The Prayer Beads : ‘no words left to say’ was born out of feelings surrounding the violence that began in Gaza during October 2023.

My thoughts go to all individuals caught up in war, violence and conflict. Many years ago I spent some time in Israel and with Palestinians living within Israel, in Jerusalem, on the edge of the West Bank and in Nazareth. I recall one particular Palestinian man in the old city in Jerusalem who would always invite me into his shop and we would sit and drink tea together. He would always carry prayer beads.

Virtually all monotheistic religions have prayer beads of some description: for people to take comfort from, to pray with, to embody with their hopes and dreams, their heartbreaks and celebrations.

The piece is made up of 58 wheel thrown and altered porcelain beads, 24ct gold leaf, cotton thread and wire. The string of beads is approximately 3 meters long.