Public Affairs

AUK alumnus, Hamad Al Mujeem, was chosen to participate in the Tanween exhibition and conference organized by the King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture (Ithra) in Dahran, KSA.  
 
Al Mujeem, who graduated in the spring of 2022, submitted his project “Sharbaka” to AUK's annual capstone exhibition, where it was later selected and showcased again at the Tanween Exhibition alongside other capstone projects submitted from leading universities in Dubai, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia.  
  
Sharbaka, an Arabic term for a musical structure known as Idiophones (self-sounding instrument), is a Kuwait-based independent magazine featuring regional music and art, as well as a platform for curated Gulf music. The magazine aims to innovate and push forward novel ideas and content that speak to a generation of Arab Gulf creatives and creative communities abroad interested in the vernacular, culture, sound, and content of all art.  
  
Expressing his gratitude, Al Mujeem reflected on the experience, "I want to express my deep gratitude to professors Rita and Ramy for always supporting me, even when I was at my lowest academic level. The amount of development that went into the capstone included in-depth research on Kuwaiti sea music and conversations with experts like Nabel Shuail who clarified misunderstandings about Kuwaiti record labels. I was pleased to discover that Tanween had selected my thesis project out of the many that had applied. In essence, AUK has been one of my greatest accomplishments by that reason I could never compare it to most other aspects of life.”  
 
Professor Rita Merheb, assistant professor of graphic design, supervised the progress of the Sharbaka project and attended the Tanween exhibition and conference in Ithra. She explained why participating in this exhibition was very important for Hamad, the Department of Graphic Design, and the University in general, “Taking part in such an important international conference and exhibition, especially since our department is relatively new, serves as a testimony to our students’ hard work. It also gives the Department very good exposure in the region, and it puts us on equal grounds with other, much older and well-established art and graphic design departments in the region." 
  
Chair of the Art and Graphic Design Department, William Andersen, stated, "I'm very proud of all of our graduating students' creativity and hard work, especially after a return to exhibiting their capstone projects in-person for the first time in two years. Hamad Al Mujeem's capstone project stood out for its intelligence and passion. I congratulate Hamad and wish him a bright future." 
 
AUK’s graphic designers have a wide perspective that reflects the principles of practicality and resourcefulness that the University engrains in its students.
 
   

Sharbaka project displayed in Tanween exhibition
  

Sharbaka project displayed in Tanween exhibition