The Silence Before the Storm

Multidisciplinary designer and architect Sarah Qaq, together with calligrapher and designer Sami Qaq, met with Hapoel Jerusalem fan, journalist, and football commentator Uri Levi to discuss the experience of football in Jerusalem and the emotions it evokes. Their meeting gave rise to a body of work that explores tension, anticipation, and the energy that builds before a match.

The result is a series of objects that combines Arabic calligraphy, fashion, and digital fabrication technologies. Evoking the calm before a storm, the work includes ear-worn accessories and three-dimensional calligraphic forms inspired by football jerseys. The ear functions as a metaphorical receiver of the crowd’s energy—the chants, songs, tension, and anticipation—in the moments before the eruption of a shared stadium experience.