Arts Lab 7.0: Aya Hossameldin Saad Mohamed | Month VII - Goodbye, goodbye. The start of the end.

This month was different from any other. It felt similar to my very first month, filled with happiness, yet also filled with sadness.

The month began with our work on the artistic residency project centred around emotions. I chose sadness as the emotion that best reflects this current period, especially as we approach the end of this project and this artistic journey. I have been experiencing many conflicting feelings, which greatly influenced my choice of sadness.

But let me begin with the happy moments. This month marked the end of Ramadan. It was the first time I spent this month away from my family. Ramadan carries a deep sense of sanctity and unique emotions for me. I believe I truly felt a sense of estrangement this month more than ever before. However, my colleagues and I tried to support one another—we gathered, spent time together, and made an effort to avoid feelings of loneliness and alienation. We succeeded in growing closer: we cooked together and enjoyed our time.

We also organised a collective iftar to introduce our colleagues to our traditions and customs during this month. I shared with them the history of the Ramadan lantern and explained that it has Egyptian origins. Together, we created origami lanterns and shared a meal around one large table.

Later, Louay, Salma, and I organized Egypt’s Culture Night. We prepared Egyptian food, arranged music, and planned activities that allowed others to experience and enjoy Egyptian culture, history, and civilization. Our colleagues truly enjoyed the day, and we felt both happy and proud.

Eid, however, was a very sad morning for me. I spoke with my family and cried a lot because I was not with them. But that is life—nothing remains constant, and it is, in any case, a new experience.

Then it was time to focus on my artistic project. Why sadness? Because it was the dominant emotion during this period. Even though there were happy moments, sadness remained what I felt most deeply, and I wanted to reflect that in my work.

Choosing the nature of the artwork was not difficult—I clearly saw what I wanted to do. I decided to document the faces of my colleagues. We lived together for a long time—we laughed, grieved, celebrated, argued, disagreed, worked, played, danced, and ate together. I wanted to remember their faces and features.

I worked individually, photographing each person and asking them to express sadness. This experience was rich and profound; in a way, I came to understand more about the depth of their emotions, their stories, and what makes them feel sad. At the end of each session, I apologized for bringing up these feelings and gave them a hug. In some way, this gave me a sense of closure for this period—it made me realize that we all carry a measure of sadness and sorrow.

In addition to my colleagues, I also chose to include faces of people I met during my stay here. I used the cyanotype technique, with its blue tones, as it felt most suitable for expressing these emotions—blue, in art, often symbolizes sadness. Throughout my time here, I was careful in selecting colors that reflect the themes of my work, focusing on color psychology.

I worked on my pieces until I completed them.

During this time, we also held two farewell gatherings. The first was for Hedvika—we lit a wood fire, sang, danced, and enjoyed our time, though we felt sadness, and some of us cried. We knew it was the beginning of the end, the gradual moment of saying goodbye.

Then came Monica’s farewell—we held a dance gathering with expressive movement, conveying our emotions through dance. I will miss you so much, Monica. At least I have a small artwork to remember your face in my own way.

I also asked each person to write a poem or song expressing sadness from their own perspective and in their native language.

It is spring blooming outside, but it is autumn in my heart.

Life is bursting with vivid colours, yet my soul remains draped in shades of blue.

This monthly report was written by Aya Hossameldin Saad Mohamed, our Egyptian volunteer taking part in a seven-month Arts Lab 7.0 mobility, co-funded by the European Union under the European Solidarity Corps.