Dubai: H.E Noura bint Mohammed Al Kaabi, Minister of Culture and Knowledge Development, President of Zayed University, has inaugurated the Zayed University Urban Satellite Space (ZUUSS), a partnership with Alserkal Avenue, that aims to support students’ talents and sharpen their artistic abilities.
Opening with the support of Abdelmonem Bin Eisa Alserkal, the space is located in Warehouse 48 at Alserkal Avenue in Dubai. The space will be open to the public and operates as an off-campus art and design hub for the university’s students, alumni, and faculty, and will host exhibitions, workshops, lectures, panel discussions, and community events.
Her Excellency pointed that this addition gives the UAE’s cultural movement greater fortune and further vitality. “ZUUSS is not just showcasing remarkable art and design, but also interlocks Zayed University students with other bright minds and field experts,” she said.
Adding, "We see our role as fostering and building a vibrant art and design community in the UAE and abroad through our graduates, the new up-and-coming artists, designers, gallery curators, art policymakers, educators and arts administrators. Art and Design are major contributors to a nation’s creative economy, and they are the most significant export of a country in establishing its global identity."
During the “Peeling Back the Blue Sky” opening ceremony, H.E Noura Al Kaabi toured the avenue alongside Abdelmonem Bin Eisa Alserkal, Founder of Alserkal Avenue, Prof. Reyadh AlMehaideb, Vice-President of Zayed University, Vilma Jurkute, Director of Alserkal Avenue, and Kevin Badni, Dean of the College of Arts and Creative Enterprises, and a number of ZU faculty members and staff from both campuses.
“Outreach and connecting with the youth of the UAE has always been an integral part of what we do at Alserkal Avenue. Zayed University’s Urban Satellite Space is a continuation of our longstanding partnership with Zayed University. We look forward to welcoming aspiring artists and designers to Alserkal Avenue and to bringing our audiences engaging and thought-provoking programming from the CACE faculty and students.” says Abdelmonem Bin Eisa Alserkal, Founder of Alserkal Avenue.
The inaugural exhibition showcases artworks and designs from students, and alumni from CACE, namely, Ayesha Hadhir, Jumaanah Alhashemi, Maitha Abdalla, Mariam Eisa Al Fahim, Meera Alhameli, Narjes Noureddine, Rawdha alKetbi, Shaikha Al Ketbi. The project space was initiated by the previous dean of CACE Ann-Maree Reaney in collaboration with Walter Willems, Exhibitions Curator at Zayed University.
For the opening of ZUUSS, CACE unveiled the winning design of the Bespoke Furniture Design Contest 2018 hosted by Vision Furniture & Decoration Factory, Abu Dhabi. The winner of the contest was Alyaa Nasser Al Breiki. The piece was constructed at Vision Factory and is called “112 degrees”.
Al Breiki said, “This project was my favorite since I am interested in the construction part of design. I was able to communicate with Vision Factory’s engineers and discuss my design at a professional level. It was truly a great experience, especially that I got to see my furniture design in reality.”
It is worth mentioning that, through ZUUSS, the College of Arts and Creative Enterprises aims to prepare graduates who are leaders in the field of art and design practice and to be innovators who contribute to the cultural fabric of the UAE.
The intensive and rigorous art, design, new media and exhibition programs are practice-based and industry-engaged. Faculty members at Zayed University utilize the latest teaching methodologies, underpinned by cutting-edge technology in building innovative learning environments, to inspire the new generation of creative thinkers.
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About Zayed University
Zayed University is a national and regional leader in educational innovation. Founded in 1998 and proudly bearing the name of the Founder of the Nation – the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, this flagship institution has met the President’s high expectations. Today, Zayed University has two modern campuses in Dubai and Abu Dhabi that welcome both national and international students.
Globally recognized as the leading university in the region for excellence in educational innovation, research, and student leadership development that serves the changing needs of the nation in economic, social and cultural advancements.
About the College of Arts and Creative Enterprises
Within the CACE, Zayed University students have an intensive, active and interactive, personal and collaborative learning experience. The CACE utilizes the latest technology in the classrooms and labs, providing students with new and exciting possibilities in the creation of their works, as a means of promoting and disseminating their work and as new outlets for their creativity.
Students learn by theory and by practice as well as fostering a strong collaboration with the UAE art, design and museum community at large. The CACE students are trained to focus their talents not only on the appearance of things, but to question why things are as they are, and more importantly what they could be in the future.
About Alserkal Avenue
Established in 2007, Alserkal Avenue is the region’s foremost contemporary arts and culture neighbourhood. Home to 16 contemporary art galleries and over 40 creative businesses, Alserkal Avenue has cultivating a vibrant community of visual and performing arts organisations, designers, and artisanal spaces, becoming an essential platform for the development of art and culture in the United Arab Emirates.
In March 2017, Alserkal Avenue opened Concrete, the UAE’s first building to be completed by Rem Koolhaas’ Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA). Concrete provides a flexible, multipurpose venue for international arts and culture initiatives ranging from performances, to exhibitions, lectures and various other public events.
At the intersection of art, culture and commerce, Alserkal Avenue is more than just a neighbourhood, it is the driving force that brings the creative community of Dubai together. The Avenue runs a regular community programme of talks, tours, road trips and workshops.
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