Project Spaces 2021 - 22

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!

Visitors can schedule tours during the University’s working hours by making an appointment using this link https://www.eventbrite.com/e/what-is-home-to-you-a-solo-exhibition-by-mohamad-hafez-project-spaces-tickets-244303086107

PROJECT SPACES:
NOV 28 2021 - Feb 17 2022

Computational Potential 
By xLab

Computational Potential is an exhibition by xLab that showcases ideas and forms of new making in art and design using code. The exhibit adopts a didactic approach to present examples of drawings and artifacts produced in two elective classes from the Graphic Design and Interior Design programs. Other works are explorations carried out by xLab using different methods, tools, and techniques in form, code, and matter.

Participants
Principles:
Mohammad Suleiman
Levi Hammet
Haithem El Hammali
Chris Buchakjian

Research resident:
Hind Al Saad

Type+Code Students:
Abdul Rahman Alkhatib Alhosani
Fatima Abbas
Hagar Allam
Latifa Al-ali
Mohamed Nasser
Noof Alkhenji
Ohoud Al-Saygh

Digital Formations Students:
Asma Al Mohannadi
Aldana Al-Meghisib
Binsha Basheer
Maha Masri
Maryam Al Kuwari
Osama Arabi Katbi
Shaika Al Meghaisib
Shainah Dane Juras
Yara Barakat
Location: Saffron Hall, VCUarts Qatar
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Office Hours
By Michael Perrone

“For the past several years I have been using my faculty office at VCUarts Qatar as both an office and a studio,” Painting + Printmaking Assistant Professor Michael Perrone explains.

“The many conversations I’ve had with colleagues and students have become an essential part of my personal collection, which contains both artworks I’ve made and objects I’ve found. In a way this exhibition is simply a recreation of my office, remi- niscent of 'cabinets of curiosity' that date back to the 16th century.

“Exhibiting objects that for some reason caught my fancy alongside works I’ve created is a way to show the inner workings of my brain - a web of thoughts and influences. Many of the works created by myself and others offer a counterpoint for contemplating what art is, how it functions, and how we might begin to expand our conventional ideas and definitions. The works also reference contemporary notions of “the ready-made”, Arte Povera and junk shop aesthetics, which have had a profound influence on my practice.

“Lastly, as a way to raise funds and awareness for my colleague’s humanitarian enterprise, cats_etcetera, I will be offering these works for sale at extremely affordable art prices. All proceeds will be donated to cats_etcetera directly by the  buyer. Please contact me if you see some- thing you like or if you have any questions.”
Location: Ground Floor Glass Display, VCUarts Qatar

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The Sound of Thread: Extending traditions through the sonification of Palestinian embroidery
By Naima Almajdobah

The sound of thread is an exhibition that allows you to hear what you see, and see what you hear. Using various patterns from various regions in Palestine, each with its own history and iconic meaning. This library of patterns was composed by redrawing them stitch by stitch into Ableton Live. 

What you hear are audio files that contain visual patterns played on a loop several times with slight changes to the instrument combination using automated cycles. Due to their unique shapes, each pattern was able to be distinguished from others by subtle differences.

Location: First Floor Glass Display, VCUarts Qatar

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My Grandfather's Journey
By Rasha Alkasab

“Home to some maybe the place they were born, or the country they lived or grew up in. I identify “Home” by the people that make up a house or a home,” Rasha says.

“The people we love are the ones that make us relate to the concept of home. Our lives with them, and how they are, or were, make us remember them and get the same feeling we would get when we visit our childhood home. I lived in far too many places to have a single place that I can call home, but my home and what shaped me as me are those people I love. 

“When those people leave us, their memories and who they once were become the concept of our home, and the longing to them and the places they once were at define our feeling of alienation.

“My grandfather always meant home to me. He has been around the world as the Public Relations and Communication Director at the Damascus Municipality, and his home was everywhere that has his spirit went and reflects the stories he told me. I was his first (and favorite) granddaughter, and I distinctly remember him going out of his way to entertain me by making shadow puppets with his hands. 

“He was a man of pride and faith. He loved people and people loved him. In 2018, when he passed away, more than half of Damascus attended his funeral remembering his amazing soul and giving nature. 

“He lives in me and his wisdom and words will always guide me.” 

In memory of Nizar Darwish Alajlani.

Location: Library, VCUarts Qatar

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2021-2022

PROJECT SPACES:
OCT 17 - NOV 11 2021

Play, Cut, Stamp: Arabic Lettering Series
By TypeAraby

TypeAraby is an experimental platform dedicated to the creation, preservation, and evolution of Arabic typography and type design. It was initiated by the Graphic Design department at VCUarts Qatar as a laboratory space for cultivating a contemporary vision for Arabic type while maintaining and promoting its traditional calligraphic roots as an important mechanism for language sustainability. The platform is a springboard for events, workshops, lectures, exhibitions, and publications that engage local, regional and international creative communities.

As a part of the Arabic Lettering Series, TypeAraby invited Lara Captan and Kristyan Sarkis, the founders and directors of Arabic Type Design Beirut, to conduct a two-day workshop with the GDES students in Spring 2020. Participants designed Arabic lettering by changing various parameters and produced the final designs from wood to create block prints.

Participants:
Abdulrahman Alkhatib, Ayah Elnour, Azza Alawad, Ghada Al-Qashouti, Hagar Allam, Haya Al-Hitmi, Khalefa Al-Kuwari, Latifa A-Sulaiti, Marwa Al-Kalbani, Moza Al-Suwaidi, Naima Almajdobah, Najla Al-Khater, Noora Al-Saei, Nouf Al-Mannai, Roudah Al-Sheeb, Sara Shaaban, Sarah Al-Afifi, Shima Aeinehdar, Zainab Al-Shibani

Location: Glass Display on Ground Floor, VCUarts Qatar

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Lost In The World of Doodles
By Mariam Kraidli

“Cody Tarantino, a doodle artist, helped me find my passion for this type of drawing,” Mariam says. “Doodling was a big part of my life and I have recently developed it more. My artwork represents different feelings, emotions, and thoughts that go through our minds on a daily basis. I like to have fun and draw a character that represents these emotions in a unique, scary, yet fun way.” 

Location: Glass Display on the 1st Floor, VCUarts Qatar

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PROJECT SPACES:
AUG 29 - SEPT 30 2021

Everything That Will Happen Will Happen at Home (ETWHWHaH)
By The Anderson Gallery

“Home” is often thought of as a place, but perhaps more meaningfully refers to a way of being. Home is the source of the truest self. It might include the town where you live, the house you grew up in, a group of people, a food, a keepsake, a memory. It could be a place of comfort or a place of anxiety. The definition is malleable; it warps and expands like an exposed hardwood floor. 

This poster exhibition works to define home even as it eludes a container, as we chase the definition of home throughout our lives.

Showcased Students:
Caroline Melamed, Abigail Franks, Kristi Huynh, Cassie Knudsen, Jesse Mackenzie, Gabi Wood, Emma Butterworth, Ni Sang, Sharon Plata, Arched Aparejo, Alicia Kim, Ricardo Ortiz, Jordan Calvert, Liz Oliver, Emery Keele, Victoria Crouch, Kom Khojayori, Jack Rhodes

With special thanks to:
Lauren Thorson, Cassie Knudsen, Chase Westfall, Matt Charboneau, VCUarts Go Lab
Location: Saffron Hall, VCUarts Qatar.

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Streetwear is Dead; Long Live Streetwear
Written and curated by Ali Khan 

“Streetwear is Dead; Long Live Streetwear” by Ali Khan focuses on collaborations, drops and hype: how streetwear conquered high fashion and managed to kill itself in the process. This streetwear photoshoot accompanied by an essay of the same name features outfits displayed in the exhibition Wear The Right Thing at VCUarts Qatar’s Gallery.

Photography: Nadeesha Rathnayake
Styled by: Ali Khan
Models: Arij Mohamed and Chahd Dridi
Photography Location: VCUarts Qatar ©VCUarts Qatar
Location: Library, VCUarts Qatar

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Tomorrow's Youth
Curated by Ali Khan
A look back at the streetwear designed by the VCUarts Qatar Junior fashion students over the years.

Showcased Students:

Fatima Al Khulaifi, 2017
Aeysha Rafiq, 2018
Heidi Rashad, 2018
Shaikha Al Thani, 2021
Najla Al Eida, 2021
Reem Atout, 2021

Location: Glass Display on Ground Floor, 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.
 

 

"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.

Exhibition Dates

29 Aug – 21 Apr 2022

Entry

Free - Open invitation

Location

VCUarts Qatar