An exhibition of a carefully curated selection of works by faculty from the College of Architecture, Art and Design (CAAD) at American University of Sharjah (AUS)—Material Pursuits: Objects, Prototypes and Material Explorations—opened to the public at Al Serkal Avenue in Dubai recently.

The collection of work aims to highlight the educational approach and spirit prevalent in CAAD through the collective theme of exploration and innovation across the college’s disciplines.

Dr. Varkki Pallathucheril, Dean of CAAD, said the showcase demonstrates the institution’s emphasis on learning through dialogue between thinking and making, and underlines the advantages of this approach on faculty scholarship in the fields of architecture, art and design. 

“What is significant about this exhibition is how it has provided our faculty a platform and opportunity to critically view and appreciate their peers’ work in a collective and cohesive manner and be made aware of contemporary research and investigations within CAAD,” he said.

“Showing this work in such a prominent venue is a privilege and I am grateful to d.Academy’s Nazneen Shafi for providing us with this valuable opportunity,” said Pallathucheril.

The work presented is wide in its scope in terms of concept, emphasis and materiality but also in the processes through which they were realized.

The exhibited work presents a balance of both digital and analogue fabrication as a testament to the wide variety of specialized skills of different faculty members. These processes of fabrication also showcase the abundance of an impressive and advanced array of workshops in CAAD that cater to both digital and analogue needs in the production of designed work.

“The exhibition does its part in highlighting personal design languages and styles of our faculty, but more importantly, provides insight into the thought behind teaching methodologies at CAAD,” said Dr. Pallathucheril.

“The display of such a variety in design sensibilities of the faculty also successfully captures the heterogenous and atypical nature of instruction we provide for students at CAAD. In addition to presenting varied design ideologies and approaches, an exhibition like Material Pursuits makes a scholarly contribution to the discourse on design pedagogy,” he said.

Material Pursuits: Objects, Prototypes and Material Explorations, which has been curated and designed by CAAD faculty members Jason Carlow, Camilo Cerro and Juan Roldan, is hosted by d.Academy (Young Architect and Designer Program; YADP) and will run until October 24, at Warehouse 44, Al Serkal Avenue, Dubai.