The final piece from the Lafiya collection is Tamaro Ja (The Palm Tree’s Soul). …
The final piece from the Lafiya collection is Tamaro Ja (The Palm Tree’s Soul).
It’s a tall vertical lamp crowned with handmade palm paper tiles that filter the light like a sun-dappled canopy, echoing the way palm trees offer shade and relief in the oasis.
The light it casts reaches both the ground and the ceiling, creating shifting shadows that soften the space.
This piece draws on the palm tree both as metaphor and material. The light-diffusing paper tiles are made from palm leaves, an abundant often overlooked resource, using a process adapted from traditional Japanese washi paper.
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Huge thanks to everyone who made this residency possible and to all the people who shaped the experience along the way.
This project was developed as part of the AlUla Design Residency 2025 with @artsalula, curated by @dominiquepetit_ and @anja.saleh, and shown as part of Material Witness at @designspacealula.
Grateful to the teams at @rcu_ksa and for the opportunity and support throughout:
@ali.alghazzawi @kh1co @arnaud__morand @emilymarant @studiomarant @audrey_chazal @sumighose @cyrilzam
Special thanks to the jury who selected and trusted us with this journey:
@humberto_campana @tulgabeyerle @tarinijhanda @emmanueltibloux
And deep thanks to @latelierdelart in Riyadh for bringing this piece to life with such care and precision.
Visuals by @g.lochis
Thank you to the @athrart team, and to everyone else who was part of this journey: @harrietflavel
@bareah.kusai @noran_reda @ellenrockstudio @ha1moura
And much love to the other designers in the residency ; it was a pleasure to share this experience with you:
@aseelaoa @studiothusthat @a_l_t_i_n__s_t_u_d_i_o @ori_orisun
