By: The Dirt

The City of Davis will unveil a new public art piece in memory of Karim Abou Najm this month at Sycamore Park.

Najm’s life was taken in April of 2023 when he was stabbed in Sycamore Park while biking home. The stabbing spree also claimed the life of David Breaux, known fondly in Davis as “the Compassion Guy”, and critically injured a third community member.

The suspect in the case has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity.

Karim Abou Najm graduated from Davis Senior High School in 2020 and went on to attend UC Davis where he was awarded a bachelor’s degree in computer science posthumously.

The public art piece is titled “Fiat Lux”, which means “let there be light” in Latin. Artist Nicole Beck created “Fiat Lux” to sit on top of a berm in the park that overlooks the site of the tragedy.

The piece is made of stainless steel and colored dichroic glass. The colors in the piece will reflect light and change color depending on the viewer’s position and ambient light conditions.

This installation was made possible by donations from Karim’s family, friends, and Davis Residents, a donation from UC Davis, and the Davis Municipal Arts Fund.

The unveiling is scheduled for Friday, November 22 at 4p. In the event of rain, the public will be invited to join an indoor ceremony in the multi-purpose room at Willett Elementary School.