- A Society in which Materials, Words, Concepts and Representations are Thought and Re-thought to cater to a Peacefully Coexisting Community
Senior students in the Visual Communication Department at The American University in Dubai (AUD) have responded to their roles and duties as responsible artists, designers and citizens of the world in their senior exhibition entitled, “Sustainable City.” The model Sustainable City is studied, imagined and constructed as a balanced and relevant place for the here and now, while taking into consideration the needs of future generations; it is designed as one in which humanity and society are balanced with the environment and planet, where communities coexist in peace and harmony, and one in which imagination is privileged. This sophisticated understanding has propelled the students to work on projects that range from a Palestinian art collective to a Dubai based social design group. On display are concepts and corporate designs for a Dubai eco-hotel, a UAE green directory, studies in beauty, and a sustainable materials kit for graphic designers. These projects were showcased at the Dubai Community Theater & Art Centre, until the 30
th of January, 2010.
Prof. Elizabeth Monoian, Assistant Professor of Graphic Design at AUD, and curator of the exhibition, explains: "The students have begun the semester deconstructing the concept of sustainability in its conceptual layers in order to understand their coursework in a broader context of societal needs. What they all have agreed on is that this term goes for beyond the ideas of “green” and “eco” and, in fact, is a holistic concept that includes notions such as peace, imagination, respect, human connections, beauty, and justice. Emotional space, the physical self and all levels of human interaction have been considered.” “Simply put, the students now understand that actions such as racism and hatred are not sustainable, whereas kindness and respect are sustainable. With these understandings a harmonic balance between nature and humans is better achieved," she concludes.
On the concept behind Sustainable City,
Prof. Dina Faour, Assistant Professor of Graphic Design at AUD, also a curator of the exhibition, comments: “We are very excited and proud to introduce our students’ projects. These young creative minds have worked hard on generating an image of this model city, each from their own perspective and interest but all with the same goal in mind: a sustainable city for a peacefully coexisting community.”
As for
Mazen Chabayta, a student exhibitor partaking in Sustainable City, with his project
Intifadart, he asserts: “Working on Sustainable City does not only involve generating ideas that make the city since every little detail matters; we, as seniors, have combined all our talents, which we gained during our educational journey, and considered all the angles and directions, in order to make this city real and alive. From financial to cultural to social and urban aspects, we have managed to create an idea and visualization of the perfect city, a sustainable one. My personal contribution is combining art, charity, and patriotism in
Intifadart,an art movement that supports Palestinian artists by providing them with exposure through art events and exhibitions.”
www.intifadart.com.
The student exhibitors’ model city is thus a society in which every material, concept, representation, and word used are thought and re-thought until they make sense for the greater good of humanity, the sustainable city.
