Instagram story viewer> @half.bird> Posts

ailo montserrat

@half.bird

2.8K

followers

4834

following

@alwahat.collective
@londontranspride
@janvaneyckacademie 2025
☆ long live the new flesh ☆

POSTS STORIES REELS TAGGED

✊🏿🕯20/11/22 🕯✊🏼 by @half.bird

127

2

4 years ago

Sneak peek into our Arabic/English publication
𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑭𝒂𝒔𝒕-𝑮𝒓𝒐𝒘𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑺𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑬𝒔𝒄𝒂𝒑𝒆𝒅 𝑾𝒂𝒔𝒕𝒆-𝑳𝒐𝒗𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑾𝒂𝒍𝒍-𝑩𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒄𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑺𝒆𝒍𝒇-𝑪𝒍𝒐𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑶𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓-𝑻𝒉𝒂𝒏-𝑵𝒂𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒂𝒍 𝑵𝒐-𝑴𝒂𝒏’𝒔 𝑻𝒓𝒆𝒆
by collective members Areej Ashhab and Ailo Ribas

The book is available through the link in bio, at @educationalbookshop in Jerusalem, and at @khalilsakakinicenter in Ramallah.

This work stems from Areej and Ailo’s journeys through Palestine in August 2022, where their encounters with 𝘈𝘪𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘩𝘶𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘵𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘮𝘢, or Tree of Heaven, became a starting point for reflections on resistance, belonging, and the land’s survival under settler colonialism. Rather than forming a singular narrative, individual texts weave in and out of each other, with Ailo’s text on the right of each printed spread, facing Areej’s narrative on the left.

Printed on transparent paper are scans of ailanthus leaves, samaras (winged fruits), and seedlings, sprouting from between both texts. These were collected from trees around Areej’s home in Jerusalem, most of which she directly refers to in her text. The scans are occasionally accompanied by a new name for the tree that reflects the unfolding narrative and overwrites its Linnaean taxon. Pushing against systems of classification inherited from racist & imperialist European science, a messy, iterative, imperfect naming of the tree unfolds throughout the text in layers, like a palimpsest, documenting the various ways people encountered throughout the project relate to the tree.

Nestled between the Arabic and English texts are photographs taken by Ailo during her trip to Palestine in 2022 that capture the layered spatialities and ecologies of the tree in the Dheisheh refugee camp.

Editing by Matthew Battles @mbattles
Translation (to Arabic) by Torjoman
Proofreading and Copyediting (English) by Ailo Ribas, Ahmad Makia @housepublishingmakiaahmad , (Arabic) by Areej Ashhab, Ahmad Makia, Wasan Yousif
Cover Design by Mothanna Hussein @mothannahussein

this publication was made possible through the @sharjahart Publishing Grant 2023. by @half.bird

246

3

2 years ago

by @half.bird

81

0

2 months ago

Snapshots from Wild Hedges: Waste/lands with @alwahat.collective , the exhibition from our spring residency at @mediamatic_ 🌿

Building on our ongoing investigation into colonial and nationalist representations of wastelands, this five-meter textile installation engages so-called “invasive” species as a wild hedge: entangled, adaptive growth rooting itself in disturbed soils amid a changing environment.

The eco-printed weeds (sowthistle, narrow-leaved ragwort, nettle, cleaver, mallow, red valerian) were collected locally in Amsterdam, pounded collectively into the fabric, and later overlaid with the interlocking grids of darning, a historical gendered Dutch practice of young women repairing clothes. Through the intersections between the prints and the embroidery, the installation thinks how urban practices of maintenance and planning often overlook existing ecologies.

The series of cyanotype images developed by @gdemczuk , depicting the same plants, are exposed in-situ along with the shadows of ornamental plants growing nearby. Toned with the plants themselves, these weeds are brought into the production of the image, contesting isolated botanical drawings of plants, such as those in the Moninckx Atlas functioning as the Dutch East India Company’s trade ledger.

The accompanying publication developed by @half.bird traces how so-called “invasive” species, artificial water/land boundaries and urban ecologies are shaped by histories of colonial trade, classification, and control.

The exhibition will be up for 2 more weeks!

Photos: (1) @gdemczuk , (2-5) @mediamatic_ by @half.bird

175

1

4 months ago

Small publication 𝘞𝘪𝘭𝘥 𝘏𝘦𝘥𝘨𝘦𝘴: 𝘞𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘦/𝘓𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘴 I wrote, designed & printed on tracing paper for @alwahat.collective as part of a short residency we just completed in Amsterdam with @mediamatic_ investigating (continuing) colonial histories of land reclamation in the Netherlands and overseas, “invasive” species, and the value of what Ameneh Solati (@amna_solati ) calls the “illegibility of water” and marshlands in resisting the state. Our exhibition by the same name is open for the next 2 weeks ꩜ if you’re in town go check it out n nab yourself a free copy!

A short excerpt from the text:

“The wealth accrued through the Dutch East India Company’s colonial exploitation and trade of ‘exotic’ plants during the 17th and 18th centuries was directly invested by merchants in Amsterdam into purchasing local marshland and funding the development of wind-powered pump technology (windmills) to drain them and create highly-profitable private agricultural estates.

Today, many of these plants—such as Japanese knottweed, nasturtium, or morning glory—have become feral, found sprouting from the city’s cracks and verges, margins and hedgerows, designated ‘exotic (or sometimes toxic) invasives’ by the Dutch Government, who prohibits their trade, possession and distribution. No longer useful to the state, they are criminalised in favour of so-called native species that reflect a fantasy of unbroken national belonging, of an authentically Dutch landscape. The turn away from the “exotic” is not the salve on the colonial wound that Europeans think it is. It is a chronic re-wounding. These stateless plants, uprooted for profit then discarded after centuries of exploitation, are the waste products of empire. That they continue to adapt to their changing environment and refuse legibility threatens a state founded on management—of water, of land, of flesh—as control.“

Thank you to our phenomenal panelists last night, Alaa Abu Asad, Ameneh Solati & Linda Kopitz for their invaluable words & perspectives on these topics ♥️💚 and to the best team-mates, friends, collaborators, etc. @areedge @gdemczuk <33 taken in Mediamatic by @half.bird

72

3

4 months ago

Bootleg TransCendenZ merch drop pt.2 ꩜ gorgeous two-tone riso posters printed by my babe @vanitycrystal on recycled paper, bleached and tea-stained tees (me and @nostalgia.nausea had way too much fun yday) plus more designs + pins available tomorrow at @avaloncafebermondsey from 5pm till late <3

Come down n dance n ki w/ us it’s gonna be so magickal ~ wall to wall angels ☆ some of my favourite people on earth in one room!! wahhh! taken in Avalon Cafe by @half.bird

195

13

4 months ago

BOOTLEG transCendenZ TEES 🌀 limited screenprinted shirts will be on sale at my surgery fundraiser @avaloncafebermondsey this Sunday from 5pm - midnight <33 + pins & riso posters & more merch…… maybe or maybe not w/ my naked skull…. come see for urself…..

Beyond grateful to my ride or die @nostalgia.nausea for design & help printing and to angel @maggotdeath666 for loaning us the studio

See u on the floor,, long live the new flesh ༄xx taken in eXistenZ by @half.bird

188

5

4 months ago

Finally able to announce what we’ve been cooking up and it’s major★⋆. ࿐࿔

On the 14th of June for one night only @avaloncafebermondsey ꩜ transCendenZ ꩜ promises full hearts & bruised feet courtesy of an absolutely bonkers line-up… you don’t wanna miss this.

Get your dancing shoes on for the sublime

@karliemarx.wav
@_sippin_t
@vanitycrystal
@planningtorock
@eula.xo

So ridiculously excited (⸝⸝๑﹏๑⸝⸝)

5pm - midnight, pay what you can minimum £15 (dm if you need cheap link).
Black trans people go free.

My surgery date was brought forward unexpectedly last minute due to my clinic closing down, so this party is now a face-reveal-and-help-me-pay-off-my-debt party.

To set out on such a fool’s errand into unfamiliar waters to be remade in the image of myself has, quite literally, ripped me up and sown be back together again in more ways than one—the depths of kindness I have experienced from loved ones and complete strangers has been game-changing. It is a beautiful and humbling reminder of why we do what we do, and the transformative power of mutual aid—truly we are the change. In the words of Allegra Geller “you have to play the game in order to find out why you’re playing”. Transitioning in community with you all has shown me why I’m playing.

So in the spirit of that I am throwing a party to celebrate the magic of mutual aid, my new face, YOU all, my literal chosen family (special shoutout to my bff @nostalgia.nausea for designing the sexiest poster and my actual sister karlie for helping this happen at every step of the way), my skeleton for holding it all in/up, the demoness Allegra Geller, etc. but with the same goal as always of helping me pay off the remaining few k of my surgery debt. This is the *final push*, we’re so so close & it would mean so much to me to dance with you <33

.˳·˖✶𓆩𓇗 ☆see u on the dancefloor 𓁺 long live the new flesh ☆𓇗𓆪✶˖·˳.

self portraits and photos 2 & 3 by my love @alicehanako from the pre/post-op taken in Avalon Cafe by @half.bird

218

27

5 months ago

After three years of research and collaborative material practice across Palestine, Mexico and Spain, our first chapter of Wild Hedges is on show until the end of August at Salt Beyoğlu in Istanbul as part of the show Breaking Through the Dam 🌀

Thanks to @gulceozkara @emirhanaltuner and the rest of the team at @salt_online , and our forever collaborators and friends at @sakiyaorg

@alwahat.collective @alwahat.collective @alwahat.collective taken in Salt Beyoğlu by @half.bird

68

2

6 months ago

wrote a short piece titled Seven Owls for @the.stone.club zine about rocks my grandmother collected that she thought looked like owls, Alzheimer’s, gardening (or lack thereof, of letting weeds go to seed), and grief.

here is an excerpt and some snapshots of a small run of riso zines of an earlier version of the text with images of her rocks and granite kitchen counter, in whose swirling patterns she would see endless owls each morning as we shared breakfast.

i wrote this piece for myself as much as for her, in an attempt to metabolise my grief through the lessons she left me in seeing things where there is “nothing there to see”.

available in print via the Stone Club and also soon on an ✹incoming✹ substack watch this space etc etc

☆ love and rage ☆ by @half.bird

63

2

6 months ago

El proper dissabte 7 de març 2026 a les 12:00 h, tindrà lloc a l’ArborètumJardí Botànic de Lleida la presentació del llibre «L’arbre no humà i no natural que s’auto-clona, trenca murs, devora residus, s’escapa, fa pudor i creix amb rapidesa», d’Areej Ashhab i Ailo Ribas, publicat per Sharjah Art Foundation i Al-Wah'at (2024). A la presentació participaran l'Ailo Ribas (autora del llibre), Christian Alonso (comissari de l'exposició «Plantes migrants»), Silvina Sànchez (responsable de Silvinaction.cat, agenda cultural de Lleida) i Alejandro Juárez (director de l'Arborètum).

El llibre de l'Ailo i l'Areej és el resultat d’una setmana compartida a Palestina l’agost de 2022 i de les trobades que van mantenir amb l’anomenat arbre del cel, o arbre de l’infern (Ailanthus altissima), introduït a Palestina entre les dècades de 1960 i 1980 pel Jewish National Fund. Aquesta espècie considerada «invasora» va ser el punt de partida de les seves reflexions sobre la terra i la persistència en un context d’ocupació colonial. L’Areej comparteix històries personals de l’arbre a les cases de la seva família a Jerusalem i Betlem, relacionant-ne els patrons de creixement amb el paisatge ecològic i polític canviant de Palestina. L’Ailo, per la seva banda, analitza la noció d’invasivitat associada a les «males herbes» i, en aquest cas, a l’arbre, com un mitjà per abordar qüestions de pertinença i de resistència a la Palestina ocupada.

Aquesta activitat forma part del programa públic d’activitats de l’exposició «Plantes migrants» (Arborètum) de l’artista i jardinera Vicky Benítez, que reuneix pintures elaborades sobre paper fet amb fibres de plantes «exòtiques i invasores» , estretament vinculades als processos de colonialisme europeu i capitalisme global.

Activitat organitzada en el marc del Dia Mundial de la Vida Silvestre i del Dia Internacional de la Dona. taken in Arborètum - Jardí Botànic de Lleida by @half.bird

144

0

8 months ago

☆ UPDATE ☆ Due to my clinic in Barcelona closing unexpectedly next May I’ve had to bring my surgery forwards from September to April. I will have to borrow the remainder, to pay it back over the next few months as I fundraise the rest. But the more I can gather together before surgery the better, so I greatly appreciate any boost & share & support over next few weeks <3 i have been absolutely humbled and moved by everyone’s support so far, thank you thank you deeply xxxxxxx

Hiii everyone,

Feel like i’m dreaming but here it is… I’m undertaking FFS (facial feminisation surgery) in september 2026 and I’ve launched a fundraiser (link up top) to help cover the costs. Any boost would mean a lot so pls share and leave a comment <3

Honestly monosyllabic & lost for words—maybe someday I’ll write something longer and to the bone about what’s been coming up for me, about going under the knife as a beautiful kind of griefwork, but for now i’ll keep it short. I was cautioned that transition would be a lonely path to isolation, and while it has not been an easy path at times i have never felt so accompanied, supported, and held—finding your people is truly magic. And the power of mutual aid in our community continues to astonish and humble me. Special shoutout to my bffs @nostalgia.nausea and @vanitycrystal and my gorgeous girl @alicehanako for helping me put this gfm together and just generally being angels ✩

Goes without saying but if you’re fundraising for your own thing pls don’t donate!

More fundraising antics such as supper clubs, party, etc. TBC

Thank you love you all <33

Pic post-party by @alicehanako earlier this year taken in The New Flesh by @half.bird

454

42

10 months ago