Oct 19, 2026

Edges of Attention Captures Everyday Beauty on Campus

KFUPM President Dr. Muhammad Al-Saggaf inaugurated “Edges of Attention,” a photography exhibition by Dr. Afaque Shams, Associate Professor in the Mechanical Engineering Department and Director of the Nuclear Center, at the Faculty Lounge in Building 9 on October 18, 2026. The exhibition invites the campus community to slow down and notice the beauty around them.

At the opening, Dr. Al-Saggaf said: “I’m very proud of Dr. Afaque Shams. He has shown himself to be not only an exemplary researcher and faculty member, but one who has such a fantastic talent for capturing moments of KFUPM’s campus that have never been captured. I myself have learned a lot about the flora, the animals, and the structures of the campus that I had not known before.”

The idea began with Dr. Shams’s morning routine. He starts his day before sunrise, walking through the campus gardens and buildings and watching the sun rise. Along the way, he noticed scenes he wished everyone could see. He began capturing them with his phone camera, simply and without fuss, and shared the results. Encouraged by Dr. Al-Saggaf to turn them into an exhibition, he brought the collection to the wider KFUPM community and its visitors.

The exhibition is organized into themed categories, including the campus’s architecture and its natural environment, with skies, flowers, bees, cats, and foxes. The title reflects its message: beauty surrounds us every day, yet we rarely pay attention to it.

“Life is an art and we are the artists of our life – be original,” said Dr. Shams. “No moment that we see will repeat itself ever again, so why not appreciate and capture it?” Every photograph carries the time, date, and place it was taken.

The opening drew administrators, students, faculty, and staff. They listened as Dr. Shams explained his philosophy and the stories behind each photograph.