Personal Statement

Over the past years, my research in the field of Egyptian flora and phytotaxonomy ranged
from the occasional field expeditions to the routine tasks of sampling, archiving and organising
herbarium collection and information. This was essential to study and explain the dynamic
relationships between human practices (ecological/economical, use/abuse) and plant resources
(wild/cultivated, native/introduced) and their outcome over space and time. Not less important
was my work within the campus of the Agriculture Museum (Dokki, Giza), which, as a melting
compartment of science/art and wonder/tourism, allowed to appreciate how would and should a
collection of curious items, representing the biological and ethnological heritage of a particular
land and people, be preserved and displayed for wider public visitors.
Drawing upon my thesis for my MSc degree in archaeoethnobotany, it entailed not only a
meticulous knowledge of materials and methods generally applied in the documentation of
historic monuments (photography, epigraphy), but also detailed understanding of ancient
Egyptian art and religion throughout successive periods, as well their relations to those of the
ancient Near East. In fact, the research proved an interdisciplinary venture based on the
collected evidences from numerous sources (archaeology, ethnology, history, geography,
botany, agronomy, art, literature). It also provided a foundation upon which I advanced to my
current study for the PhD degree.
Beside the aforementioned scientific qualifications, I have acquired an outstanding
artistic experience in publishing and media industry as a designer, writer and illustrator of
several learning and entertaining materials, particularly those directed at children. This
experience, however, had been nourished and developed over years of freelance practicing
in different visual and communication fields (science, archaeology, press, advertising,
multimedia, animation movies, virtual reality, augmented reality), which targeted diverse
audiences (adults/children, urban/rural, national/international). This was crucial in
appreciating how words and images come together to convey meaning, and how elements of
form, content and context come together to give visual culture its diversity and complexity.
Being both a scientist and an artist, I believe, means to be a keen observer, chronicler
and commentator of society, which requires that one should continuously research topics,
remain current with local and global affairs and develop a philosophical vision for life and
humanity. I also imagine that audience as one, which is being globalization, but my practice
always seeks to impact the tendency to homogenization and instead to introduce cultural
materials that emphasize difference.

Ahmed Soliman
Researcher, Designer, Writer & Illustrator