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Sofreh Supperclub: Fostering Belonging Through Communal Dining within the Iraqi-American Diaspora

By Zahra'a Nasralla

"Sofreh Supperclub is a design research project that fosters belonging and cultural continuity within the Iraqi-American diaspora through communal dining. The project focuses on a shareable dining kit, featuring handcrafted tableware from Baghdad, a woven bread basket, and a 'sofreh' (tablecloth) representing agricultural methods rooted in Mesopotamian heritage. The kit invites hosts to reinterpret traditional Iraqi meals in a contemporary context, creating spaces for storytelling, cultural exchange, and connection.

Rather than a fixed event, Sofreh Supperclub travels from host to host, enabling ongoing participation. This participatory design approach emphasizes the role of food, craft, and narrative in preserving cultural identity and bridging generational gaps. By fostering dialogue through shared meals, the project explores how design can facilitate meaningful connections across diverse communities.

This project contributes to broader conversations within design by highlighting how design can serve as a tool for cultural preservation and community-building. It challenges traditional notions of authorship and ownership, promoting plural authorship and community-led experiences. Sofreh Supperclub demonstrates how intangible cultural heritage can be activated through design, creating spaces for reflection, belonging, and care. Through the integration of food, craft, and storytelling, it offers new insights into place-making in diasporic life, showing how design can engage with identity, memory, and cultural exchange in meaningful ways."

A blue tablecloth with embroidered outlines of geographic regions is laid out on a dining table. The table is arranged with various engraved brass trays and dishes, with a cozy living room visible in the background.
A person holds a highly polished silver-colored tray featuring ornate etched patterns and Arabic calligraphy. The background is plain white, highlighting the reflective surface and decorative details of the plate.
An elderly craftsman sits on a low bench working on a copper plate with a hammer and chisel. He is focused on engraving the surface while surrounded by various brassware in a traditional market setting.
A man and a woman examine decorative brass trays in a marketplace. The woman, wearing a hijab and keffiyeh scarf, listens attentively. The scene is surrounded by hanging metal goods in a dimly lit, antique-style shop.
A woman in a striped top and black headscarf draws on a large blue fabric map using a silver marker. The detailed lines of geographic boundaries are visible, and the setting appears to be an artistic or educational space.
A person holds a metal plate with Arabic calligraphy cut from paper placed on its surface. The background is filled with brass and copper trays and antique goods in a market stall, illuminated warmly by overhead lighting.

  • Zahra'a Nasralla

    Zahra’a Nasralla is a second-generation Iraqi-American designer whose work integrates religion, culture, and aesthetics with functionality. They hold a Bachelor’s in Architecture from the American University of Sharjah and a…