“When people asked me to describe what I do, I’d say ‘odd stuff’," Ahmed 'Doola' Adel tells CairoScene. "What I meant by that was weird and unique, and that was how it developed into ODD Threads."

Founder and head designer, Adel - a Fine Arts graduate and Dayra Camp’s Arts & Events director in Nuweiba, South Sinai - is a self-taught freelance installation artist and stage designer, specialising in string art installations by creating unique pieces and providing lighting design for them.

"My work is focused on finding ways to specifically tailor each art piece based on the needs and requirements of each project, including its surrounding environment and the purpose of the project. As a result of specifically tailoring each art piece, I create everything by hand, breaking the flow of mass production by making handcrafted art pieces," Adel said. "Through much patience and hard-work, I create original pieces that appreciate every element of the project and its purpose, therefore, fulfilling an aesthetic and functional value. My purpose is focused on complete acceptance and finding the beauty and value of each surrounding elements, such as using small objects and materials from the environment and from local sources to create large scale pieces."

ODD Threads have collaborated with several music festivals in Sinai, including Dayra Camp’s Beach Sessions and the Sanctuary Music Festival in Ras Sudr last April, with his latest pieces having been put on display for Cairo’s bi-weekly Melodic Room.

“I always believed that things that were handmade by me were a lot better than anything I could take from someone. That planted the seed of my love for handmade creations. Art for me is all about practice, rather than talent, or a combination of both that focuses more on practice,” he added.

Currently working on launching a series of home-friendly string art lighting units, Adel hopes to expand to international festivals without wavering from his philosophy of sharing art and collaborating with those working to do the same.