[ Compassion ]
 
“Yet, at least till we become more conscious, we all go through this stage in individuation. We all swim up to the rock, dance, and don’t pay attention. It is then that the more tricksterish aspect of the psyche descends, and somewhere down the road we suddenly look for and can no longer find what belongs to us or to what we belong. Then our sense of soul is mysteriously missing, and more so, it is hidden away. And so we wander about partially dazed. It is not good to make choices when dazed, but we do.
 
When we are young and our soul-lives collide with the desires and requirements of culture and the world, indeed we feel stranded far from home. However, as adults we continue to drive ourselves even farther from home as a result of our own choices about who, what, where, and for how long. If we were never taught to return to the soul-home in childhood, we repeat the “theft and wandering around lost” pattern ad infinitum. But, even when it is our own dismal choices that have blown us off course— too far from what we need—hold faith, for within the soul is the homing device. We all can find our way back.”
 
- Quote from Women Who Run With the Wolves
 
AMAL means Hope in Arabic and the word is also used in Malay to refer to Charity. This collection was done during a very challenging time for a lot of people, being away from their hometown and family during the lockdown, longing for physical human connections. The abstract shapes are evocative of Terengganu and of feeling 'at home'. They are named after traits or actions that inspire Hope, which at the same time are also associated with acts of Charity towards oneself.