Hawa Al-Najjar 
Mazhariyya Lamp, 2025 
Porcelain, sapele, brass, electrical components 
16 x 10 x 16 inches
 
This piece is an exploration and reinterpretation of antiquities found from the 3rd millennium BCE in ancient northern Mesopotamia (modern day Iraq), a region shrouded in both classical and contemporary misconception. The bulb within shines through a porcelain shade that's nestled onto a sapele base with a sculpted brass plate switch. Each use of the lamp transforms function into ritual; by placing something upon the weighted switch, the artifact-inspired vessel then illuminates the room. Mazhariyya in the Iraqi Arabic dialect means vase.
 
Hawa Al-Najjar is an Iraqi-British designer and artist, exploring object and furniture design through the lens of history, cultural exchange, and craftsmanship. Her background in architecture and industrial design acts as a foil to her design practice, one that rejects rigidity and embraces irregularity and freedom in form. The outcomes utilize hand-made elements, subverting artisan techniques as a means of imparting story and myth into the work.
 
Photo by Aaron S Cheung, Esto.