Department of Visual Arts and Art History

Artificial intelligence is now a way of life meaning, it is hard to find any type of technology or technological advance that isn’t assisted by or powered by artificial intelligence and machine learning. From Siri on our iPhones to our computer tailored Netflix home screens to fast learning computerized and independent floor vacuums AI is everywhere you turn intruding on every aspect of daily functioning. As the pressure of said intrusion increases questions arise about whether all these advances can become crushing to humans. In some instances technology with AI components has been used to replace certain skill sets affecting the availability of employment surround jobs including, cashiers, hotel reception, customer service, taxi drivers, toll booths. And what about graphic design? Can a machine programmed with AI replace the creativity of a human spirit?
The research explores the tension between automated (artificial intelligence + machine learning) and manual, human initiated methods and practices in graphic design…
Can humans be removed from the process of graphic design? Expected outcome: No
How can the case study exploration coupled with the examination of certain considerations including ethical practices, human creativity, quality and originality demonstrate the necessity of human involvement.

This thesis exhibition explores how digital culture affects identity and connection through a series of paintings made through collage, mixed media, and reflective surfaces. It looks at how identity is fragmented in the digital age when we construct personas online that are selected and, therefore, less authentic. The paintings juxtapose the use of analog methods with digital imagery, in order to ask about the tension between vulnerability and performance and the authenticity of online interactions. The series is about emotional exhaustion, curated personas, and the search for genuine connection. Reflective elements and textures mounted and layered encourage viewers to engage in a dialectic between themselves and the mediated world, between 'digital self' and the 'authentic self.' The thesis hopes that this work can provoke discourse regarding the ramifications of digital culture on self-perceiving and interpersonal relations in recognizing the human dependence on depth and vulnerability in our fragmented reality.

This thesis exhibition explores how Iranian women’s narratives might be reshaped for empowerment through the lens of Graphic Design. It challenges gender inequality by analyzing and examining historical and contemporary portrayals of women through case studies. To show women’s strength and resiliency, the thesis imagines an immersive experience that combines Iranian visual culture aesthetics with modern storytelling techniques. It promotes Graphic Design as a tool for social change. It adds to continuing conversations about women’s empowerment, cultural reclamation, and social advancement in Iran and, by extension, globally. The thesis exhibition envisions Graphic Design as a powerful tool for reshaping gender norms in Iranian society. It was inspired by the courage of women in movements such as Woman, Life, Freedom, which started in 2022 in Iran and other countries like Turkey, Syria, and Iraq, which demonstrate their fight for gender equality, self-determination, and the liberation of women from patriarchal and oppressive systems.

My fascination with the human figure remains a prominent part of my work as a familiar and complex path to formalist traditions. But as I have sought to expand my engagement with representational figuration, I look towards themes of universal emotions and conditions - grief, remembrance, anger, affection and resolve. Within this, I often allude to socio-political content, art historical references or personal experiences. In integrating representational figuration with a contemporary approach, I incorporate techniques of drawing, painting and printmaking into narrative formats while preserving the figure as the protagonist.
I lean into gestural lines, expressive marks and abstract color fields to breathe life into the work and enhance the emotive context. I embrace the intuitive process as I believe it reflects and retains a certain spiritual spontaneity and response.
Recently, I have experienced deep loss. It is the grief associated with this that has informed these pieces. Grief is a process that can be present, historical, anticipatory or prolonged. I have been stricken by a wide range of losses –personal, societal, political and cultural - death of loved ones, risk of severe limitations to civil liberties and bodily autonomy, global wars and violence, xenophobia, brutal attacks on democratic ideals and even the inevitable passage of time have precipitated my personal and visceral grief.

This thesis, drawn from my experience as a visual designer who recently moved to the United States, focuses on design expression as a means to bridge cultures. My aim is to clarify the complex connection between design expression and cultural integration, emphasizing the essential part that design plays in promoting significant cross-cultural interactions. To reveal the complex relationships that exist in design and cultural identity, I go beyond aesthetics and investigate how design may be used to comprehend and communicate cultural identity. Language serves as a means of expressing cultural identity, values, and traditions. Using poetry, quotes, and idioms in both Farsi and English as inspiration, I create interactive messages that illustrate the difficulties of bridging two languages and cultures. My overarching goal is to promote inclusive and culturally aware design approaches, fostering meaningful communication and cross-cultural understanding.

This thesis employs graphic design to envision the present and future scenario of humanity adapting to artificial intelligence and the current state of continuous data harvesting by organizations and platforms that lack transparency with the public. Explored topics include the impact of AI on families and the importance of gaining awareness regarding the potential negative and positive consequences of uncontrolled data collection about individuals. These themes converge in my exhibition to depict the current and potentially future reality of living in a family with the constant presence of AI and the associated dangers it entails.
The concept of data harvesting, depicted through artists books and web design, serves as a visual commentary on the current situation within families, seen as microcosms of the broader community and humanity as a whole. This situation highlights the notion that we are already residing in the Brave New World envisioned by Aldous Huxley.
AI possesses the capacity to profoundly influence all artistic genres, including artists books, introducing an additional dimension to their expression. From generating storytelling and art to facilitating collaborations between artists and artificial intelligence, the applications of AI are boundless. Utilizing Chat GPT and Adobe Firefly, I aim to create one of my artists books primarily generated by AI. This endeavor seeks to redefine a family portrait, illustrating the integration of artificial intelligence into the lives of families and humanity overall. By focusing on the family portrait genre within artists books and incorporating the latest family member, AI, I intend to prompt social awareness, fostering a deeper understanding of contemporary reality and inviting a dialogue.

The Underlying of Being exhibition explores the complex relationship between the mind and body, delving into psychological effects at a cellular level. Art, science, and psychology contemplate the fundamental source of meaning and value: the human experience. The work emphasizes that our lives are not isolated but interrelated, reflecting a commonality on the most miniature biological scale. Scientific research confirms that cells can hold emotional experiences, a finding that is relevant to all humans.
The conceptual visual context derives from philosophical systems, scientific theories, and aesthetic judgments, abstracting from the ever-changing ebb and flow of being in the living world. The Underlying of Being exhibition focuses on the figure in abstracted shapes and layers of monochromatic colors, various papers, fibers, wires, glaze, and paints, producing sections of human narration sinking below the surface into an illusion or disillusioned visual physiological state of fluid within an imagined biosystems.

Effective communication and a sense of togetherness between people from different backgrounds happen on a platform of mutual understanding. The boundaries of differences between people from various cultures limit our understanding of each other's conditions, problems, and concerns. As a designer, I seek to fade the boundaries between cultures and facilitate a conversation, promoting mutual understanding by blending visual elements from American and Iranian cultures. With interactive visual media and storytelling, I have created diverse visual artworks that combine traditional Iranian arts and crafts elements with visuals from American popular culture. This body of work includes illustrations, patterns, motion design, audio, and augmented reality. Through these shared visual experiences, I aim to introduce new values into the sphere of design, enrich the design world with diversity, and build a shared visual experience that talks both to Iranians and the cultural milieu of the United States. Producing art pieces with the theme of Shared Visual Experiences can aid in promoting diversity, fostering connection, encouraging innovation and creativity, and bringing attention to significant social and cultural issues. It is a meaningful way to contribute to a more interconnected world that benefits everyone.

The thesis focuses on the relationship between artificial intelligence (AI) and graphic design, aiming to understand AI's potential while emphasizing the unique value of human designers. This exploration will involve transforming AI-generated patterns into physical forms using paper, demonstrating the positive possibilities of AI in creative pursuits. By blending AI output with human creativity, the thesis will show how both play essential, distinct roles.
The study addresses concerns about AI's potential to replace human artists. By highlighting AI as a tool that enhances, rather than replaces, human creativity, the thesis debunks the misconception that AI will eradicate human artistry. Instead, AI can inspire and expedite creative processes while artists remain responsible for the final production.
Using Midjourney, a generative AI system, the research underscores AI's limitations in fully understanding or replicating human imagination. The study emphasizes the importance of human touch in design, particularly when using paper—a material with deep historical and cultural roots in graphic design and communication.
Furthermore, paper's use extends beyond art and design, proving its versatility and importance across various fields. The thesis highlights human ingenuity's role in maximizing paper's potential across disciplines, underscoring the critical contribution of human creativity.

The unbridled consumerism established during the industrial revolution in consumer society has become a mass phenomenon. The birth of industry caused significant transformations in the world economy, as well as in the human lifestyle, as it accelerated the production of goods and the exploitation of natural resources. People today consume in a way that their purchasing choices define them. Consumption is not driven by social responsibility: individuals often end up engaging in overconsumption habits due to the vast number of options and the perpetual launching of new trends. Consumption is the satisfaction of desires and wants, especially in current westernized societies.
In my thesis, I will address a concern that is shared by many people. I will be using Graphic Design to draw attention to the misuse and waste of our planet's natural resources while critiquing the consumer society and the lifestyle that compels consumption to maintain acceptance within a social group. I will be discussing the different concepts that people have about trash and waste, in hopes to make them aware of our role in the conscious use of Earth's natural resources.