"Visible - Invisible": Emirati students present a collection of handbags as an expression of personal identity
Stylish lady handbags designed by a group of Emirati art students to reflect the personality of their owners are presented as part of the exhibition "The Ultimate Experience" inaugurating the new branch of AL Riwaq Gallery in Al Ali Mall in Manama from 8 to 30 March
Manama: The handbags are the product of a workshop, which was organised by the Abu Dhabi Music & Arts Foundation and the Goethe-Institut in Abu Dhabi with German-Egyptian artist Susan Hefuna and design students of Zayed University in May 2008 along the theme of "visible - invisible". During the workshop, the students were asked to reflect on this theme through the experience of their personal life stories and then to create objects based on this reflection, thus learning how to discuss an abstract idea, how to develop this idea and how to translate it from thought into a concrete form that can be shown to others.
As a result of the workshop, the students came up with creating a series of handbags which to them are closely linked to the issue of personal identity and the question of what can be shown to others and what should remain hidden from the public eye:
"Our concept revolves around how we live in the UAE. As what we wear is usually all black and covered, we tend to focus on bags and shoes as the visible significant accessories that others can see. So our concept for the bags was to showcase this idea and make the bags even more visible and prominent to the eye, so that they stand out. You can´t miss them. Each one of us designed a bag based on their background. Some bags are more architectural. Others may seem to have a more organic shape. As a collection, they showcase the personality of each artist in a unique, colorful and Emirati-inspired way."
The handbags will be exhibited in Al Riwaq Gallery in Al Ali Mall during the exhibition "The Ultimate Experience" from 8 March to 30 March 2009.
The project is organised by the Abu Dhabi Music & Arts Foundation and the Goethe-Institut - German Cultural Center in Abu Dhabi in cooperation with Zayed University Abu Dhabi and Al Riwaq Gallery in Manama.
Naschua Gomaa
Cultural Programming & Press
Goethe-Institut Gulf-Region in Abu Dhabi
Tel: 00971 2 6727920
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