8.12.15

mural for facebook

shedha star grocery . 2015
sofia tailor . 2015
salon nad rashid . 2015
shabab al rashideya computer . 2015
community mural process . 2015
community mural process . 2015
community mural . 2015
community mural . 2015
community mural . 2015
community mural detail . 2015
community mural detail . 2015

people who know me know that i am not a facebook account holder. it was something that totally passed me during university, and i've still never gotten around to opening a personal account. but funnily enough, i was approached by facebook recently to work on a mural in their offices in dubai, and was really ecstatic with the invitation.
for the mural, i wanted to communicate the important components that make a community. i created an illustration of a series of traditional shop fronts found in a lot of dubai’s communities. the selected shop fronts communicate the important institutions required for a community to be sustainable – from a grocery store to an electronic shop, to a barbershop and tailor. the selected shops for the mural culminate to define a thriving community that is familiar to dubai’s urban landscape.
the mural commemorates the importance of these shops and their contribution to a community’s sustenance. without the basic necessities these types of shops provide, a community wouldn’t be able to survive. just as an online community like facebook survives off the interactions of each other, communities in the physical world act in the very same way.
i was really happy with the end result and even surprised myself during the process. it's been awhile since i've worked on a mural of this scale, so was proud of the final outcome. thank you facebook for the opportunity, and i hope the team enjoys the mural during office hours. also, thanks to all my friends who helped and visited me while working on site. much appreciated.