Fatma Mohammad Al Mahmoud earned her BA in Visual Arts at the Department of Art and Design, College of Art and Creative Enterprises, Zayed University (2013) - #Proud_ZUAlumni
After a period spent as a graphic designer at the Sharjah Investment and Development Authority (Shurooq), Fatma became a permanent member of the Maraya Art Centre in 2016, where she was responsible for setting the programs and workshops for Maraya Art Centre and 1971 - Design Space, in which art, media, design techniques and experimentation on creative thinking are addressed.
She is currently the Head of 1971 - Design Space, a non-profit platform for local and international designers. She also manages the Jedariya street art initiative. Furthermore, she chairs the Shurooq Corporate Youth Council and is Managing Partner at the Dubai-based art and design management studio Hamzat Wasl. During the last Dubai Design Week 2020, two exhibitions in which Fatma has co-curated took place in which both 1971 - Design Space and Hamzat Wasl participated. the exhibition also showcased number of ZU Alumni artists and their artwork.
“Fashcultivate” is an exhibition celebrating date palms where it sparked from a research idea to create new findings and materials made out of Date Palms in which later on seven regional designers were invited to work within areas of Textiles, Handmade Objects and Architecture.
“Mn Laila” is an exhibition by Hamzat Wasl emphasizing how design could be used as a social impact to highlight the importance of giving where the studio has launched their “Mn Laila” prayer mats as an exhibition to portray the process and story of the product. "The inspiration from how Fashccultivate came into the making was due to how resources in which our ancestors have lived upon got neglected post to the oil era. Technology today allows us to experiment and use materials to their full potential hence the research idea resulted to cherish this cultural heritage bas identified by the UNESCO" - Fatma Al Mahmoud said. The exhibition celebrated date palms for being one of the most cherished gifts of nature and their importance throughout the history of human civilization. Date palms have become part of the cultural and historical identity of the Gulf Region playing an important role in the region’s economy. The exhibition celebrated Laila, her story, her passion and the unique eye she had towards design while projecting the process of fabrication and research of the product, from the developed patterns that represent fragmented memories of the Falaheen (farmers) to the inspired embroidery techniques that commiserate Laila’s upbringing through embroidered illustrations and more. The product were available online and at Dubai Design Week where a percentage of the proceeds will go to affected families by the ongoing pandemic. This pandemic serves as a reminder for us to be grateful and give back due to its global impact.
To know more about:
1971 Design Space: https://www.instagram.com/1971designspace/
https://1971design.ae/
Maraya Art Centre: https://www.instagram.com/marayaartcentre/
Hamzat Wasl Studio: https://www.instagram.com/hamzatwaslstudio/
