BIRJIL : In Process Belonging has been my search for identity. Woven in the past and knit into the present, the fabric of my being and the ancestors before me is an heirloom to be passed on. Carrying the imagination of what was left behind is a collection of memories acquired in movement, disguised as my gold. 2024 Rooted in my Iraqi ancestry and the journey to home & belonging. Gold and valuables such as jewelry, which were not allowed to be brought along when fleeing Iraq in the 1950’s were hidden in the linings of clothing, blankets, and soles of shoes. My great-grandfather Yossef Shabbat a shoe cobbler and textile merchant from Mosul, Iraq helped his fleeing community find creative ways to carry their valuables. Birjil, refers to the quilted blanket. In the early 1950’s, using scraps of fabric from a local clothing factory, my great grandfather would stitch together the pieces crafting a large textile to be filled with hay from the fields. This creation is still in process, following me as I continue my nomadic journey holding on to what I value most. AUDIO: original rare recording of my Great Grandfather reciting “Dror Yikra” on May 7, 1975.