As a symbol of protection for workers in the building industry, the helmet represents a sanctuary where their rights are safeguarded and their well-being is prioritized; the vulnerability of these rights is reflected in the fragility of the glass material. The blue color of the helmet also evokes the United Nations' Blue Helmets, symbolizing the importance of international peacekeeping efforts and the protection of global stability. The Glass Helmet represents a call for the creation of inclusive, supportive environments that provide a sense of security and belonging for all in the face of global challenges.

The Glass Helmet is a component of Silk Road Works (2021).

Flocking is a multifunctional installation that transforms the exhibition space into a cultural sanctuary. It invites you to move through the museum space in a different way. Inspired by the geometric motifs of Islamic art, the work consists of modular felt components. These can be arranged to form a carpet or slippers and fulfil both religious and secular functions. Visitors are invited to take off their shoes and wear the slippers. Flocking makes it possible to experience entering a special, venerable space and the rituals created for this purpose. The work explores the idea of a place of refuge as a space of belonging, participation and (inner) contemplation. At the same time, it  emphasises the importance of sustainable materials and local craftsmanship.

During the show, the slippers can be decorated by the public with pompoms made by CARITAS.

Coring is a textile art installation that critiques the global consumerist economy and its impact on the Earth as a sanctuary. Through the stacked T-shirts resembling core samples, the project explores the textile industry's role as one of the most lucrative and polluting industries today, with over 80 billion square meters of leftover garments ending up in landfills or being destroyed by burning every year. The installation highlights the widespread phenomenon of fast fashion and the parallel economy of stock destruction used to ensure price control when demand is not met. By using the notion of "coring" as both a medium and a framework to examine the cultural, social, political, economic, and environmental footprint of clothing, the project served as a critical response to the world's pressing environmental concerns, emphasizing the importance of preserving the Earth as a sanctuary for all.

Hallucinating Traditions explores the intersection of AI, fashion and cultural identity through animated portraits of Azra Akšamija wearing speculative headgear designs. Using a diverse dataset of Akšamija's face and historical costume references, advanced AI software was trained to generate morphing portraits that blend elements from various traditions and eras. The fluid transitions challenge viewers to reconsider notions of identity and tradition, while the AI-generated designs offer a glimpse into a future where technology shapes personal adornment and cultural expression. The project represents a meditation on the role of technology in shaping our understanding of self and cultural traditions. The portraits act as "cultural prototypes," inviting contemplation of the shifting ideals, values and aesthetics that define our past, present, and future.

Inspired by the nomadic Bisht cloak, Bishty is a modular textile system that represents adaptable textile shelters for climate resilience The wearable cloaks emulate the protective function of the traditional Bisht, blending nomadic architectural intelligence and contemporary design to facilitate climate adaptation. The modular textile system can be assembled into a larger canopy that transforms from shading structures to intimate social spaces, drawing on the collective knowledge of nomadic tribes and refugee communities. The felt fabric, made from discarded materials, optimises thermal properties for climate resilience. By upcycling waste and integrating traditional knowledge, Bishty points towards a future where natural, artificial and collective forms of intelligence converge to address the climate crisis and related issues of conflict, displacement and environmental healing.

This installation transforms ordinary anaglyph 3D glasses into stained-glass-like windows. By repurposing these familiar consumer items, the project explores the intersection of the mundane and the divine, inviting viewers to perceive the sacred in unexpected places. The large, intricately designed windows are constructed entirely from carefully arranged ready-made anaglyph glasses. The red and blue lenses create an interplay of colour and light, mimicking the luminous quality of traditional stained glass. The structure incorporates elements of Gothic and Islamic patterns, allowing for diverse interpretations. The project challenges viewers to reconsider their perceptions of the ordinary and find beauty in the most unlikely of materials. Referencing Guy Debord's The Society of the Spectacle, it invites audiences to engage with questions of spirituality, consumerism and the role of art in shaping our understanding of the world.

Project commissioned by Kunsthaus Graz for the exhibition Sanctuary.

T-Serai is a model for the participatory creation of modular tapestries. The title of the work is derived from the term T-Shelter and the Arabic word Serail. The UNHCR's standardised tent accommodation for refugees is known as a T-Shelter. Serail means palace or residence. Recycled textiles are jointly processed into customisable protective elements for the tapestries. The project stands for sensitised humanitarian aid that preserves the living culture of refugees and supports self-expression and self-determination.

The tent on display was produced by the MIT Future Heritage Lab for travelling exhibitions. It is inspired by the textile histories of the MENA region (Middle East and North Africa).

The project has an important participatory dimension: participants can record and share their personal history in the form of textile motifs in workshops. Various groups have taken part in the workshops, from Syrian refugees in Jordan to students in the USA, the United Arab Emirates and Europe. The cross-border collaborations promote a multidirectional exchange of knowledge between people of different generations and backgrounds.

Silk Road Works uses wearable architectural elements to explore migration, labour and identity politics along the historic and contemporary Silk Roads. The first perspective symbolizes Venice's historical role as a cultural hub, featuring safety vests with tessellated patterns inspired by Venetian architecture, highlighting its history of transcultural exchange. The second addresses contemporary issues like the Belt and Road Initiative and Gulf Labor, incorporating silks also representing forced labour and exploitation. Interconnected life vests symbolize unity among disenfranchised workers. The third combines historical and contemporary dimensions of migration, with interior silk linings resembling prayer carpets. Unfolded, the vests transform into a portable mosque, challenging static identities and promoting cultural mobility. Glass hard hats and leather harnesses explore who should protect peaceful coexistence, with fragile glass representing the vulnerability of global institutions safeguarding rights.

This project uses the loom as a metaphor to explore the interconnected narratives surrounding the cotton T-shirt – its environmental impact, technological history and social implications. The first narrative examines the ecological toll of the T-shirt production, while the second delves into the legacy of slavery and modern industrialization in the cotton cultivation. The third focuses on the contrast between the global mobility of goods and restricted human mobility, exposing labour exploitation and societal divides. By dissecting and reassembling these narratives through the lens of the loom, the project invites the audience to consider the consequences of their clothing choices. The loom, as a tool that transforms raw materials, becomes a symbol for creating "sanctuaries" – literal and figurative – that shelter and sustain us, while addressing the systemic challenges in global textile production.

Palimpsest of '89 is a digital animation that explores how the cultural and religious institutions of Sarajevo have shaped the shared heritage of Bosnia-Herzegovina. The work shows how the history of the region has been written and rewritten through these institutions and their readings.

The carpet patterns show the historical development of this heritage: from the pre-Ottoman period to the era after the Dayton Peace Agreement, which ended the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1995.

During the animation, more and more symbols are added to the carpet.

Dirndlmoschee ( Dirndl Mosque) represents a negotiation between Islamic traditions and modernity in Western Europe through the form of a wearable mosque – a traditional Austrian dirndl dress that can transform into a portable prayer space. Respecting religious restrictions, the project redefines the function and form of mosques in a contemporary context, representing identity and tradition as a dynamic process that allows change. The dirndl's apron is made of water-resistant material that unfolds into three connected prayer rugs. In the mosque configuration, the traditional shoulder scarf opens into a veil, with the silk decoration at the edge playfully referencing the hidden hair underneath. This piece also references the famous unfolding Renaissance Pacher Altar, blending traditional Austrian and Islamic elements into a wearable, adaptable sacred space. The Dirndlmoschee presents identity and tradition as dynamic processes that allow for change.