Papers by Sherin A . Helmy
Despite the strength, beauty and depth found in the Islamic art, people hold limited knowledge to... more Despite the strength, beauty and depth found in the Islamic art, people hold limited knowledge towards it, which creates a superficial and limited understanding of the "Islamic" specification in an object or design. Therefore, our aim is to investigate the public's perception of Islamic Art, using critical design as the framework of investigation. A one-year research project investigated this issue from different points of view. Initially, a survey was made reaching the result which states that people keep a superficial understanding of Islamic art limiting it to decorative patterns and calligraphy. In order to overcome this, a historical research was conducted in order to investigate and understand the belonging of certain design aesthetics and forms to specific dynasties in relation to location and time as a potential knowledge container. However, the people's awareness about strength and beauty of Islamic art would stay limited. Therefore, a third approach tried to borrow from the Critical design research strategy, which is aimed at leveraging designs to make consumers think about the everyday objects. It challenged peoples' shallow perceptions about the role of the daily used products, as opposite of affirmative design. A public experiment was conducted in a public park, juxtaposing contradictory design styles through using "unislamic" forms with Islamic decorations and vice versa.
Swiss Design Network Symposium 2021 Conference Proceedings , 2021
In this paper, the field of contemporary design is explored and its development moving towards mo... more In this paper, the field of contemporary design is explored and its development moving towards more recent discourses such as transition design, relation to craft and where designers fit in this image while considering external forces and how they influence the playing field. This brings to our attention the current movement of social design, how it came to be, why is it needed and what are the local examples showcasing it. Moreover, the business side is discussed and its relation to social innovation and entrepreneurship. This paved the way in the past few years, to the rise of a number of start-ups or enterprises and initiatives examples in Egypt that tackle the social aspect one way or another, particularly crafts and craftsmanship combined with the founders' expertise in design. The examples discussed are the Nilfurat project, Up-fuse, Kiliim, the doodle factory and reform studio. The initiatives in question are part of a movement still in its infancy phase, depending mainly on expensive products to a limited target group. Having said that, those initiatives seem to be a good starting point in the direction of social and economic reform that is gaining momentum..
Critical Design Approach to Understand the Current Public’s Perception of Islamic Art and Design, 2018
Despite the strength, beauty and depth found in the Islamic art, people hold limited knowledge to... more Despite the strength, beauty and depth found in the Islamic art, people hold limited knowledge towards it, which creates a superficial and limited understanding of the "Islamic" specification in an object or design. Therefore, our aim is to investigate the public's perception of Islamic Art, using critical design as the framework of investigation. A one-year research project investigated this issue from different points of view. Initially, a survey was made reaching the result which states that people keep a superficial understanding of Islamic art limiting it to decorative patterns and calligraphy. In order to overcome this, a historical research was conducted in order to investigate and understand the belonging of certain design aesthetics and forms to specific dynasties in relation to location and time as a potential knowledge container. However, the people's awareness about strength and beauty of Islamic art would stay limited. Therefore, a third approach tried to borrow from the Critical design research strategy, which is aimed at leveraging designs to make consumers think about the everyday objects. It challenged peoples' shallow perceptions about the role of the daily used products, as opposite of affirmative design. A public experiment was conducted in a public park, juxtaposing contradictory design styles through using "unislamic" forms with Islamic decorations and vice versa.
Pages on Arts and Design, 2018
History is preserved by conserving the heritage of bygone periods and without documentation, futu... more History is preserved by conserving the heritage of bygone periods and without documentation, future generations would not have any access to this past. It is imperative that records of historical events and/or accomplishments are retained and revisited. The history of Egypt is rich and varied. This paper centers on Egypt’s Belle Époque (1930s and 1960s) and the vision that the Khedive Isma’il Pasha (19th and 20th century) had for developing Egypt. The Belle Époque or ‘beautiful era of Egypt’ to date has received relative attention. Periods such as Egypt’s Pharaonic and Islamic eras are well-known and commonly debated as they were, and remain, continuously researched and documented. Documen- tation of the past generally occurs through the mediums of writing, engraving, painting, photography and cinematography. The motivation for this research study was to extract information from Egyptian feature films to aid as reference source for present and future studies. This research primarily focused on the metropoli- tan cities Cairo and Alexandria as they were the predominant centers for Egyptian cinema during the period 1930-1960. The latter cities were competing with the top ranked cities worldwide. However, with time they became out of the ranking due to negligence, mega population and ignorance. Somehow, Cairo’s downtown is still maintained comparing to Alexandria’s architecture. However, the disregard for Alexandria’s architectural heritage is sadly proliferating the loss of original building façades. The threat to Alexandria of losing its bygone charm and there- fore the greater part of its identity, weighs heavy on the spirits of its inhabitants who wish to preserve their surrounds.
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Papers by Sherin A . Helmy