The inspiration for this work came from a profound curiosity to understand the nature and essence of the material that I employ in my creative process. What is glass? What is material? According to scientific knowledge, "Glass is a state of aggregation of matter..." But what does this mean? What kind of aggregation and what kind of matter? The chemical and physical definition of glass does not point to a specific substance, but rather to an amorphous, liquid-like, random state of aggregation, in which the particles have ceased their movement and formed the substance. This definition opens up a wide perspective on the diversity and complexity of materials in the world and reveals the relationship and connection between them. During the research workshop, I came across other materials that are also classified as amorphous and exhibit a similar situation, such as natural polymers that exist in nature, are produced by living organisms and can also be artificially manufactured (for example, silk, wool, cellulose, proteins, and so on). Simultaneously, I was introduced to the ancient origin of glass making, from the Egyptian faience that preceded glass to the early glass production processes that took place with the Ishgar plant in the region of Mesopotamia. Interestingly, chemical analyses of those ancient glasses and historical accounts of their production methods indicate that plant ash was an essential component in their fabrication and many tests detected a high concentration of sodium which was typically derived from the ashes of halophyte plants that grew in the vicinity of the desert. I conducted a thorough research on the plant family and the material culture that prevailed at that time period. It was a culture that was grounded on indigenous, folk knowledge that depended on traditional and local materials and resources, a culture that utilized the powerful potential that one material could offer within a knowledge system that was based on relationships and reciprocity, that did not regard the self as individual and separate entities from the environment. Native science embodies holism, refers to locality, in contrast to Western science which is founded on discipline and universality. Today in the century in which we live, I look around me and pose the question: what is the material culture today? How can we treat natural resources and human waste in a responsible manner? while acknowledging and addressing the problem of the reality in which we live. And thus I join the question of the writer Duncan Brown who poses the question in his book "Can thinking wildly help?"

I searched for the ancient plants in our surroundings, in the Judean and Negev deserts and discovered their properties and characteristics. I realized that I could produce bio-plastic (a natural polymer) from living branches and ash from the dry plants, and combine it with recycled glass powder from industrial glass bottles and a glassy mineral called phosphate to create a new type of glass. This glass is unique in that it could be processed cold by hand. It was characterized by being a thixotropic substance, which appeared solid but became fluid when touched or manipulated. When subjected to heat, the organic material in the mixture burned and left behind air spaces or cavities. As a result of these voids, the glass became porous, lighter than its original form and heat insulating.

The material research process encompassed an in-depth investigation into the components of the system, the production of the materials and tests of their relationships and interactions in the system, but mainly the process dealt with the question of the responsibility of the material - what does the material want to be in the world? what role does it play? what impact does it have? In light of the properties and qualities of the material, I decided to investigate its possibility and feasibility as a building material and hence embark on a kind of reconstruction or reimagining of local knowledge technology and folk design that combine technology, ancient and contemporary techniques.

I started from the desert to learn a new nomadic science.