Khalo’s Tent, May 2022 A project by Ann Jacob, Yomna Badr, Zahraa Attai Junior Multi-Media Design Studio, Prof. Zlatan Filipovic
American University of Sharjah, College of Architecture and Design (CAAD)
“Khalo’s tent” is an educational augmented reality exhibition that provides an experience for the viewer about the significance of making “Al Sadu”, a traditional weaving craft done by women of the United Arab Emirates throughout the generations. To mirror the same setting in which the craft is usually taught, the experience uses storytelling as the main format of delivery. It is to be led by “Khalo”, which translates to Aunty or aunt in Emirati. She will take the viewer on a tour through her tent to show the tradition's process.
The AR experience consists of four segments, the wools, the dyes, the Sadu making, and the patterns, each representing a stage of making “Al Sadu” in sequential order. It first starts, with “Kahlo’s” welcoming to the viewer. She introduces the experience and gives a brief history of the topic. She then prompts the user to move to the first stage of making Al Sadu, shearing the wool. In this stage, she explains the process of turning wool into yarn. After the user is done with the first stage, she leads them to the second stage which displays the dyes usually used in making the Sadu. In the third stage, the user gets to know more about the tools used in making the Sadu as well as poetry commonly recited during the making of the textile. The last stage teaches the viewer about the patterns on the Sadu, their meaning, and their types. By the end, the user has the opportunity to take a picture with the Khalo as a small token of gratitude and a souvenir to remember her and the experience.
The above video was produced by the student team during their research as part of the AR-project.
