Image courtesy of AUS
The American University of Sharjah—a United Arab Emirates city just north of Dubai—is named not for a particular Western affiliation but the education system itself: “Located in University City, AUS is a not-for-profit, independent institution of higher education formed on the American model.” Founded in 1997 by His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan Bin Mohammed Al Qassimi, Member of the Supreme Council of the United Arab Emirates, Ruler of Sharjah, the school is accredited in the States, offering Bachelor’s degrees in Architecture, Interior Design, Design Management, Multimedia Design and Visual Communications through its College of Architecture, Art and Design.
Design faculty and students at CAAD have a history of making in applied and aesthetic contexts that contribute significantly to the regional and international material culture made in the Gulf region… CAAD educates award-winning students and graduates that display a high degree of enthusiasm, innovation and ethical professionalism in the changing society of the region.
CAAD’s studio culture resists confinement to a single medium, process, technology or theory; rather, it strives to integrate the object and everyday/virtual environments with drawing, painting, photography, digital fabrication/sculpture, time-based media and print. Student and alumni work evidences experimentation, craft, tradition and cultural precedent—and combines with community outreach, contemporary discourse and practice, and innovative digital fabrication techniques—to define the future of design and the constructed experience.
The wall treatment, fabricated by the department, was easily the best in show at Satellite
They created the topography with an additive process, then laser-cut the pattern into it…
Their showing at SaloneSatellite was one of the more progressive booths in the fair; Dean Peter Di Sabatino (formerly of the Department of Environmental Design at the Art Center) noted that it is purely a coincidence that the all eight of the participants—from a Vis/Com sophomore to several recent grads—happen to be female Arabs. Indeed, as with the Fuorisalone exhibition at Carwan Gallery, the work transcends narrow labels, running the gamut from purely formal experimentation to nuanced investigations into Middle Eastern history and culture.
Over time, the furniture design course has been transformed into a laboratory for the design and fabrication of increasingly complex and refined bespoke furniture. Building on this trajectory, CAAD has recently initiated a unique cross-disciplinary course entitled Form, Furniture and Graphics, available to students in all programs at CAAD. It emphasizes integration of graphic and typographic form with furniture design, exploring their reciprocal relationships. The goal is to expand the definition of furniture beyond normative function toward a hybrid condition that includes a semiotic reading.
Danah Al Kubaisy – “D-Bench”
Material: Sandblasted 3mm aluminum flat bar
Process: Metal-forming and general metal fabrication and assemblyThe bench explores eruption as a formal quality and the deregulation of a rational ordering system along its length. The piece consists of 36 3mm-thick hand-shaped aluminum bars fastened with machine screws to a welded aluminum tube frame. The piece was sandblasted after fabrication and assembly.
Sarah Alagroobi – “Amal’s Prayer Chair” (prototype; with 3D-printed scale model)
Material: 3mm MDF
Process: (prototype) Laser cut contours and glue laminationThis chair rocks to aid in the act of praying. The concept originates from the desire to aid the designer’s late grandmother and mother who struggled to pray in the prostrate position. According to Islamic tradition, those who cannot physically endure prostration may pray in a sitting position. The typographic pattern on the skin of the chair is derived from the Arabic letter kaf and refers to the “The Throne” (Ayatul-Kirsi), a powerful verse in the Holy Quran. The verse states: “His Chair doth extend, Over the heavens And the Earth…”
Marwa Abdulla Hasan – “Mesh Table”
Material: Walnut
Process: Traditional woodworking and handheld routerStarting with a triangular unit, this table gradually transforms from a 2D surface pattern toward relief and ultimately into 3D form. A combination of chiseling and hand-held routing with jig and template were used to achieve the pattern condition on the wood.
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