Gaza: Shelling out for art in the Strip

Shell-decorated pottery made in Gaza

Mohammed Asad reports in Middle East Monitor:

Forty-two-year-old Palestinian Kamal Al-Madhoun has made a living walking around Gaza’s shores and collecting shells.

For the past 20 years Kamal has collected seashells and categorised them according to shape and colour before using them to decorate pottery.  The shells are used to express Palestinian heritage and culture on the clay pots Kamal adorns with his art.

Pieces can take up to two months to complete with his most elaborate work being a model of the famous French landmark the Eiffel Tower which required 14,000 seashells to make.

Like all residents of the besieged Gaza Strip, the biggest hindrance to his work are the regular power cuts which are a result of Israel’s repressive policies and blockade on the Strip. These force Kamal to halt work until the lighting is optimal for his art to truly shine.

This article is reproduced in its entirety.