The “Immerse” series pays homage to the male pearl divers of the pre-oil Gulf, whose labor was marked by suffering, endurance, and loss. For centuries, pearl diving was a cornerstone of Gulf economies, providing wealth for merchants but at a great human cost. Divers faced grueling conditions, plunging into unpredictable and often treacherous waters with minimal equipment, holding their breath for extended periods while rocks tied to their feet kept them submerged to gather pearls. Meanwhile, women stayed ashore, awaiting their return, often facing months of uncertainty and hardship.

In this work, the artist, a performs a pool dive wearing a 3-meter-tall abaya, a garment designed with six panels each panel representing one of the 6 series of Oud Abaya, embody the collective stories of preceding generations. Each panel embodies the artist’s personal and intergenerational collective lived experiences are revealed in the subsequent series, Trafficked that share, The Story of Dana. Here, The abaya becomes a powerful symbol of resilience, sacrifice, and tradition, its weight evoking the rocks tied to the divers’ feet and the emotional burdens carried by their families.

Even in some contemporary settings, women have swum in their abayas. This practice is rooted in cultural, religious, and practical reasons. Swimming in an abaya allows women to maintain these norms while participating in recreational activities. For woman, swimming in their abayas was once a common and natural part of life, a companion to movement.

The dive itself, set in the safety of a pool, contrasts sharply with the perilous dives of pearl divers. The pool’s modern blue tiles and clear waters represent the relative comfort of contemporary life, water transforms into a sanctuary, a controlled environment offering safety and connection to the body. yet also suggest the confinement of modern society, in stark juxtaposition to the expansive desert floor featured after and the vast, treacherous sea of the past. The pool invites viewers to delve into the depths of the unconscious, setting the stage for a transformative journey.

Filming from above mimics the viewpoint of pearl merchants, who controlled and profited from the divers’ labor, highlighting the historical power dynamics and exploitation underpinning the industry. This perspective invites reflection on the broader themes of class, colonialism, and labor. The artificial blue of the pool also ties into the fluorescent hues of mosquito lights in the next series, “Trafficked,” creating a thematic connection between the endurance of past generations and the exploitation and resilience of today.

This work is both a tribute to the sacrifices of the past and an exploration of modern identity and resilience, bridging the historical and contemporary to provoke a deeper understanding of shared human experiences.

When footage of someone swimming in an abaya was shared with an elder, they reminisced about how swimming in their abayas was once a common and natural part of life.