Q&A With Nora Zeid
Nora Zeid is an award-winning illustrator and visual artist based in Dubai who’s work focuses on representing culture and heritage. Her illustrations, both colored and black and white, depict bustling cityscape, intricate patterns and lively scenes celebrating their regions. She is collaborating with the Egyptian Heritage Rescue Foundation on her first short graphic novel, which is set to release in spring of 2025. We sat down to ask her a few questions about drawing Cairo, the state of the print industry, and the things that can be depicted to preserve popular memory.
Your illustrations capture the fabric of Cairo through densely packed skylines and buildings and intimate moments that transport us to street corners. Do you create these illustrations from memory?
I create them on encounter. Most of my illustrations depicting urban landscapes and environments are of real spaces I’ve documented through photography. Doing that allows me to capture the smallest of details – those that our eyes would likely not detect the first time around.
What do you think people misunderstand about Cairo?
One of the first things people visualize when they think of Cairo is its old heritage – the time of the pharaohs, the Fatimids, the Mamluks and the Ottomans, and their grand temples, mosques and mausoleums. The issue is that sometimes this admiration is followed by disdainful remarks about how the city today doesn’t reflect its former glory. While this is understandable given the city’s recent challenges, it completely neglects its rich modern and contemporary heritage, which is in dire need of documentation and safeguarding.
Are there any misconceptions about you as an illustrator?
A common one is that I only illustrate in black and white. I actually love working with colors.
How did you come to work in black and white? Is it a choice to strip a “colorful” city Cairo, so-to-speak, and highlight its layers in an alternative way?
It’s very easy to get overwhelmed in Cairo. The city is constantly demanding your attention, pulling you in every direction. The decision to render my illustrations in black and white came from a desire to simplify Cairo’s busy landscape while maintaining all its complexities. This allows me to freeze a single moment in time and explore all its layers: the people, the architecture, the signs…everything.
Do you think illustrating Cairo has brought you closer to the city or familiarized you with a different side of it?
Definitely. I started illustrating Cairo as a way to reconnect with the city. I lived most of my life abroad due to my father’s job, but we visited Cairo twice a year. I only used to experience Cairo in two ways: through the window of the car, or from the balconies of friends and relatives. Documenting and illustrating Cairo helped me slow down to ask questions. It encouraged me to actually see the city. In a way, Cairo went from being a list of locations: my grandmother’s apartment, my aunt’s house, our place, the sports club, the mall…to being these places and the places in between.
Has your relationship with creative expression changed over the past year?
It has. When I was younger, I used to draw as a form of catharsis and self-expression. Now illustration is both the center of my artistic practice and that of my commercial work. Because of that, I’ve had to find other ways to disconnect, such as reading or writing. But even though illustration is no longer my only go-to form of expression, I still find myself itching to draw. This happened during my last trip to Morocco, where I promised myself I would take 10 days off from drawing. But seeing how magnificent the country is, I couldn’t help but take out my sketchbook and document some of my experiences during the trip. It was the only way I could take it all in.
Whose work informs or inspires yours?
I’ve been very influenced by Sara Alfageeh lately – notably her graphic novel Squire written with Nadia Shammas. It’s set in an alternate history MENA and follows the story of a 14-year-old girl who trains to become a knight. I love that the story and design of the characters draw on our region's history and visual culture. Given that I’m currently working on a short graphic novel partly set in the 18th century, I find works like Squire very inspiring.
How do you think illustration plays into capturing and preserving popular memory?
I was reflecting about that a few weeks ago. I think illustrations play a crucial role in that, and in turn contribute to how we see ourselves down the line. Think of the illustrations made by Victorian travellers in the Middle East in the 19th century. Their depictions of the region – which were taken back to their countries and reproduced – would have you think all our ancestors lived semi-nomadic lives surrounded by idyllic oases and empty deserts. Nevermind that the region had bustling cities with schools, universities, libraries and lively cultural scenes. The more illustrations, images, films and novels we create – honestly and authentically reflecting our day to day lives and experiences – the more control we gain over our own narrative and the telling of our histories.
Too many people say that print is dead. Do you agree?
I don’t think print is dead. I believe print will live forever – it’s only its function and significance that changes. Print is important, especially today when our attention span is getting shorter and shorter as we’re being flooded with more and more content online. Many people are longing to slow down. The physicality of a printed object is grounding and allows us to sit with ideas and thoughts longer than when we come across them on a screen.
What’s your experience been like working in the creative field in the Arab world? Do you feel like you’re part of a “scene”?
Honestly, I often feel that I’m surrounded by pioneers. I got to work with Mobius Studio on an illustration a while back. They recently launched The Looming Council, a platform which facilitates access to historically significant resources relevant to Graphic Design education, practice and research in the MENA region. I got to collaborate with amazing illustrators like Yousef Sabry, Muhammad Mustafa and Mariam Elreweny on the Naguib Mahfouz Project. The cover design and layout were created by 40Mustaqel, one of the best design studios in Egypt, if not the region. I’m just very grateful that I get to be part of a group of such incredible people.
What do you think our creative scene needs to healthily develop and flourish?
We need to be more welcoming of constructive criticism. Often, we support projects from the region simply because they are from the region. It leaves me wondering if those projects would stand the test of time. Sometimes, our media can be stuck in a bit of an “emperor’s new clothes” situation. On the flipside, people may take to social media and viciously pile onto a project. They completely reject it, because it doesn’t reflect their “values”, or because they simply deem it bad. Again, in instances like these, I believe we can benefit from a culture of dialogue and receptiveness.
Who should we feature next?
I think you should speak with Omniya Abdel Bar. She’s an architect and specialist in cultural heritage conservation. I learned a lot from her while working on my upcoming short graphic novel, Cairo Illustrated: Stories from Bayt Al-Razzaz. You should also speak with Mobius Design Studio about The Looming Council. I attended the launch of the platform during Dubai Design Week and it was eye-opening.
If you’ve missed Nora Zeid on Khatt Chronicles in July 2024, you can go back and listen to it here:
