use of artistic and self-reflexive methods. I used the methods of memory work, phototherapy, and critical essay writing in order to study identity, feminist theories, art historical knowledge, and fine arts practices. Additionally, I worked with a variety of media, including photography, sculpture, and video.