The Liminal Vase by Hala Al Ani

Hala Al Ani is interested in the loss of control in design. With The Liminal Vase she invites the natural process into her design, using salt formations. Playing with the usability of salt as a building material, Hala gives up part of her authoritarian role by allowing the crystallisation process to dictate the formal qualities of the surface. The salt crystals are grown on Aluminium Mesh to lend the material the necessary strength to be utilised in a vase without controlling it. It is this juxtaposition between organic process and intentional design that triggered her enquiry. The Liminal Vase was commissioned by Tashkeel as part of the Tanween+ initiative.

Hala Al Ani was born in Iraq in 1986. She received her BSc in Visual Communication from the American University of Sharjah, going on to postgraduate studies in Graphic Design and Iconic Research from the University of Illinois, Chicago and the Basel School of Design, Switzerland. Her work has been shown in several internationally recognised exhibitions including the Sharjah Biennial, Istanbul Design Biennial, Amman Design Week, Jogja Biennial and Dubai Design Week. Al-Ani is the co-founder of Möbius Design Studio and is currently a lecturer at the American University of Sharjah, Visual Communication Department.