In a remarkable National Day project, art teacher Rashida Adil and her students at Sharjah Indian School created an impressive UAE flag entirely out of 65,000 buttons. This ambitious artwork, undertaken over the past three months, not only celebrates the national flag but also carries a powerful environmental message.
Adil, driven by a desire to repurpose discarded buttons from school uniforms, conceived the idea to raise environmental awareness among students. “I realized that buttons from school uniforms were often thrown away. So, I thought, why not use these buttons to make something significant and pay tribute to our beautiful country?” Adil explained.
Sharjah Students were asked to collect buttons of various sizes, provided they matched the colors of the UAE flag. The response was overwhelming, resulting in a collection of 65,000 buttons. “I was amazed by the students’ enthusiasm. Over the course of three months, Grade 9 students assembled the base of the flag using wooden scraps from old furniture,” Adil said. “Once the base was ready, we used glue to affix the buttons and complete the flag.”
The class’s creativity didn’t stop with the flag. Students also utilized electronic waste to construct a giant falcon, a significant cultural symbol of the UAE.
“We repurposed screws from electronic devices for the falcon’s beak, used camera lenses for the eyes, and keyboard keys and USB ports for its head. We incorporated 500 CDs for the head and tail,” Adil noted.
This year’s project is part of a tradition for Adil, who has been teaching art for 27 years. Each year, she selects a theme and encourages her students to create meaningful art using recycled materials. Last year’s projects included a portrait of Sheikh Zayed made from 1,148 bottle caps and an e-waste horse.
“Although I’m an art teacher, my primary goal is to teach children about the importance of reducing, reusing, and recycling. These projects not only help them learn these principles but also allow them to create beautiful art at no cost,” Adil concluded.
