MZ Swap

Last day at Zayed University/ Exhibition at Tashkeel 2

2009-07-12T01:02:00.000-07:00

Last day_working on group projects for the exhibition

Tashkeel_presenting each groups' project

http://bonding09.wordpress.com/

http://traderoots.blogspot.com/

http://dontjudge2009.blogspot.com/

MZ Swap

After the presentation, our group got critics from people who came to the exhibition. One of the comments we got was that our group project was more towards about the process and progress than the result or final product.
Implying our ideas into 4 individual panels was about going through a thought process to present the individuals. Then how those different 16 panels (4 each) come together and make one piece to present the ‘unity in variety.’ Our thoughts developed from the phrase that Maitha found, “Similar but so different, Different but so similar.”

As mentioned before,
“We are all different, but similar, and it is only when we share our thoughts that we accomplish the ultimate goal of understanding and peace.”

Bernard said, "Experience is what it is."

From this Dubai trip and working with Zayed University students, I learned how to compromise and negotiate each other’s ideas and opinions within the group. Working with group is an important part in design field. From sharing thoughts, I got to know and understand better about the culture and people.
Experiencing culture and people physically and emotionally was the whole process of making this Dubai trip much more valuable and unique.
This great experience gave me chance to expand my way of thinking and understanding different cultures. I definitely think this experience will affect my art.
I hope this opportunity can be shared and continued.

Last day at Zayed University/ Exhibition at Tashkeel

2009-07-09T03:59:00.000-07:00

E- On our last day at Zayed, we finished up the individual part of the work on the panels, and moved quickly to get the backs painted. We laid all of the panels out and decided what composition looked best based on the imagery and colors that we chose, then flipped the panels and painted them a solid black. Once they dried we stenciled the quote "The essence of the beautiful is unity in variety"- a quote that we think really sums up what we wanted to achieve through our work.

At the actual exhibition we faced several obstacles when installing our work. We couldn't hang anything on the walls so we had to create a tiered platform by stacking tables and benches of various heights. We ended up covering our makeshift display with brown craft paper, as to not distract from the work itself. It worked out quite nicely, but boy was it a lot of work.

We weren't sure what to expect regarding the presentation of the work, were we doing a presentation to the whole crowd or were we going to just stand by the work and explain it to individual viewers? We prepared for the latter and therefore our presentation was somewhat short and disorganized. After the presentation we received comments and questions from several people. In general the feedback was positive, and the only criticism we received was about the presentation.

When the critique was over, the Zayed girls gave us amazing gifts like books, dates, burqas, textiles, and lots more. We had given them our gifts a few days before. The gift exchange was really great, and saying goodbye made me realize how close everyone had really gotten in such a short time. I can definitely say that working with the Zayed girls has had a great impact on my art and my whole way of thinking. It's been a fantastic experience. I hope that this program will continue for many years to come. Maybe next year the girls can come to the states!

Here are some of mine and Sunny's photos from the last day in the studio and the exhibition at Tashkeel.

Bernard Hilton

2009-07-08T03:54:00.001-07:00

Bernard made it into the tabloids after being seen with this "cute camel".

Work in Progress

2009-07-07T21:56:00.001-07:00

For Emily

2009-07-07T05:57:00.000-07:00

Kimchi is better

AMERICA IS THE BEST COUNTRY IN THE WORLD!!!!

2009-07-07T05:47:00.000-07:00

Emily celebrates the 4th of July alone in her hotel room. What a loser.

Triangle Madness

2009-07-06T03:40:00.001-07:00

Trying to find inspiration from optical art, dimension art, and graphic design that incorporate triangles.

More Images

Our Progress on the Final Project

2009-07-06T02:12:00.000-07:00

While brainstorming and researching for our project, we came up with a lot of different ideas that we eventually had to try our best to combine.

Ideas and Concepts:
- Real Stories (Inspiring stories with morals)
- Truths and Myths (Things that people think are true but are not actually true)
ex: 1. women in the gulf are abused 2. women in the gulf are not convinced with what they wear.. etc
- Religion and Beliefs
- Contemporary Culture (Our new evolving culture)
- Similarities and Differences (We always try to point out the things that makes us different and separate us, but forget the things that makes us similar)
- Stereotypes
- Cause and Effect

Possible Vehicles:
- Trading Cards/Flash Cards/Card Game
- Illustrations of Keywords on panels

We debated over the idea of a card game for a while, but decided that it wasn't in keeping with our concept, which is more about trading ideas, not comparing them. We landed on an idea that came about because of a photography exhibit that Maitha mentioned to us. The photographer had done a series of several photographs that all had the same compositions, but different subject matter. We agreed that this went along quite well with our concept that we are all different, but similar, and it is only when we share our thoughts that we accomplish the ultimate goal of understanding and peace.

Our vehicle will consist of 16 panels of MDF- each 15x15 inches. Each of the group members will be responsible for 4 of the panels and has total freedom as to what they what to put on the panels, as long as they have a triangle in the center of the composition. When the panels are turned over, as the viewer will be instructed to do, the 16 panels together will form a new image with a large triangle across them all. We chose a Triangle to symbolize the 3 different cultures that make up our group (Korean, American, Emirati).

We made the news!

2009-07-05T22:57:00.000-07:00

This group photo, taken at Sheikh Nahyan's farm house was published in yesterday's newspaper. We were all very excited!

Catching Up: June 30- July 2

2009-07-04T22:08:00.000-07:00

Since the talk with the creator of Freej, we have been moving forward at a faster pace with our final project. We've been working out the kinks within our group and have the materials ready to start working on the physical aspects of the project. Khadeeja purchased 16 15"x15" panels of MDF on which we are going to paint and print on in the upcoming days. Our concept is that unless we share our thoughts and stories with one another, we cannot see the big picture- a unified and peaceful world. We were inspired by one quote in particular- "The essence of the beautiful is unity in variety."

On Wednesday, July 1st we went to a gallery talk lead by our art history professor, Ron Hawker, on Ancient Islamic Art in Farjeem Gallery, a gallery in DIFC.

We walked around the area and visited several other galleries with all kinds of art from all over the world. One of the galleries was Cuadro. Another was the Opera gallery.

Later that day we went to a catered panel discussion at the Dubai Ladies Club. Emily and Sunny represented MICA on the panel and talked about their experiences with art exchange programs- this one in particular. We also discussed about the identity and how we can change peoples' perception by sharing arts (Method of communication).

Art and design is the greatest tool to communicate and spread ideas and culture.
We feel that it is our responsibility to share our experiences and spread what we have learned to the public.

On Thursday, July 2nd, we visited Sheikh Nahyan at his farm house. We ate a huge lunch there and talked to him briefly about our program. There was more food on the table than any of us had ever seen. It was surreal!

After lunch the Sheikh insisted that the provost of UAE University take us on a short tour of the facilities. He showed us a research lab where we saw a robot that they had been working on. He was capable of using social networking sites like facebook. The also had several other projects in progress around the lab.

This week we will have 4 days of studio time before the final exhibition. Now that the blog is up to date, we are going to start printing and painting on the MDF.

from Bern

2009-07-01T00:13:00.001-07:00

"Group work"
is it about Me or We?

Talk with Mohammed Saeed Harib, Creator of Freej

2009-06-30T22:25:00.001-07:00

E- On Monday we got a talk from Freej creator, Mohammed Saeed Harib. He gave us a brief overview of his childhood and his career and how he overcame obstacles to get to where he is now. He faced adversity due to being Muslim in America after 9/11, and pretty much had no choice but to leave the country before even finishing his degree. Despite all of this he has come to be one of the most successful animators worldwide. His story was totally inspiring.

S- Mohammed Saeed Harib said,"Do something different" and "Make your own steps to move ahead."
The way he presents culture is powerful. He uses cartoon with sense of humor and imagination as a tool to share the culture with people.
He went beyond the screen and created "Freej Folklore," which integrates both theater and Freej cartoon. The human physical moves and the body language that the performance create with the cartoon was very beautiful. All the elements, such as sound, dance, and cartoon come together and share the story with people on live.
This idea of all elements coming together and creating one explicit work of art made me to realize that the works our group is creating is clearly related.

M- It was good listening to him speak. I thought i knew a lot about this person, but it turns out i knew so little. His story is interesting and inspiring...

Freej Cartoon Trailer

Freej Folklore Clip

Mohammed Saeed Harib
Freej
Freej Folklore

Starting the Final Project and Visit to the DXB-LAB

2009-06-29T21:53:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we met in our project groups to discuss a final project- both the concept and the vehicle. Our group had been thinking about the word swap and its connotations. Our thoughts went towards cards- trading cards, playing cards, flash cards, etc. because they are swapped between people or groups of people, and because they can be flipped over to reveal 2 different sides. We felt that this aesthetic would compliment our mission statement and group name. We decided that last night we would think individually about what we wanted to do more specifically- what kind of cards, what kind of materials, how many, the content of the cards, etc.

After a group critique session we took a trip to DXB-LAB, a very prestigious Dubai based architecture firm that has worked on some of the most famous buildings in the city.
Here are some photos from the presentation.

Through this visit we learned that even an architectural project requires the hands and eyes of many people from many disciplines and many places. Each project at the firm passes through the hands of each architect in the firm as well as many outsourced contractors, model makers, and suppliers internationally. This relates to our project in that they are sharing their own skills and swapping ideas, much like we are doing in our group. We realize now that this kind of global collaboration has become a major part of the design industry.

Photo Entry for Week One

2009-06-28T23:42:00.000-07:00

In the first week we started going on cultural trips as a large group. We visited the Jumeirah Mosque, the Sharjah Museums of Art and Architecture, and the Shelter, an art gallery/cafe where we worked with artist Ebon Heath on his newest typographical sculpture instillation. These are some pictures from those trips.

"Jumeirah Mosque"

"Sharjah Museums of Art and Architecture"

"@ Shelter"

On day 3,we met Ebon Heath(Brooklyn Artist) and Mona Ibrahim (a Dubai- based Jewelery designer) to assist them with their collaborative installation for stereo.type exhibition that was going to be held @ 50°c , Souq Albahar. The installation was basically a typographic hanging sculpture of laser-cut papers that created sentences from different languages when put together. Ebon briefed us a bit about his work at first and told us about his vision ,which was "Listening with your eyes" versus "listening with your ears" a concept that he repeatedly used in his work.

These experiences gave us inspiration to start talking about and creating our artwork and the concepts behind it. By sharing these experiences we have been able to find common ground. It was a great starting point to begin swapping our own opinions and thoughts because we felt much more comfortable around each other.

As a homework assignment, we were told to extract patterns from our own pictures or sketches and create a digital file from which to screenprint. We used Emily's pattern- an ornate trim from the walls of the mosque and printed them onto wooden panels that we had painted on a previous studio day. We documented our first screenprinting experience.

From here we have started to explore other methods of printmaking as well as think about our concept and our vehicle. Recently we have started to talk about the idea of smaller wood panels as interactive trading or playing cards on which we will print a logo on one side, illustrations, and textual examples of culture on the opposite side. We hope to have a clearer concept soon.

Success

2009-06-28T00:15:00.000-07:00

1. How does your culture define success?
E, S, and K- In general success is defined by financial stability, respect from peers, to be loved by those close to us, and being hardworking. In our own native countries which are more developed (America, the Emirates, and South Korea), a good education is held in high esteem because it often leads to a career and a good financial future. However, in lesser developed countries, success is defined more by your ability to raise a family.

M- For a woman to be successful in a society like mine ,she is expected to be a good mother and wife. She is expected to fulfill her job description as a Nurturer and be of good spiritual guidance to her children and husband. She is expected to raise them based on the tenants of Islam. The more important job , however, for any human being from an Islamic perspective is being faithful to god; because to be a "Muslim", by definition, means to be submissive to god.

2. How do you define success?

a) For your life?

E, S, and K- As artists, I think we've realized that success has much to do with doing something that we love. Success is personal happiness, whatever that may entail.
M-To have found happiness is success. It is the soul objective of every human being on this earth, whether through having a work, marriage....etc. As for me it's to find love, acceptance and validation.

b) As an artist?

E, S, and K- Artists are selfless. They are much more concerned with changing the world, and conveying a global message and making a difference. An artist is a success if they have made an impact on the lives and views of others.
M-To make art with meaning and to make a difference.

c) For this class?

E, S, and K- To share thoughts within our groups and to communicate what we learn worldwide. Also to expand our skills.
M- To learn something new and different. To break stereotypes.

The idea of success for a woman differs from the idea of a successful man. On this site we found Eleanor Roosevelt's description of a successful woman.

Jim Donovan, author of the international bestseller,"This is Your Life, Not a Dress Rehearsal," gives an advice how to live a more successful life.

http://www.artbizcoach.com/6habits.pdf

6 Habits of Highly Successful Artists from Artbizcoach.com

Culture

2009-06-25T01:55:00.000-07:00

1.How is your culture portrayed?

E- American culture is portrayed as being very advanced and innovative. At the same time though, I think that people view individual Americans as ignorant.

S- South Korea has rich and distinct culture for over 5000 years.
From what I know, our culture is portrayed as unique.
People are very attached to each other and like to know about each others' lives. People care about each others and like to share things. However, there are fairly clear respect system in South Korea culture, which you must respect elders and treat them very well. Even someone is a year older than you, you still respect them.
South Korea has a rich culture in food. Kimchi is a signature food that represents Korea.
South Korean's unique traditional clothes, house, music, and other entertainments show the variety and uniqueness of the culture.

K- My culture is portrayed as a part of a bigger culture which is Arabic/Islamic culture. Other people or the media perceived our culture as old and traditional with women covered in black from head to toe, and men riding camels in the middle of the desert. However, Dubai as an emerging city has been famous for its rapid development and some people now is starting to look at our culture as modern and innovative.

M- The Arab culture is often portrayed as a savage man-dominated patriarchy, where women are oppressed and deprived from their basic rights. As incorrect as this notion is, people are starting to understand that that is not the case. However, that only applies to foreigners who live around here.

2.What sources do you look to determine culture?

E- Sometimes I feel that that only source we have to determine the cultures of foreign countries is just what we see on the news

S- I like using Books, newspaper, Internet, pictures, music, etc
Mostly, I learn cultures from medias such as movies, drama (soap Opera), and TV shows.
I also really like to visit the actual place or country and experience the culture.

K- The most important source for determining a culture is the people, because culture is constructed by its people. Other sources we can look into to determine a culture are literature and art.

M- People are the most important element of any culture. Culture is a by product of human interaction and a result of a growth of any civilization. That being said, people now a days judge on a culture based on what they see or watch in the Media. A huge but irrelevant source of information.

3. What culture aspects do you want to explore?

E- I want to explore traditions. I think it's interesting to see where they originated from and how long they have lasted. When you learn about traditions, you become less inclined to pass judgement.

S- a) The livings,The manner/respect,architecture structure and impact on the economy and the city/ culture, peoples' reaction to other country's culture and how they accept things, peoples' perception on appearance,the level of morality

K- What I want to explore in my own culture is the food, because I rarely eat traditional food. And what I want to explore in US culture is the relationships between people. I want also to experience living there and the feeling of how to live by my own as an adult.

M- I want to explore contemporary western culture. A culture that we know so much about but never experience.

4.What cultural stereotypes do you want to dispel?

E- I want to prove that not all Americans are ignorant and fat! And I think it's imporant that we learn about the Emirati culture so that we can understand the way they live and teach others.

S- I do not think Korean stereotypes exist, specifically. However, I think some people do not have a clear idea about division between the North and South Korea. some people think South Korea is a dangerous place to come because of North Korea.
Korean people are welcoming and caring.
I wish people don't define people by their outlook. I want people to really take time to explore and experience the different cultural aspects, and try to understand difference in culture.

K- There are many cultural stereotypes I want to erase from people's minds, such as that Emirati people are loaded and smoking rich, and how they perceive our religion as terrorism. moreover, when they see an Arab person, they don't care from where he is, but that all Arab people are the same whether they are from UAE or Saudi Arabia or Egypt or even Turkey which is not an Arab country.

M- I want to change the stereotype of Arabs being primitive,uneducated, and violent.