Graduate student Niloufar Abdolmaleki has received a Merit Award from the 2023 Society for Experiential Graphic Design (SEGD) Global Design Awards.

Abdolmaleki’s project, WOMAN LIFE FREEDOM, an installation in the Cruess Courtyard, was on view Oct. 30, 2022 through Jan. 7, 2023. 

The WOMAN LIFE FREEDOM installation displayed the creative relationship between trauma, empathy, and design; in response to solidarity with the Iranian people while fighting against the Islamic regime for their fundamental human rights. #Mahsaamini UC Davis community members were being asked to share and spread the information to the world and raise awareness about what is happening in Iran in any possible way! People were encouraged to write one of the fundamental human rights on each ribbon to acknowledge the most significant women’s movement in history, which is happening in Iran now.

The installation showcased a different type of the “Dakhil Ribbons” project by the MFA student Niloufar Abdolmaleki, which was up in the Arboretum for a month in Spring 2022. Dakhil is a traditional Iranian act of devotion that involves tying fabric to a shrine of an elder, a tree, or anything one considers sacred. It is usually done to heal the sick or to pray for the good things a person wants. However, this practice is not limited to Islamic traditions and can be seen worldwide. The concept of the project and its relation to Dakhil ribbons: Expand the knowledge of cultural approaches, protest, solidarity, and being hopeful for the Iranian people to win their fight for human rights against the dictatorial regime.

As a result, she has been invited to the SEGD conference in Washington, D.C. in Aug. 2023 to receive the award. In addition, she will present the project at the virtual SEGD Academic Summit, June 28-29.

The annual SEGD Global Design Awards brings together a jury of some of the best-known names in design to recognize and promote excellence in contemporary experiential graphic design.