This document supports Purdah, an installation based thesis exhibition consisting of photography, video, text, sound and scent. Purdah records the diversity in the readings, meanings and interpretations of veils associated with Islam – such as burqa, niqab and hijab – while studying their gendered, historical and cultural contexts through an intersectional, feminist lens. Purdah consists of digital and print representations of an amalgam of ethnography, storytelling and a contemporary critical art practice. In the Introduction, I invite readers to delve into why I have chosen Islamic forms of veiling as a focus of my research while using it symbolically, conceptually and realistically in my work. The introductory chapter will lead into the Methodology chapter highlighting visual research methods employed to realize this exhibition. Following the Methodology chapter is the Literature Review in which I discuss influences of various artists and writers on my work. Finally, the paper is closed with an Epilogue.

Keywords: Purdah, Burqa, Islamic Feminism, Photography, Image, Text, Sound, Video, Installation

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