Project Spaces

The Project Spaces exhibition program includes a variety of solo and group shows by VCUarts Qatar students, faculty and staff.

The exhibition program highlight the creative diversity of our community, as well as the eclectic range of materials and approaches involved in the individual art and design disciplines. It also provides them with opportunities to present the results of their current artistic explorations, and is intended to inspire and stimulate the creative activity of the University at large. 

A unique opportunity to display their works at key locations in the building!
 

2020-2021

FASH 402 - Accessory Design
By the Fashion Design Senior Students, Class of 2021

Introduced in 2019, the Accessory Design course at the Fashion Design program at VCUarts Qatar aims to prepare students for real-world industry practices in the field of handbag design; from market analysis, conceptualization, first sketch to final commercial prototype.

Through the design process, students experiment with 2D manual and digital research techniques seeking to balance new ideas with commercial reality.

The course shifts to 3D exploration, where students build their first mockup with paper in order to understand proportions, structure and construction techniques. How does the bag fit on a body? Is it ergonomic? How is it carried? Is it functional? How does it open and close? The selected final sketches and mockups are sent to Italy for production.

With the support of VCUarts Qatar, the Eco Lux Lab initiative and Rino Magnani - an Italian handbag master artisan - these designs have become a reality. Magnani assisted the students online with their design and 3D processes, sharing his invaluable experience and techniques. The short video on display at the exhibition has been captured during a workshop where Magnani was presenting, step by step, the manufacturing process.

The exhibited handbags are the first prototypes. Each handbag has been produced in three different colors to reflect commercial colorways. The pictures displayed in the glass gallery are the final handbags. These pieces will be on sale at the luxury accessory corner of the Fifty One East department store by the end of April 2021.

The Accessory Design Class of 2021 would like to thank VCUarts Qatar, the Eco Lux Lab, and Christopher Fink for their support.

A huge virtual applause to Rino Magnani and Anastasia Farnetti Merenda for their patience, passion, talent and sharing their immense knowledge with us.

Participants:
Students:
Dana Ahmed
Safa al Hadithi
Medhawi Alobaidli
Ryan Basilio
Sidra Sohail

Faculty:
Federica Visani

Location: Glass display on the ground floor at VCUarts Qatar.
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Parametric Paintings
By Ahmed Nour 

Portraying a dragonfly in various stages of abstraction, conveyed in digital paintings. The level of abstraction is determined by using Grasshopper to specify different parametric settings for each painting.

Location: First-floor glass case display at VCUarts Qatar.
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IDES 491 – Digital Formations
By Students: Asma Almohannadi, Aldana Al-Meghisib, Binsha Basheer, Maha Masri, Mariam Kraidli, Maryam Al-Kuwari, Osama Arabi Katbi, Shaika Al-Meghaisib, Shainah Dane Juras, Yara Barakat. 

By Faculty: Mohammad Nabil Suleiman and Chris Buchakjian.

Dates: Feb 21 - Mar 11, 2021

"Digital Formations” aims to research and experiment with different computational processes and workflows in arts and design. This exploration is situated in post-problem solving – seeking new forms, tools, and workflows where the output is not prescribed, all the while attempting to transcend traditional disciplinary boundaries. The class (IDES 491: Topics in Interior Design) is not defined as a linear design process with objective outcomes, but rather as the iterative, non-linear, and speculative process with the ability to reassess and shift our disciplinary discourse.

In this first module students explore tools and processes of making patterns with points and lines. These parametric forms start as data and flow from 2D to 3D; from the screen into the physical world . The hands-on construction allows space for tactile decision making.

Location: Project Spaces Glass Display, First floor

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Lu3’atna
By Students: Aldana Al-Marri, Dana Ahmad, Sara Mohammed, and Zainab Al-Shibani
Faculty: Robert Bianchi and Basma Hamdy

‘Celebrating and Promoting Qatari Linguistic Culture through World Cup 2022’ was awarded $25,000 in the 25th cycle of the UREP grant by the Qatar National Research Fund. The project involves five Junior students (now seniors) at VCUarts Qatar from the following majors: Graphic Design, Interior Design, Fashion Design, and Art History.

The project is led by Robert Bianchi and Basma Hamdy, both faculty members at VCUarts Qatar and began in Spring 2019 with a survey distributed to students across educational institutions in Qatar as well as members of the community. This was followed by a research and development phase where the content of the campaign was developed. Students and faculty met twice a week over the summer to develop, curate and design content for the campaign initial.  

Location: The Saffron Hall at VCUarts Qatar
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Colorful Emotions
By Maryam Altajir

This exhibition showcases labializing feelings and emotions by exploring abstract Arabic calligraphy and colors to represent the unknown feelings and the label that defines them. These associations between colors and feelings can influence various behaviors, such as reactions, resistance, and more.

Feb 21 - Mar 11, 2021
Project Spaces Glass Display, Ground floor
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IDES 491 – Digital Formations
By students: Asma Almohannadi, Aldana Al-Meghisib, Binsha Basheer, Maha Masri, Mariam Kraidli, Maryam Al-Kuwari, Osama Arabi Katbi, Shaika Al-Meghaisib, Shainah Dane Juras, Yara Barakat. Faculty: Mohammad Nabil Suleiman and Chris Buchakjian

The “Digital Formations” class, which part of the Interior Design program, aims to research and experiment with different computational processes and workflows in art and design. The exploration is situated in post-problem solving, in seeking new forms, tools, and workflows where the output is not prescribed, all the while attempting to transcend traditional disciplinary boundaries. The class is not defined as a linear design process with objective outcomes, but rather as the iterative, non-linear, and speculative process with the ability to reassess and shift our disciplinary discourse. In this first module students explore tools and processes of making patterns with points and lines. These parametric forms start as data and flow from 2D to 3D; from the screen into the physical world. The hands-on construction allows space for tactile decision making.

Feb 21 - Mar 11, 2021
Project Spaces Glass Display, first floor

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Diversity Through the Looking Glass
VCUarts Qatar Students, Faculty and Staff

Culture. Diversity. Activism. This exhibition will include VCUarts Qatar students, faculty and staff's perspectives using art/design and the written word. Join us in bringing awareness and submit your work for a chance to showcase your work through VCUarts Qatar’s social media and on campus. You will get a chance to talk about your work and your inspirations on Sunday, January, 17 at the exhibition opening at 6pm via Zoom.

Dates: January 17 to February 4, 2021
Location: Project Spaces - Library
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PAINT
Alya Alkaabi, Almaha Al-Kaabi, Noora Al-Harden, Ece Yigit, Maryam Al-Khladi, Fajer Al-Abdulghani, Hassan Alshehhi and Alice Aslem

PAINT presents work by Junior students from the Painting + Printmaking Department. Working remotely in their make-shift home studios during the Fall semester, this group of intrepid artists battled the challenges of the pandemic by focusing inward to explore personal narratives to help cope with the chaos around them. The diverse collection reflects the multitudes of approaches, personalities, and interests among these emerging talents.

Dates: January 17 to February 4, 2021.
Location: Project Spaces - Saffron Hall
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HomeScreen
Zainab Al Shibani

HomeScreen is an Honors experiential learning project led by Zainab AlShibani. The exhibition showcases the different tools and potential outcomes of home DIY screen printing. 

Dates: January 17 to February 4, 2021.
Location: Project Spaces- Glass Display Ground Floor
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Good Vibes Only
Featuring works by Aisha Al-Abdulla, Arhama Amjad, Chris Buchakjian, Elizabeth Ju, Ghaida Azzam, Gul Thakur, Haya Al Hetmi, Jesse Payne, Izza Alyssa, Leticia Aguirre, Luma Mansi, Madjulin Nasrallah, Maha Nasr, Marsya A. Abdulghani, Maryam Khalil, Michael Perrone, Naima Almajdobah, Nia Alexander Campbell, Noora Al Henzab, Nour Elbasuni, Nour Elzayat, Patty Paine, Rab McClure, Rabab Abdulla, Reham Mohamed, Robin Fetherston, Roshni Tarcar, Roudah Al-Sheeb, Selma Fejzullaj, Shima Aeinehdar, Stella Colaleo, Tasnim Rahima, Yeon Geong Hwang and Yomna Eltouny. 

The Good Vibes Only exhibition brings together works from VCUarts Qatar students, faculty, staff and alumni from diverse fields. This retrospective of their creative achievements provides an in-depth look at unseen stories during the ongoing global pandemic through paintings, photography, poetry, object design, video and digital art. This collective endeavor engages a vibrant community of practitioners, and leaves to the artists and designers to reflect on isolation, dreams and mental escape through personal narratives.

Dates: September 28 to November 12, 2020.
Location: The Gallery and Project Space - Saffron Hall
By appointment only. Exhibition visits can be scheduled for 30 min time slots throughout the day. Visits should be scheduled at least 48 hours in advance. The Gallery can accommodate visitors in groups of up to 11 people at one time in the gallery.

 

2019-2020

A Library re/ Imagined

By students and faculty from the Interior Design, Graphic Design, Painting and Printmaking, and Art Foundation departments, VCUarts Qatar

This exhibition showcases an Interior Design and Graphic Design collaborative project from the Fall'19 semester that reimagined the Library at VCUarts Qatar. It presents four courses and contributions from 10 faculty members from the Interior Design, Graphic Design, Painting and Printmaking, and Art Foundation departments. Exhibition led by Mohammad Suleiman, Assistant Professor, Interior Design department, VCUarts Qatar

Dates: From Feb. 17 to March 7, 2020

Location: Project Spaces - Saffron Hall

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Elements

By Dana El Ladki, Woodshop and Fablab Technician, Art Foundation department

Design meets function in these pieces that were created by upcycling waste wood and discarded and worn furniture. This collection demonstrates the outcome of creating functional artwork through sustainable means.

Dates: From Feb. 17 to March 7, 2020

Location: Project Spaces - Glass Display Ground Floor

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The Invisible Construction - Farah Series

By Haya Daher, Graphic Designer, Communications department

Islamic patterns are created from invisible grids called construction lines. The grid is essential for building the pattern and it determines the scales of the compositions to keep the pattern accurate. This exhibition will reveal some of these invisible construction lines within the final pattern. 

What you see in this work is a six-fold Persian pattern that fits into a hexagonal grid. I could already see how interesting the intersected lines looked while building the grid, and therefore I decided to keep some of these lines visible. 

Dates: From Feb. 17 to March 7, 2020

Location: Project Spaces - Library

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Emotional Rollercoaster

By GDES Studio Topics in Design, Immersive Storytelling in Virtual Reality, VCUarts Qatar

In this project, students from Graphic Design were challenged to design a narrative world and immersive environment that would evoke a specific emotion.

Dates: From Jan. 12 to Feb. 6, 2020

Location: Project Spaces - Saffron Hall

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1846 - 1951, Antique and Vintage Sewing Machines

By Abdulcader Abdul Raheem, technician at the Fashion Design Department, VCUarts Qatar

An unique collection of sewing machines to discover

Dates: From Jan. 12 to Feb. 6, 2020

Location: Project Spaces - Glass Display Ground Floor

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Unpick, Fashion, Piece Together

By Ekta Aggarwal and students from the Painting and Printmaking department, VCUarts Qatar 

Dates: From Jan. 12 to Feb. 6, 2020

These artworks are an attempt to explore textiles as a medium that weaves itself into a whole ecosystem combining economics, ecology and employment.

Location: Project Spaces - Glass Display First Floor

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Mind the White Walls

By Yara Elfouly, Painting and Printmaking student, VCUarts Qatar

In this exhibition, academic learning and creative practices are synthesized through journals and loose pages that detail some of the visual research, notes, and studies made to document and investigate moments of inspiration.

Dates: From Jan. 12 to Feb. 6, 2020

Location: Project Spaces - Library

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Nuqta: end of the line

By GDES 491: Colab

In this exhibition, students reinterpret the past (and present) using world-building to examine positions of power and resistance. Each installation investigates how design propositions can trace the path to alternative worlds, raising awareness on collective future(s) as a form of design activism.

Dates: From Nov. 24 to Dec. 14, 2019

Location: Project Spaces - Saffron Hall

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Take Smaller Portions

By Alice Aslem, Painting and Printmaking student, VCUarts Qatar

Take smaller portions is a project that tackles food waste. The image depicts a scene where the trash bin is full, but stomachs are empty. It combines installation and painting that allows the community to engage with the theme of food waste.

Dates: From Nov. 24 to Dec. 14, 2019

Location: Project Spaces - Glass Display Ground Floor

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Piece by Piece: A Mosaic 

By IDES Sophomores Students, VCUarts Qatar

Dates: From Nov. 24 to Dec. 14, 2019

Location: Project Spaces - Glass Display First Floor

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Jinnah—The Resilient

By Daniah Farooq,  Art History Student, VCUarts Qatar

Muhammad Ali Jinnah was regarded as Quaid-e-Azam (The Great Leader), who founded Pakistan and became the role model for the values of the Nation. He remains a unifying symbol for Pakistanis through his teachings and mausoleum, which is visited by hundreds of
thousands of people annually. Its powerful structure, immense size, and combination of grandeur and simplicity reflect the traits of Jinnah himself, who was morally uncorrupt and politically unbreakable.

Dates: From Nov. 24 to Dec. 14, 2019

Location: Project Spaces - Library

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Baluchi Women and the Art of Embroidery

By Somaia Dorzadeh, Art History Student, VCUarts Qatar

This Honors Experiential Learning Project showcases the art of embroidery by the Baluchi
women of Iran. As a woman of Baluchistan, this exhibition visually documents my visit to
several Baluchi villages to explore firsthand the craft of embroidery, and to embrace my own
culture and heritage.

Dates: From Oct. 20 to Nov. 19, 2019

Location: Project Spaces - Glass Display Ground Floor

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My Art

By Students Affairs

The office of Student Activities and Engagement is proud to offer a fantastic opportunity for selected VCUarts Qatar students to be able to exhibit their art in the Saffron Hall Project Space. The curated exhibition is titled 'My Art';  encouraging students to submit their most loved creations. Whether it is a painting or a performing art video, the exhibition will highlight VCUarts Qatar's student's talent and creativity. 

Project led by: Sarah Faheem, Senior Specialist for Student Development, Student Affairs department, VCUarts Qatar

Dates: From Sept. 29 to Oct. 10, 2019

Location: Project Spaces - Saffron Hall

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Centered

By Reema Abu Hassan, Clay Encounters Founder, MFA Student, VCUarts Qatar

The ceramic vessels of this collection have been crafted by using digital tools within the process of an analog mode of making.

Dates: From Sept. 29 to Oct. 10, 2019

Location: Project Spaces - Glass Display Ground Floor

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World of Hazem

By the VCUarts Qatar Bookstore

Hazem Asif graduated from VCUarts Qatar with a BFA in Graphic Design in 2016, and with an MFA in Design in 2018. In his design practice and research, Hazem explores speculative design and world-building to create Pakistani futuristic alternate
scenarios, with retro sci-fi phenomena embedded with childhood nostalgia, giant puppets, the unanticipated consequences of modern technology, ecological disasters, and political corruption in the near future.

His prints and postcards will be on sale at the VCUarts Qatar Bookstore.

Dates: From Sept. 29 to Oct. 10, 2019

Location: Project Spaces - Glass Display First Floor

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Fanoon Center for Printmedia Research: Highlights 2012-2019

By PAPR

Highlights 2012-2019 is the first retrospective of Fanoon Center For Printmedia Research’s growing collection of international and regional artists.

Fanoon was launched in 2012 by the Painting + Printmaking Department at VCUarts Qatar, making it the first print publishing program of its kind in the Middle East. The program collaborates with local, regional, and international artists to explore the role of print in contemporary culture. The program aims to expand the possibilities of print in the 21st century by selecting artists who can engage with printmaking from a variety of perspectives, disciplines and approaches. 

The exhibition is located in three spaces: The VCUarts Gallery, Project Space - Gallery and Project Space - Library.

Artists: Bryan Jabs, Jenny Schmid, Katie Vida, Ranjani Shettar and Sean Kuhnke

Curators: Fleming Jeffries, Rhys Himsworth and Zach Stensen, Painting and Printmaking department, VCUarts Qatar

Dates: From Sept. 29 to Oct. 10, 2019

Location: Project Spaces - Library

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Visible Cities, An inter-continental bi-campus journey

By VCUarts Painting + Printmaking department and The Eastern Michigan University, USA

Finding inspiration from Italo Calvino’s Invisible Cities and from your couterparts in Michigan, USA, students will contemplate the concept of ‘Place’, and explore formal and conceptual concepts of multiple painting languages.

Project led by: Michael Peronne, Assistant Professor, Painting and Printmaking department, VCUarts Qatar

Participants: Alanood Al Thani, Allie Brown, Almaha Al-Maadeed, Andrew Lawrence, Almaha Ashkanani, Ameena Al Boinin, Andrea Hatter, Cheyenne Thomas, Halie, Hessa Al-Sulati, Jessica Justice, Kaiti Schaffner, Khawla  Al-Akbari, Mary Rutowski, Maryam Al-Mohanniadi, Raechel Trombly and Rebecca Grace.

Dates: From Sept. 1 to 19, 2019

Location: Project Spaces - Saffron Hall

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Reborn Patterns

By FASH345 Computers for Fashion Design, Spring 2019

This project reinvents the essence of patterns or motifs from our living environments to inspire contemporary fashion styles and original pattern development. Students research living environments, experiences, and design styles to strategize their design process and to stimulate innovative thinking that incorporates both traditional and contemporary ideas to serve the needs of shifting market segments and customers with multicultural backgrounds.

Project led by: Yang Soon Ju (Elizabeth), Adjunct Professor, Fashion department, VCUarts Qatar

Technical Fashion Coordinator: Abdul Cader

Participants: Alhanouf Al-saad (Art History), Alreem Alabdulla (Art History), Hala Alassi (Interior Design), Lolwa Al-atteya (Art History), Nada Abbara (Interior Design), Shuaa Abdelfattah (Art History) and Rawda Al Thani (Art History)

Dates: From Sept. 1 to 19, 2019

Location: Project Spaces - Glass Display Ground Floor

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Posters

By Student Affairs

A retrospective of the posters made by VCUarts Qatar students for the Student Affairs department

Project led by: Sarah Faheem, Senior Specialist for Student Development, Student Affairs department, VCUarts Qatar

Dates: From Sept. 1 to 19, 2019

Location: Project Spaces - Glass Display First Floor

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Project Spaces Branding

By Zainab AlShibani

During the summer of 2019, graphic design junior student Zainab AIShibani worked on visualizing the branding of the Project Spaces. Exhibited are artifacts from a collec­tion of the different processes and accumulations of what might be considered a turning point in the practice of the designer. From extensive classes in Arabic calligraphy to various experiments in handmade art, the designer spent months understanding the correlations between well-being, culture and design work. Although the objective of the branding was meant to be an outcome with neutral and limited expression, an array of traces of the artist can be seen within the work.

May we always dare to show human entanglement in all of our work. We are torn, bent and beautifully made for all to feel. 

Project led by: Zainab AlShibani, Student, Graphic Design department, VCUarts Qatar

Dates: From Aug. 26 to Sept. 3, 2019

Location: Project Spaces - Library

Exhibition Dates

1 Sep – 24 Apr 2021

Entry

Free - Open invitation

Location

VCUarts Qatar