Steel Veil: a Visual Tapestry of Khaleeji Identity
Sarah AlSaihati
Steel Veil is a visual research publication and cultural reclamation project that reimagines the narrative surrounding the Khaleeji veil. Often misrepresented as a symbol of oppression or exoticism, the veil is reframed here as an evolving emblem of autonomy, resistance, and self-expression. Through a blend of photography, poetry, essays, and historical research, Steel Veil challenges Western stereotypes and celebrates the richness of Gulf identity from within.
The project is rooted in a multidisciplinary methodology, merging archival imagery, fashion direction, personal storytelling, and visual anthropology. It explores the historical evolution of veiling practices in the Arabian Gulf while highlighting their transformation into contemporary art, performance, and design. Collaborations with artists, poets, and photographers further amplify the diversity of Khaleeji experiences, offering nuanced representations of femininity, faith, and cultural resilience.
Visually, Steel Veil balances softness and strength, playing with textures like black silk, gold embroidery, and metallic burqas. The book’s design echoes its core metaphor: a material that is both steel and silk. Through curated editorial spreads, bilingual typography, and immersive storytelling, the work becomes both archive and artifact.
Ultimately, Steel Veil supports a broader thesis: that the veil, like identity, is never singular. It is a lived, chosen, and layered symbol. The project invites viewers to move beyond binary readings of tradition and modernity and into a space of cultural complexity and pride.