And Along Came Polyester observes the observing. Here, five women from the Gulf traverse through the personal, and reference economic, domestic, architectural, nostalgic, and cathartic processes and fluxes within their work.

They themselves and their observed surroundings are a result of a singular discovery that affected their already constantly shifting geo-political, socio-economical and religious communities.

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It came along in abundance, and it had many byproducts.

The material and the immaterial of these byproducts have lived in cohesion and collision.

They have shaped the narratives of these landscapes, and thus shaped their women.

The petroleum interval in history will be over soon. Like coal before it, the currency of oil as the main generator of fuel in the world will inevitably become obsolete as other renewable energy sources slowly but surely begin to replace it. In the Gulf region, the advent of oil has dramatically changed our lives, cities, bodies and minds, so much so that we cannot even remember what life was like before it, or begin to imagine a future without it. Oil culture has left an indelible mark on the history of this place, and we must attempt to envision the cultural legacy it will leave behind, away from the economic miracles it has spawned during its short lifetime. In this exhibition, the mechanical tools used to extract petroleum are presented as archeological artifacts from a long lost past, highlighting their aesthetic beauty as oppose to their functional qualities. In addition, the works on display demonstrate a sincere attempt to create a continuity of history with what preceded oil – in this case, pearl diving – by featuring a formal relationship that exists between the color of pearls and oil. Perhaps after oil, we can still hold on to these colorful legacies as markers for a mysterious future.