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Dipti Nair
Doha
Due to the visual appeal of the form, art has been used for years to express and convey thoughts and opinions. And while it affects individuals, the thought behind a piece can affect a group, a society, or even a people, helping them come together.
The Prince of Honour is one such piece of brilliant creativity. Currently on display at Sheraton Doha, it is a remarkable piece of art depicting the Emir His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al Thani. Swarovski crystals in seven colours create a dazzling effect and seem to change colour depending on how the light falls on them. Using a unique technique, Qatari creator Abdul Salam Abdul Haleem al Qadhi smoothened out the surface, so it feels level and not like thousands of crystals stuck together.
Above all, Qadhi is a patriot. He claims that in his life the first place goes to Almighty Allah, second to his country and third to his king, everything else follows. When the unjustified blockade was imposed on Qatar, like all Qataris and expatriates here, he was distressed and anxious. But he also recognised the need to show his love for the country and support for the Emir. That led to the creation of the Prince of Honour.
"We are going through a critical time which demands joining hands and showing solidarity. The circumstances have forced us to work hard and tirelessly to express our love and loyalty to our country and our beloved Emir, who has proved that he is an experienced ruler by handling the crisis intelligently and with courage. He has proved that he is a just and capable ruler who can lead this country and his people, who believe in him. Being a Qatari, it was imperative for me also to express my love for the Emir and deliver my message through the medium of art," Qadhi said.
The technique for creating the artwork is quite unique and there are very few artists around the world doing this kind of work: one, because it is painstaking and requires meticulous planning and execution, and two, because of the high production cost involved. Swarovski uses only the finest materials to create their faceted crystals, known around the world for their brilliance and value, making these diamond-lookalikes extremely expensive.
Qadhi's 'Prince' has 35,773 Swarovski crystals in seven colours. Each crystal has a diameter of 4 mm and is stuck to a net sheet using epoxy glue. The net sheet is custom-made for Qadhi and has holes each of which are meant to precisely fit the 4 mm crystal. To create the piece, Qadhi affixed the net over a digital printout to know where which colour crystal would fit.
A lot of calculation and measurement went into creating the piece as the artist needed to know the exact number of crystals and shades that would be required. Affixing the crystals also required a lot of precision as these tiny crystals were too small to be handled by hand and could only be handled with tweezers. Also, as it is the colour of the crystal that gives 'shape' to the artwork, the entire thing would have got spoilt if the wrong colour crystal was placed in the wrong hole.
"This artwork is quite rare and not many people do it. I became aware of this technique through my travels to Malaysia, Thailand and India. In those countries, they have a similar technique of creating artwork but they use different materials. I then decided to put my own idea into it and create something unique using Swarovski crystals," said Qadhi.
However, the Prince of Honour is not Qadhi's first attempt at creating art using Swarovski crystals. He created a piece earlier, but for his father.
"My father was a football player of El Nagah Club and a member of the Qatar national team. He was good but had to quit football after an injury. When HH Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al Thani became the Emir, he gave a very inspiring speech that moved my father and he expressed a desire to meet and shake hands with the Emir. He hoped that the Emir would meet him as he was an old national football player. I then got the idea of creating something special to gift to the Emir when we met him. That is what inspired me to create my first Swarovski artwork of a portrait of the Emir."
Being his first attempt, it took Qadhi over two years to create his first artwork. Along with his father, he had planned to meet the Emir during the Emir Cup football tournament last year and present him with the portrait. But sadly, just a few days before the planned date, Qadhi's father passed away.
"After my father passed away, my mind went blank and for me everything was over. I never managed to present my father's gift to the Emir. Till today, it is with me as a memory of my father. When the unjust blockade was imposed on Qatar, I thought it is time to create another artwork to show solidarity with the Emir, who is not just our king but our hero. The siege has shown us that we are all together, the nationals and the expatriates living here. It has shown us that we cannot depend on anyone and must be self reliant. No matter what people outside say about us, we don't care, we can take care of ourselves and we are proud of our country. My message through my art is that love and peace is everything and Qatar is a peaceful country."
Qadhi says that while the first artwork took him over two years to create, with that experience and having all the right tools, he created the second one in under six months. And now, he is already working on his third artwork of Swarovski crystals, which he hopes to unveil on Qatar's National Day. He has been working day and night to complete it in time, barely sleeping for a couple hours.
"My family has been very supportive. My children, Abdullah, Tamim, Sahim and Jawaher, love the Emir and they keep pushing me to work non-stop. My dream is to gift the Emir my artworks," he said.
Qadhi's art form is gaining popularity and he is getting orders for commissioned works, most recent of which was from the Kuwait government to create a likeness of the ruler of Kuwait with Swarovski crystals.
"I want my art to represent Qatar. I would love to create artworks for different heads of states and present it to them as a gift from our Emir, as a gift from Qatar. That would be the biggest honour for me."
