01
Copper in the souk
Moatasim grew up in Amman among the smell of coffee and metal. His grandfather polished distillation vessels in a small shop by the downtown market, where he learned that fire is never rushed.
From souk copper to studio fire
Moatasim Al Selawy is a Jordanian alchemist who treats matter like a text: read it, reduce it, then let it speak.
02
Academic chemistry
He studied chemistry, then returned to craft. School gave him measure. The bench gave him patience. Between them his method formed: precise preparations with the spirit of pocket manuscripts.
03
Spice routes
He traveled Damascus, Aleppo, and Cairo, collecting old distillation paths and plant names written in ink before they were written in Latin.
04
The Weibdeh studio
Today he works from a stone room in Weibdeh with western light. Copper stills, sheets of gold leaf, and glass vials waiting to be sealed.
“Gold does not make the man. The man learns to hold fire until gold appears in his hand.”