off the wall

primitive . 2017

memory . 2017

signage . 2017

home . 2017

here's a short post about a collection of screen printed wallpaper designs i worked on for a course titled 'off the wall'. the course focused on creating designs for wallpaper application; creating unique designs that work in space.

the designs above show the work i did in response to assignment prompts. to briefly describe each – the first pattern is a humorous ode to culture back home, the second, a memory of playing with my toys as a child under the stairs of my old home. the third is a collection of funny shop signs found around old districts of dubai, and the last design was a collaboration between a classmate and i about calling big cities our home.

it's interesting to see the collection altogether and how my style changed overtime. i had with a very polished, graphic style in my earlier wallpapers, and eventually moved to a more messy and experimental style with the latter. i really enjoyed the course and am glad i had the opportunity to understand working on a spatial scale. i look forward to working on more wallpaper designs in the near future.

year one done

a sikka story 2 (textile) . 2017

a sikka story 2 (textile) . 2017

a sikka story 2 (textile) . 2017

a sikka story 1 (textile) . 2017

end of semester review prep . 2017

collection phase 1 . 2017

in the studio . 2017

monuments box . 2017

end of semester review . 2017

i survived my first year of grad school! how time flies. it only felt like yesterday where i was a nervous wreck, making my way to america to begin a new chapter in my life. looking back, it took awhile to adjust, but the last year has definitely been fun.

this post mainly focuses on the project i worked on during the spring semester. over the course of the programme, i developed an interest in creating textiles for apparel. my inspirations came from a bunch of places, specifically looking at dress in the middle east. i heavily researched the idea of adornment, traditional attire from the gulf, and visual motifs or objects that define masculinity. using my experiences of dubai as a starting point, the project evolved overtime into a collection of textiles that performed as wraps for the male form, with motifs screen printed over the textiles that communicate the status of the male wearer when adorned with these fabrics.

i loved experimenting on the table with manipulating fabric surfaces and experimenting with dyeing techniques. there's still so much to learn, but i think i'm in a good place after completing my first year, ready to tackle with what's ahead in the coming year. stay tuned to future posts during my second year, and my thesis project (gulp!).