Title

Visual Culture of Downtown Cairo

Student Status

Undergraduate

Abstract

Visual Culture of Downtown Cairo is a study and a documentation of Wust El-Balad’s visual culture that consists of a series of complex visuals present in its urban and public space that form our identity and place us on the cultural map of the world. These visuals are collected into a book titled “Visual Downtown” and divided into seven chapters based on category consisting of building facades, ornaments and decorative embellishments, doors and windows, typography, street signs, manhole covers and a miscellaneous section documented based on serval fieldtrips taken place in Wust El-Balad. This research has been conducted for us to understand and decode the district’s urban visual culture in order to document, preserve, identify and enhance it. It also serves as a database and guide for reference to anyone who seeks to study the details of design elements that constitute Downtown’s urban visual culture as well as understand how decorativism and visual elements come to reflect history and create character. The aim is to emphasize the importance of visual studies as an essential and emergent domain of research for building a cultural identity that’s based on history that can benefit the future.

Department

Arts Department

First Advisor

Bahia Shehab

Second Advisor

Haytham Nawar

Third Advisor

Nagla Samir

Committee Member 1

Ahmad Saqfalhait

Committee Member 2

Ahmed Ellaithy

Committee Member 3

Ahmed Tolba

Extent

p.2

Institutional Review Board (IRB) Approval

Not necessary for this item

Comments

This project is part of “ The Future is Here Second Graduating Class of Graphic Design Students The American University in Cairo – Spring 2017” catalog. It seems to be a common view that a vibrant design scene is growing and thriving in Cairo as part of a greater movement sweeping the region, despite the challenges posed by Egypt’s current political climate and its education system. To put it simply, the future is here; great work is coming out of Cairo, Beirut, Marrakech, Dubai, Doha – the movement is growing very fast. Something significant has been taking place here these past few years. It is undeniable, and the world is aware and constantly watching. Held at the AUC Sharjah Art Gallery on December 4th, 2016, the Vector Walla Raster exhibition showcased projects by the second graduating class of Graphic Design students. As with last year’s graduating class, three faculty members supervised this year’s thirty-nine projects: Bahia Shehab, Haytham Nawar, and Nagla Samir. Projects were divided into 6 panels according to their tackled themes. This year’s panels included “Cultural Design”, “Technological and Spatial Design”, “Advertising and Branding”, “Product Design”, “Signage and Information Systems”, and “Social Awareness”. A team of internal and external jury members were invited to each panel to critique students’ work and evaluate the final outcome of their projects. Jury members from within AUC included Ahmad Saqfalhait, Ahmed Ellaithy (TTO), Ahmed Tolba (MKTG), Engy Aly (DSGN), Ehab AbdelRahman (PHYS), Ghalia Elsrakbi (DSGN), Magda Moustafa (ARCH), Mahamad Khalil (DSGN), Mohamad Hamza (Venture Lab), Rafiq Elmansy (DSGN), Shawky Hafez (DSGN). As for external jurors; they included Ahmad Feteh (CGEVO), Amal ElMasri (JWT), George Nubar (Helwan Univ.), Luke Meinzen (US Embassy), Maggie Nassif (Fulbright), Meryl El Afifi (Momentum), Mozn Hassan (Nazrah NGO), Nikolai Burger (GUC), Ranya Shalaby (INGAZ), Sawsan Mourad (El Beit Magazine).

Rights

This record describes an artistic or creative work which was prepared as part of a course of study at the American University of Cairo. The creators retain all rights to the original artistic or creative works described herein.

Publication Date

Spring 12-4-2016

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