AUD Visual Communication Students Share Their Passion At DUCTAC
Visual Communication senior students at the American University in Dubai (AUD) showed their own way of translating their passion into their work during the display of their end-of-year projects at the senior project jury critique event themed “Passion: Why Are You Here - Senior Project Show 2012” that took place from December 16th - 21st, 2012, at the Gallery of Light, Dubai Community Theatre & Arts Centre (DUCTAC). “Passion in the creative profession is a survival necessity. This topic has invited a long, soul-searching exercise for the participants before defining their unique and creative solutions” says Dina Faour, Associate Professor of Advertising.
The senior project jury critique event is a much-anticipated occasion, to which AUD welcomes distinguished “Creatives” from various visual industries and introduces them to graduating students. This interaction provides professional feedback and excellent exposure, from jurors from top firms, agencies, galleries and studios in the UAE including: CB’a, Leo Burnett, LOWE, Y&R, ARA Gallery, Start JG, Les Folies, Fikra, Saatchi& Saatchi, Living Room, and Sky News Arabia. Prof. Faour added: “The industry has proven to be equally interested in our events, as potential interns and employees have been rapidly whisked away to join the creative fields within major agencies, firms, studios and galleries.”
For this year’s theme, the students did their own study and research where they adapted their own unique ideas. Every student in the class had a different approach to the full process, starting from the conceptualization to the final output, which they were given three months to accomplish. Based on her experience throughout the process, Nikita Chawla, VC senior student at AUD, commented: “This project helped us explore our strengths and weaknesses; also to work on them and produce something we were ’passionate’ about. The exhibition at the Gallery of Light at DUCTAC is a great way of promoting our skills to the public while giving us the chance to move out of our comfort zone and showcase our creative works at a venue open to people from different cultures and fields.”
During the event, the students showed their motivation and felt proud to be part of the art scene. In addition, they had the chance to learn from the jurors’ advice and detailed evaluation. “This project has worked as a wonderful culmination of our three years of study at AUD, as has the topic of ‘Passion’. Most of us have arrived at some sort of inkling of how we perceive passion and what our passions are, both in the process of developing our individual projects and learning from one another. To see our own and each other’s work set up in a gallery as opposed to a classroom gives it a sense of legitimacy and is immensely satisfying” says Sharanya Kunnath, VC senior student at AUD.
The Visual Communication Department at AUD aims to remain at the forefront of design/art education in the region, providing an educational model that addresses and assesses the market needs in relation to contemporary design/art global trends.
Emirate: Dubai
Date: Dec 19, 2012
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