Visual communications students at the American University in Dubai (AUD) have a lot on their minds. For one, they are looking for employment after graduation; accordingly, each of their projects had to be carefully planned and executed in the best way possible. In order to better market their work and display the projects that they worked so hard on, they held an exhibition that attracted artists, friends and anyone interested in art and installations.
The exhibition, held during the summer at Jam Jar, an art gallery in Dubai, lasted a week and gave the students the chance to introduce themselves and their work to the public.
Notes asked them about their career plans, experience at university and their academic projects.
Making a statement
It was the students who organised the exhibition. After learning a thing or two about teamwork from organising art exhibitions at university, they got together to showcase their work independently.
Melissa De Silva, visual communications major with a concentration in graphics, explained how the exhibition was executed. "We organised everything from coordinating with the media to finding the exhibition hall, securing funding and catering. This is a good opportunity for artists to come and have a look at our work," she said.
Ahmad Abu Chaaban, a graphic design student, said that the exhibition marked the last stage of academic work. "It felt like we had accomplished so much and we needed to show everyone what we had done…. It's also about making a statement: We are done with university and we can now move on."
Helping each other
For four years, the students had been attending the same classes, working on group projects and brainstorming ideas together.
"There was never competition between us; we always helped each other and learned from each other," said Jermine Al Hussary, a visual communications student graduating in the autumn.
"Because our class is very mixed, we get to see things from different points of view and it's so much fun. We work individually on assignments and as a team to make exhibitions like this happen," De Silva said.
Constraints
Despite agreeing that finding a job in Dubai would give their future careers a great boost, many students said they plan to go abroad. "Dubai is an amazing place because of its endless open doors and various nationalities, but I would like to move abroad. There are certain constraints here. If you come with an overwhelming or daring concept, there are chances that the public may not accept it. And for me, I feel art shouldn't have any constraints," De Silva said.
Other students said that constraints are actually positive. "It's good because if people become extreme, it would jeopardise culture. Open-mindedness is good but we can't forget that Dubai, and the UAE, is in the Middle East and this is our culture," said Sara Al Zawqari, a Yemeni student.
Some students said that the best way to deal with censorship is to apply creativity to convey the right message without having to be censored.
Student freedom
Ahmad said that there is a certain degree of freedom in applying new and daring ideas, but that the freedom is curtailed once complaints start. He cited an incident when visual communication students at AUD had to stop a campaign when students from a more conservative background rejected the idea on display. "Some people are blocked by the general concept and don't think about the deeper issues behind what we are bringing up," he said.
This spurred a discussion about the freedom of students on an American campus. "Everyone thinks being in an American university is a bad thing but it's not true. We have our morals and values but want to express ourselves in a certain way. AUD students come from different places and backgrounds and have many different perspectives," Hussary said.
The themes
The issues on which the projects were based were mostly related to human emotions, values, roots and choices.
De Silva's work portrayed the fickleness of human emotion. "People switch emotions all the time as if they are on a roller coaster; the entire world could relate to it: I named it Mood Coaster." Dana Arrar posted five versions of the same face, each intended to express a certain emotion. "My work is about struggles in life, how we overcome [them] and hide, through facial makeup," she said.
Ahmad Abou Chaaban's project referred to the battle between good and bad in one's mind and showed how a person can be guided either way. Hussary wrote and designed a book for children.
Future plans
While some students said they would like to stay in the UAE for work experience, others said they would like to return to their homelands or travel abroad in search of international opportunities. "After graduation I plan to go for my masters degree but I see potential in my own country," said Arrar, who is from Brazil.
Hussary said: "After graduation, I plan to go back to Egypt to explore it since I haven't lived there before."
The rest of the group are either interning or looking for internships, pending future employment. They have big ambitions for the future. "I want to be part of a creative team and hope to move up in an international advertising firm. I want to be either a creative director, or open my own ad house," Hussary said.
