interview with sara shakeel on her shimmering NFTs for evian

SARA SHAKEEL AND EVIAN EXTEND THEIR SUCCESSFUL COLLABORATION

 

A contemporary artist with an obsessive love for crystals, Sara Shakeel has gained over a million followers on Instagram transforming photos into beautiful shiny artworks. Her collages imagine a world dusted in glitter, using crystals and diamonds as a medium through which to look at absolutely everything.

 

Following her first collaboration with Evian — an immersive sparkling art experience in London pictured here — Shakeel has unveiled the release of 20 shimmering NFTs. The artworks celebrate Evian’s heritage from the glacial rocks in the heart of the French alps, and marks the brand’s entrance into the emerging digital art space.

 

Prior to the launch, designboom spoke with Shakeel who shared with us how she transitioned from a dentist to an artist, her obsession with crystals and the inspiration behind this collaboration with evian.

Sara Shakeel x evian NFT

 

WITH THE NEW NFTs, EVIAN ENTERS THE EMERGING DIGITAL SPACE

 

The evian NFT drop in collaboration with Sara Shakeel presents fans the opportunity to discover new worlds of digital ownership with the individual numbered artworks. Following the brand’s commitment to sustainability, the NFTs have been created with Tezos, using energy-efficient and self-upgradable proof-of-stake blockchain technology, minimizing its energy footprint. 100% of the proceeds will be donated to the Somerset House young talents fund, aiding the next generation of artists.

 

‘The alpine origins of our iconic pure natural mineral water is a fundamental part of our heritage,’ said Lucille Moreau, Director of Culture & Experience at Evian. ‘Sara’s digital reimagination of our Evian mountains beautifully captures and encapsulates the essence of this, also bringing the sparkles of our new Evian sparkling water to life. We are so thrilled to be taking this leap into the digital world with our first NFT, enabling our Evian community to interact with and enjoy the brand in a new and exciting way.’

 

Read our interview with Sara Shakeel below.

 

INTERVIEW WITH SARA SHAKEEL

 

DESIGNBOOM (DB): How was transition from dentist to artist?

 

SARA SHAKEEL (SS): I think I’ve answered this question 500 times, but I’m always happy to do it again. It’s been a beautiful journey. People seem to think I don’t like dentistry when in fact, I love dentistry, and I miss that part of my life too. But unfortunately in Pakistan there is still a lot of corruption and male chauvinism. I stood up for the things that I thought were right as a dentist and my female teacher didn’t like this, and she made me fail my exams — not once or twice — but 12 times. That is two years in a row. And I was just missing one paper, and she told me she was not letting me pass my paper, end of story. 

 

The thing is that I knew there was no way going around, so I quit my studies and came back home. Many begged me to go back and finish my studies, they told me things like ‘come on, it’s just one paper’. So basically I am a dentist, I’m just missing one paper. 

 

I never knew that I was an artist. But one day, accidentally, out of nowhere, I took out my phone — Samsung note 3 with a pen — and it just happened that I opened an application and starting adding pictures, making collages, and uploading these works on Instagram. And it just happened, I can’t tell you that I planned it. 

The whole process was very therapeutic. Whenever I finished an artwork I felt so good and comfortable with myself as if I was explaining myself without using words. I remember I got like 23 likes on one of my first posts, and I was so proud. 

 

But I would say it was an accident, a marvelous accident.  

 

DB: So you have no background in image editing apps like Photoshop, etc?

 

SS: I like drawing and creating new images by juxtaposing them together. But you know, in Pakistan art is seen as a hobby, not as a profession.

 

I never knew what Photoshop was.

 

One of my artworks — the crystal lipsticks — went viral, and people wanted them, as in the physical object. And I remember one of the comments said ‘these are the worst photoshop edits ever. And I thought to myself ‘I don’t care if you like it or not, my real questions here is: what is photoshop.’ So I googled it, downloaded it and taught myself how to use it.

 

And you want to know what’s even better? One year later, Adobe contacted me saying they loved my crystal sparkling work and wanted to commission some work from me.

 

I loved what I was doing, it was fun, it made me happy, and I wanted to learn more. It was not causing me stress, because I was doing and learning what I wanted. This is why I always tell people they should do what they want to do, what makes them happy and excited.

 

For me being an artist was very natural, it was not an effort. I was genuinely excited to learn new skills, and shape my crystal world.

 

DB: Where does the idea of crystalizing the world comes from?

 

SS: This was also an accident (laughs). So what happened was, if you look at the work I did previously to the crystals, you will find fishes, galaxies, patterns… I mean, a lot of things. And one day, I accidentally came across a Swarovski pattern and I started playing around with it and came up with the lipsticks.

 

Once I saw the response I got from my followers, I continued applying it to other objects, and slowly, that became my signature mark.

 

When it comes to crystals, my grandmother used to collect a lot of Swarovski crystals. So, in one way or another they had been present always, throughout my life. They were always there, subliminally in my mind, and I was always fascinated by them. I mean, I still am. It comes naturally to me. I love how a clear thing has so many colors to it.

 

DB: This story you’re telling me sounds as it was meant to me, with many different elements coming together into where you are right now.

 

 

SS: I embraced everything. But I have to be honest with you. I never wanted to be famous for the money, and I have always been driven towards creating discussions and conversations around things that people take for granted. Those who follow me have seen how I’ve taken images that are somehow ordinary and I’ve made them extraordinary by bringing them into my crystal world.

 

I do it out of love, and it all comes from a very genuine place. That’s why I always write that each picture healed a part of me and I hope it heals a part of you too.