My goal with this collection is to introduce a new type of aesthetic design, confuse viewers with an impalpable sense of familiarity and then surprise them with the final reveals.
I was inspired by my love and awe of the UAE and my hope is for these pieces to be shown off with pride as an artistic celebration of the country.
— Audrey Miller, October 2022
About
Artist’s Statement
Interview with the Artist
What is this collection about?
Always Ahead is an artistic celebration of the UAE, a country for which I am full of love and awe. It is made up of 51 pieces designed in my Neopatternism style, with each piece celebrating a moment or monument in UAE history, all the way from the 1971 Union through to the 2022 opening of the Mohamed bin Rashid Library.
What motivated you to create it?
In 2020, my life took an unexpected turn when an unidentified health issue caused me to faint, fall backwards and slam the back of my head against a stone floor.
This accident caused a traumatic brain injury that turned my life upside down. I went from being a fiercely independent woman to someone who could not think or see clearly… someone whose battle against body tremors kept her from holding food on a spoon, walking straight and many of life’s other basics that we all take for granted.
Despite the mountains of medication which had countless side effects that made me feel worse, months went on with little improvement. So I sought out alternative methods of healing and was excited to discover scientific research suggesting that art could help.
With nothing to lose, I purchased all the latest design technology and began to reconnect myself with design and patterns.
It was difficult at first because my traumatized brain struggled with technology, my eyes still weren’t working properly, and the tremors kept me from having a steady hand.
But the pleasure of immersing myself in shape and color kept me going and full of hope.
It was during my healing that I began creating my style and the encouragement of friends and family pushed me to develop it further. While experimenting with different subjects, I began to feel my thoughts become more coherent, my eyesight become clearer and my tremors reduce.
So I decided to pursue a much bigger project in hope of accelerating my recovery and that’s when I embarked upon the creation of this collection.
What makes you uniquely positioned to design this collection?
My entire life has been a calling towards pattern-based art. As a child. I didn’t understand it was a calling at the time, but whenever I had the opportunity to work with art materials (or even Microsoft Paint in the early 90’s), you’d see me designing geometries and patterns while other children drew people and scenes.
But it was when my conversion to Islam took me from Tennessee to Damascus that my passion was awoken like never before. In short, discovering the beautiful patterns throughout Syria’s mosques, marketplaces and historical sites triggered within me an obsession for ancient Islamic ornamentation and geometric design, neither of which I had access to in America.
It also led me to spend several years studying the treasures and archives of the National Museum in Damascus as well as the inherited ways of Syria’s traditional craftsmen.
It was during that immersion in Damascus that I realized my childhood obsession with patterns was actually a calling towards pattern-based art and design.
And the more I travelled between Damascus, Milan and other parts of Europe, the more I wanted to merge classical geometric design with modern aesthetics to create some type of unique fusion.
But just as my calling had become loud and clear enough for me to act upon, the Syrian civil war reached Damascus and personal safety became my highest priority.
So I left Syria for the UAE and was soon given the chance to design a pattern-based carpet collection to enhance the atmosphere of modern prayer spaces throughout the UAE and beyond. If you’ve prayed in many of the country’s mosques or prayer rooms, chances are you’ve prayed on one of my patterns.
From there, I was invited to work for the Private Office of H.H. Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum the Crown Prince of Dubai as his Project Coordinator. And then, from there, as the principal of the first Middle Eastern branch of the multinational design Eight Inc.
During that time, I had lots of hands-on design exposure to many of the country’s sites that I celebrate in this collection. For example, Deep Dive Dubai and Burj Khalifa.
In short, this collection has brought together my personal lifelong obsession with pattern design, my intimate knowledge of the country’s sites, my understanding of the Emirati appreciation for patterns and the West-meets-East design aesthetic I’ve developed as an American convert to Islam who has studied ancient Islamic ornamentation and lived in the Middle East for almost 2 decades.
What is Neopatternism?
Neopatternism is the form of digital fine art I created whilst recovering from my traumatic brain injury. It involves me taking everyday objects and turning them into complex geometries as an ongoing exploration of my creativity and the world around me.
I typically explore themes of contradiction. For example, taking hard objects and making them soft or taking delicate objects and making them complicated. For example, I turned the steel structures of Dubai into a geometric lace pattern. In doing so, I make people feel confused and then intrigued. I make people think about what they’re looking at and get them to appreciate a new type of beauty while confusing them with familiarity.
I start with an approximate idea that interests me and try to recreate what’s in my mind. I experiment to see which geometries will be possible, which colours are immediately available and which angles and lighting effects I can use. By the time I start making a piece, I already have a general idea of the direction in terms of what it will look like and how to make it.
I intentionally make the angles distracting so that viewers’ eyes are drawn away from the subjects. The reveal of the subject is usually accomplished with a zoom, which brings it into focus and reveals its true identity. By doing this, I create a kind of diffusion that obscures the subject until it is finally made clear. And unless I’m creating a dark piece, I’m particular to avoid dark colors because the human mind is often drawn to them straight away. So if I have a geometry that has black lines, I always change them. So unlike kaleidoscope, which is fractured images or light that is completely randomised, Neopatternism is completely intentional.
When I show my art to people, I like them to guess what it is before telling them. It’s a game I like to play. When they guess things that are totally different, it helps them engage with the art even more. And once they’ve seen it, they can’t unsee it. And from there, I want them to play the same game with people who are yet to see it. My art is meant to be interactive and I hope that everyone who sees it will be able to enjoy it.
In terms of inspiration, I’ve always loved MC Escher’s use of tessellations and the way he created artistic illusions. And of course, I spent years studying Islamic geometries which combine simple lines, shapes and patterns to create complex visuals. Though in no way does my style seek to challenge the Islamic Arts. It is all about finding the right balance of simplicity and complexity to make a piece look aesthetically pleasing. I feel that my art has an organic feel to it while maintaining its structured beauty.
I look forward to merging my style with other art forms, ranging from clothing to ornamentation, murals, sculptures and other types of physical installations.
What is the medium?
The collection is digital fine art printed on Hahnemühle fine art paper and encased by Tru Vue museum glass to ensure bright colours, excellent contrast, maximum clarity, minimal glare and protection from ageing. Printing is at 51cm2, wrapped by a 7cm matte and framed with a 3.5cm frame.
The artwork is visually recognisable by mobile phones through the proprietary AI Revealer that I commissioned, thereby allowing collectors to invite guests to engage with the artwork, taking them on the pleasure, confusion and surprise journeys that I designed the art around.
Each of the 51 pieces is strictly limited to 51 print editions that can be bought through www.alwaysahead.ae and pieces are numbered and signed, with provenance established through a signed physical certificate as well as a digital NFT collectible on the Ethereum blockchain.
Although I have timed its release to coincide with the country’s 51st National Day, I intend on keeping it alive for years to come.
What do you mean by “keeping it alive”?
When it comes to the UAE’s commitment to innovation and excellence, there is much more to celebrate than just 51 subjects. And this will become even more so as the years go on.
Keeping the collection alive means that I’ll continue celebrating by adding more pieces in the run-up to National Day each year. That will include existing subjects I could not include now and new subjects as the country keeps innovating.
So while this is my premiere collection that I started in 2022, I hope to keep expanding it for decades to come.
What is the AI Revealer and how does it work?
As already mentioned, I have 3 goals with each piece: (1) providing visual aesthetic pleasure, (2) confusing viewers with an impalpable sense of familiarity and (3) surprising them by revealing the subjects which are being celebrated.
If you see the artwork hung on a wall, you’ll experience #1 & #2, but #3 is difficult without help. So I commissioned the AI Revealer to make #3 possible.
The AI Revealer is an innovative tool that you can access via www.alwaysahead.ae/reveal only on your mobile phone. It then accesses your phone’s camera and instructs you to fill the camera viewport with the artwork. It then uses a subcategory of artificial intelligence (AI) to identify the artwork before taking you to a page that reveals the hidden subject that the artwork celebrates.
Are there any plans to exhibit the collection?
I would love to have the collection exhibited. It would be such a cool exhibition because I designed the artwork to be engaged with using my AI Revealer. I even wrote short poetic lines for each one to activate visitors’ thoughts into wondering what each piece might be celebrating.
Exhibiting within the UAE would remind us all to be grateful for living here. Exhibiting abroad would remind everyone that the UAE really does live in the future.
But exhibiting is easier said than done, especially for a premiere collection. There are so many challenges, ranging from logistical to marketing to financial and more. And since my brain injury, I struggle with a lot of those things.
But with that said, I’m certainly open to discussing the idea with potential partners and sponsors. All I want is that it should the exhibition is special for everyone who attends. Wherever it’s shown needs to really embrace the celebration of the country’s achievements and the venue would need to be in line with the collection’s aesthetic values. Any other organisations involved would need to have similar themes and beliefs.
At the end of the day, it’s not just about showing off artwork, but also about telling stories through art.
Where else would you like this collection to be displayed?
Being my premiere art collection, I naturally want it to be displayed wherever it will be seen and interacted with by as many people as possible. But at the same time, I have designed this collection as fine art and want it to be treated as such.
With the above in mind, in addition to the homes of eminent Emirati families and anyone else who loves the UAE, I would be pleased to see my artwork hung in high-end restaurants and other social spaces that have complementary aesthetics.
What is the potential for this collection to be used outside of exhibitions and galleries?
At its heart, Always Ahead is a collection of patterns that I’ve designed to be appreciated as fine art hung on walls. So whilst patterns are mostly designed with a view to decorating functional objects, I have designed these to be appreciated primarily for their aesthetic content. However, this doesn’t mean they cannot be used to decorate functional objects.
In my mind’s eye, I can already see many of my designs being used on high-end abayas, scarves, handbags and even wraps on luxury cars. All of these applications should ideally be done as collaborations with other brands.
In other words, I would love to see Always Ahead become a cultural movement where brands use the patterns of this collection to celebrate the UAE’s accomplishments in ways that are relevant to their own audiences but which still keep true to the collection’s core values. It could be a truly remarkable experience for everyone involved, especially if it involves collaborations with Emirati businesses like fashion designers and manufacturers so that it serves as a powerful reminder of all the country has achieved. The possibilities are endless and I’m sure that together, we can come up with ideas that would be truly impactful and unique. I’m excited to see where this collection will take us!
I’d also like to create a coffee table book out of it that the UAE government could distribute to consulates and embassies around the world for them to gift out, as well to ambassadors and consuls in the UAE from abroad.
How does blockchain technology factor into this collection?
For this collection, blockchain is being used to give owners a way of certifying that the pieces they own are authentic. It’s also being used as a way to reward buyers for believing in me early in my career as an artist and I will continue to reward my early supporters with exclusive digital pieces (also known as NFT airdrops).
Offering a blockchain counterpart is also special because the digital element makes Always Ahead perfect for collectors who want to embrace new technology but have otherwise been sitting at the edge.
In the longer term, I want to explore ways blockchain can be used to create a more rewarding experience for collectors when they interact with my brand as a whole. For example, someone who purchases several pieces across different collections could receive some type of special experience or merchandise.
Ultimately, I’m looking to use blockchain technology in ways that benefit both me and my collectors and help everyone involved to have an incredible experience with the artwork!
Do you think that more artists should be embracing the potential of blockchain technology?
Absolutely! Blockchain technology is no longer a novel concept and its use in the art world can be seen more and more. The fact that blockchain technology enables us to tokenise artwork, and therefore create digitalised versions of it that remain secure, is incredibly valuable for artists who want their work to live on beyond physical limitations. And whilst perhaps there needs to be more conversation around the implications of blockchain technology, it’s definitely worth embracing as a potential tool for artists.
I do believe that a time will come when all art will have a digital/blockchain element to it. Taking this collection as an example, my focus has been on delivering physical art for collectors, many of whom may believe that blockchain is the future but have been hesitant to take the first step into it. What I am aiming to do is give them a way to start embracing blockchain technology with something familiar and in an environment that they feel comfortable in. That’s why this collection includes both physical artworks as well as digital blockchain elements.
I’m excited about having future collections exist in the real world, especially public art, and I’m also excited about creating collections exclusively as digital collectables. I have already been invited to do so by some prominent platforms around the world. Stay tuned!
What has been the most rewarding part of producing this collection?
Producing this collection has been rewarding at every stage. At the start, this included me experiencing an actual recovery in my health after months of pointless medication that actually made things worse. In the middle, it included expanding my knowledge about the country and its achievements during the weeks I spent researching it. And in the latter stages, getting a chance to learn more about blockchain. And at the end, holding framed pieces in my hand and showing them off to different people while watching my style of pleasing, confusing and surprising them work every single time. Now the most rewarding part will be in seeing collectors enjoy the artwork and knowing that they will be doing the same.
What is the biggest challenge you faced in bringing this collection to life?
To be completely honest, the biggest challenge has been in finding the time to do everything. As a single mother of 6, I always feel like I am being pulled in multiple directions at the same time. So making the time and getting the mind space to actually create the artwork was a huge challenge. 3 of my children travelled to study abroad last month, but I still feel their pull! It’s a mom thing! 🙂
What message do you ultimately want to convey through this collection?
Oh wow! There are a few messages actually, though not in a specific order…
The first is that art is something that can help us connect emotionally with ourselves and that it has a therapeutic role to play in our lives and in healing.
The second is an adoration of the UAE. When I moved here, my family and friends back in Tennessee thought I was moving to a 3rd world country. What they didn’t realise, and what I’ve continuously told them ever since is that the UAE is actually living in the future.
The third is to establish a new style of fine digital art. While digital artwork can be produced in abundance, that doesn’t mean that all of it is low quality. On the contrary, done right, digital art can be considered just as fine as any other form of fine art.
And the last is a message to those who often wonder how people can get lost in art, mesmerised by a single piece for ages. I’d like this collection to help them realise that art often has a lot more to it if you look closer and spend time studying it, exploring it and engaging with it.
Is there anything else that you would like to add about this collection?
I’m proud I had this chance to honor the Emirates and I hope that people find value in the collection, be it through a newfound appreciation of the UAE as a nation, the artwork itself or the technology behind it.