Brave New World

Last Thursday, I attended the Brave New World: Senior Project Exhibition by AUD students at The Ara Gallery.

It wasn't an art exhibition. It was an exhibition of ideas presented through design. I enjoyed my time and the exhibition appealed to me a lot. As a communications person, I like to think of myself as someone from the ideas business rather than arts.

These are the projects I absolutely loved!

Abdul Azim Al Ghussein

This is a poster that represents the original project. If I'm not mistaken Abdul Azim is inspired by Neil Gaiman's work. So his project revolves around the letter D, representing Dubai, Dreams, D.... and other words that begin with the letter D. He created a book with all these different characters and he tells their stories through words and illustrations too. The book looked pretty amazing. I wish I could show it to you guys, but he only had one copy.

Sally Alzaza

Sally's project is part of an initiative by an NGO she worked for in Damascus (her hometown.). The NGO's initiative promoted individuals giving back to society, and then the NGO would give something back to these individuals. It is sort of like a pay-it forwards kind of thing. What I loved the most was the tree that is inspired by Avatar's  tree of life. You get colored leaves where you write down what you wish for the world or what you are planning on giving back. Here's my leaf:

Reem Akre

This project is a campaign that promotes self-worth in the face of exploitive advertising. The campaign's message tells consumers that they don't have to buy stuff to be confident or happy. The campaign is called "Brand Me". 

Maya El Chammas

 Maya's project is campaign that proposes a solution to the negativity within us that hinders us from doing what we are capable of doing. The first image is of trash can. You acknowledge you're negative thoughts, you write them down, and then dispose them in this special bin where the paper is recycled afterwards. "I Hate Their Faces" is an example of a negative thought. I think its pretty creative and a lot of people can relate to it.

Mashal Khan

This project consists of a book, but it is also a campaign to promote the creation of parks in Dubai. It is an environmental campaign. You can only see the poster here, but the book was amazing! It was very innovative in terms of design and style. I also liked the promotional items (bottom-right), there's this bookmark-like thing, you put it up in front of your eyes and its supposed to reduce stress. Then there's the postcard, which you fill in and then send to Dubai Municipality to request the creation of parks in Dubai. 

For more info visit The Ara Gallery's website: thearagallery.ae